Babies born in the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic had gaps in their communication skills at age two because of their “very small social circles”, it is claimed.
Lockdown and other infection-control measures like face masks were detrimental to babies’ learning and they could now benefit from additional support, a new study from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland said.
The RCSI warned that pandemic-born tots were a “statistically relevant higher proportion at risk” of experiencing communication difficulties.
Ireland’s series of lockdowns began in March 2020 with restrictions continuing into 2022.
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The RCSI’s latest findings are an update on its initial claims reported last October. The RCSI’s University of Medicine and Health Sciences investigated if lockdowns impeded pandemic babies’ social communication skills.
It was stated fewer communication milestones were met during the first year of life amid the restrictions on the public’s movements.
The RCSI said: “The advent of coronavirus vaccines, mass lockdowns and mask-wearing meant that babies’ interactions with people outside the home were limited and access to visual and facial cues for language development potentially restricted.”
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