Developmental Milestones Among Young Children Declined During COVID Pandemic, Study Finds
A recently published study found significant decreases in communication, problem-solving, and personal-social skills among children up to 5 years of age.
A recent study published by researchers at Johns Hopkins found modest declines in developmental milestones among young children in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The researchers utilized the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) from the American Academy of Pediatrics to evaluate the developmental progress of children aged 1 to 66 months. During primary care visits, they asked six questions in each of the five key developmental areas to assess the child’s development.
Each question answered by a caregiver was rated as “yes,” “sometimes,” or “not yet,” and respondents were asked to disclose concerns or worries about the child’s behavior. The scoring determines whether a child is developing typically or needs a referral for early intervention services.
The study’s sample included 29,277 children with ASQs during only the pre-pandemic period, 1,657 with ASQs during the pre-pandemic and interruption periods, and 19,271 children with ASQs before and during the pre-pandemic and intra-pandemic periods.
Study Findings
The study found significant age-specific decreases in communication, problem-solving, and personal-social domains from the prepandemic to intra-pandemic periods, with communication skills generating the most significant concern among caretakers and gross motor skills comprising the least concern.
Communication scores decreased by approximately 3 percent, and personal-social and problem-solving scores decreased by approximately 2 percent, which would have a national impact of roughly 1,500 additional monthly referrals for services over baseline.
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Fine and gross motor scores remained stable between the pre-pandemic and intra-pandemic periods, although gross motor scores decreased in the interruption period compared with the pre-pandemic period. While there were similar decreases in communication and problem-solving scores among infants, there were no changes in personal-social scores.
Despite the findings, the authors concluded that the changes in developmental screening were only modest and proved reassuring in the short term but “may tax an already overburdened developmental behavioral pediatrics infrastructure.”
Other Studies Show Negative Impact on Child Development
Although data is limited, other studies have found that young children were negatively impacted by the pandemic response and the closure of settings they would normally frequent during their early years.
“Results highlight that even in the absence of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 illness, the environmental changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are significantly and negatively affecting infant and child development,” the authors wrote.
Moreover, teachers reported an increase in behavioral issues such as biting, hitting, and an inability to share among these same children.
