Children and COVID-19 Research Library

One of the COVID-19 pandemic consequences that has affected families the most is school lockdowns. Some studies have shown that distance learning has been especially challenging for families with a child with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD or ASD. However, previous studies have not taken the heterogeneity of these disorders into account. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate differences between families with a child with ADHD, ASD, or both conditions, and to examine the role of underlying deficits in executive functioning (EF) in both children and parents in relation to negative and positive effects of distance learning. Survey data assessing both negative and positive experiences of distance learning were collected from parents with a child aged 5–19 years in seven Western European countries: the UK, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, and Belgium. Altogether, the study included 1010 families with a child with ADHD and/or ASD and an equally large comparison group of families with a child without mental health problems. We included measures of three different types of negative effects (i.e., effects on the child, effects on the parent, and lack of support from school) and positive effects on the family.

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) may show declines in motor skills during the Covid-19 restrictions. This study compared the effects of physical inactivity due to COVID-19 on the motor skills of active and inactive children with ID. In this prospective cohort study, 30 boys with ID were divided into two groups based on study inclusion criteria (mean age 10.86 ± 1.81 active, 10.20 ± 1.42 inactive). The BESS test, the Y test, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the Bruininks-Oseretsky test-short form were used.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to many months of school closures, quarantining, and social isolation for children and their families. This disruption of routine had significant implications for the mental health of children and adolescents, leading to a parallel mental health pandemic among this vulnerable population. While these psychosocial effects were most acute during the initial phase, the ripples of the pandemic continue to be felt during the time of this writing (2022), as we continue to be confronted with the ever-evolving virus and its myriad aftereffects. A review of the literature suggests an increase in depression and anxiety among children and adolescents as a result of the sweeping changes to their environment. Fear of contagion, boredom, loneliness, increased social anxiety, irritability, inattention, and increased disruptive behaviors were all observed. For children with neurocognitive impairments, the impact was even more severe due to a proliferation of factors that will be discussed below. Nonetheless, despite the pandemic’s pointed impact on mental health, some children and adolescents were actually able to thrive and even noted improvements in their social and emotional functioning. This article will examine the specific impact of the pandemic on young learners with the most common types of neurocognitive disorders and provide recommendations for intervention.

Research has shown that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suffered high levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and faced poor family quality of life (FQOL). However, little is known about the inherent dynamic interaction between pandemic stress and FQOL, especially in the Chinese cultural context. This study provides preliminary evidence by examining the relationships among pandemic stress, parental involvement, and FQOL for children with autism in mainland China. A total of 709 parents of children with autism completed measures of FQOL, parental involvement, and pandemic stress. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the interrelations among these variables.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected children with developmental disabilities (DDs)’ sleep. Videosom[1]nography is a noninvasive, portable time-lapse video recording sys[1]tem to objectively obtain a child’s sleep-wake behaviors and parents’ caregiving activities in a natural environment. From September 2020 to February 2021, a feasibility study was conducted using actigraphy (in mothers) and videosomnogra[1]phy in children with DDs for seven consecutive nights to assess sleep and nighttime caregiving activities. Because of the pandemic, alternative data collection strate[1]gies were developed and implemented, such as delivering a “study package” with easy-to-follow writ[1]ten instructions and emailed video-recorded instructions on recording a child’s sleep.