Children born during the Covid pandemic have significant decreases in verbal, motor and general cognitive performance compared to children born earlier, a US study suggests .

As Covid-19 caused the closure of businesses, nurseries, schools and playgrounds, life for the babies changed significantly as stressed parents struggled to balance work and childcare. It should be noted that the first years of a child's life are important for cognitive development. 

With limited stimulation at home and less interaction with the outside world, children in the pandemic era appear to have achieved low scores on tests designed to assess cognitive development, said (via Guardian) lead author Sean Deoni, associate professor of pediatrics at Brown University.

In the decade before the pandemic, the average IQ * score on standardized tests for children aged three months to three years was around 100, but for children born during the pandemic the number is 78, according to the analysis, which should be reviewed by professionals. of the field.

IQ (intelligence quotient) - The IQ is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests designed to assess human intelligence.

Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds performed worse on tests, the researchers found. The biggest reason behind the drop in points is likely to be the lack of stimulation and interaction at home, Deoni said. "Parents are stressed and shocked. The interaction that the child would normally have has dropped significantly."

Given that these data come from a relatively affluent part of the United States there is a fear that things may be worse in the poorer parts of the country and the world, he added.

Terence Stephenson, a professor of child health at University College London, said the research was interesting, as much has been written about the impact of the pandemic on the education of school-age children, but it has not been discussed about infants.