The sweeping effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have not only struck the world at large-scale, but have impacted us on an individual level as well. Every person adjusted their current ways of living as new guidelines were implemented. Children are among one population that are affected most by the restrictions set in place.
As an intake coordinator at Wisdom Within Counseling, I can speak to the many concerned parents I have spoken to over the last year. Many have shared the struggles with transitioning their young children from online learning at home back to in-person learning at school. From struggling to socialize and make friends, to not knowing classroom etiquette, children throughout the country are at a loss. The effects of COVID-19 on young children have affected their overall mental and emotional health. This has impeded their growth and development.
COVID-19 and Children’s Mental Health Statistics
I notice a significant increase in mental health concerns among children since the pandemic. Children’s Hospital of Chicago polled 1,000 parents across the United States to further explore their experiences managing their children’s mental health. Seventy-one percent of parents reported that the pandemic has taken a toll on their child’s mental health, and 69 percent of parents reported that the pandemic is the worst thing to happen to their child. Additionally, according to parents, the biggest threats to their children’s mental health as a result of the pandemic are social isolation, remote learning, and too much screen time. The pillars contributing to children’s mental health that are most compromised include socializing, exercising, eating well, and sleeping well. It is clear from these statistics that the effects of COVID-19 on children has obstructed them from exploring and interacting within the world in natural and positive ways.
Child therapy can help remediate the effects of COVID-19. To begin receiving support, click the button below.
Loss of Social Skills
Do you notice that your child is struggling with social anxiety since the start of the pandemic? If so, your child is not alone.
Childhood is a critical period of development. Young individuals learn to form healthy relationships with others and acquire effective social skills. A majority of these interpersonal interactions occur within the classroom setting. Here, children connect with others their own age, as well as new adult figures and teachers. An unfortunate consequence of the pandemic was the sudden shift to online learning. Online learning significantly takes away from an enriching classroom experience and subjects children to social isolation. Communicating via video makes it increasingly difficult for children to engage in small talk. Additionally, it’s hard to make friends, confide in one another, and interact with diverse populations of people. As a result of online learning, children did not have the opportunity to develop and enhance their social skills. The extended periods of quarantine, confinement, and virtual learning are contributing factors to the symptoms of social anxiety among young clients.
Effects of COVID-19 Mask Wearing on Child Development
Contributes to Speech and Language Delays
There are sensitive periods in early childhood development in which language and emotional development rapidly take place. Alexandria Zachos, a speech-language pathologist in Illinois, shared that because masks hide the view of the mouth, it is disruptive to forms of therapy that are targeted at speech and motor planning. Some therapists reported trying masks with clear panels in hopes of remediating these effects. However, they could not prevent the masks from fogging up during therapy sessions. As a result, many children with speech and language disorders struggled to receive adequate support during the pandemic. This further exacerbated their language delays and made it increasingly difficult to make progress.
Disrupts Emotional Development and Regulation
Additionally, mask wearing has impeded on children’s ability to grapple with emotions. It is critical that children are able to see the facial expressions of others to understand how someone is feeling and to recognize safe versus dangerous aspects of an environment. Mask wearing impedes on a child’s ability to effectively read expressions of fear, anger, disapproval, approval, praise, and even happiness.
During the pandemic, researchers showed more than 80 children photos of individuals that were not wearing masks, and then photos of individuals wearing masks. The children identified the emotions expressed by the individual in the photos in both cases. The results of the study found that children were correct about uncovered faces 66% of the time. When the faces were covered by masks, however, children were only able to correctly identify sadness roughly 28% of the time, anger 27% of the time, and fear 18% of the time.
These results demonstrate the negative effect of mask wearing on children’s ability to recognize emotions in others. This poses a threat to development as children cannot properly learn to read facial cues. Thus, they are delayed in their understanding of emotion regulation and interacting with others in a positive way.
Having worked in a preschool, I can speak to the difficulties I experienced while wearing a mask around children. On countless occasions, my students were unable to tell when I was being playful with them versus when I was being more serious. I had to exaggerate through my eyes, hand gestures, and my voice as a way to get through to them. Even through physical exaggerations, however, many preschoolers failed to recognize and understand my emotions.
Sensory Processing Disorders
For many children, the physical aspect of mask wearing is a cause of great distress. The mask quickly became a source of discomfort as opposed to a source of safety for young ones. For children with sensory processing disorders, masks have been a cause for concern. These children struggle to go long periods throughout their school day with a cloth covering their nose and mouth. These children may feel that the mask is itchy, painful, restricting, or uncomfortable on their skin. One speech pathologist remarked that children’s verbal output is more restricted because they feel uncomfortable. This is a heightened concern for children with autism.
Selective Mutism
Masks aside, many children are reluctant to speak without anything covering their face. These children may be more shy, may have anxiety, or even may be struggling with selective mutism. Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder categorized by an individual’s inability to speak in certain social settings. Another speech pathologist reported that children are more hesitant to speak with a mask on, which makes it difficult for them to feel confident and secure in their communication skills. As a result, masks led many children to find themselves getting stuck in silence out of fear, anxiety, and an overall lack of confidence in their ability to communicate their needs effectively.
As far as our knowledge, no accommodations throughout the pandemic existed for children with speech and language delays, sensory disorders, or any other major health concerns. Children wore masks against their will, even in times when they exhibited resistance and distress. Going forward, it is vital that we recognize the impact that the pandemic enforced upon children, specifically the long-term psychological effects of mask wearing. The COVID-19 pandemic stripped children of their autonomy.
How Counseling Can Help Remediate Effects of COVID-19 on Children
Due to the nature of the harmful effects of COVID-19 on children, seeking support from a professional can better support your child’s growth and development.
Working with a therapist can help a child to practice social skills and overcome social anxiety. It can also help them recognize and understand emotions. It may support their transition back to in-person learning, and process any fears or concerns that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. At Wisdom Within Counseling, we offer playful and creative therapies in addition to traditional talk therapy for children. We find that providing children with a space to explore their environment, ask questions, use their imagination, play, and release negative emotions is suitable to their stage of development. Our therapists can help your child develop effective coping skills and emotional regulation strategies to allow them to flourish as a young, independent being.
Wisdom Within Counseling would love to help support your child. Click the button below to get started in child therapy today.
The author of this article is Irinel Fishlock, a mental health counseling graduate student and Intake Coordinator at Wisdom Within Counseling.
