COVID-19 and your child’s social, emotional, and cognitive functioning
Meeting work deadlines, making meals for the kids, helping your child with distance-learning, completing regular chores such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, going grocery shopping, does this sound all too familiar? Oh, and let's not forget about being a referee to sibling rivalry at its finest. Let's be honest—COVID-19 has taken a toll on us, especially as parents. Wearing multiple hats is a challenging feat that has everyone scrambling to determine their new normal.
Although it is appealing to think about getting back to your standard routine, questions about whether to send your child back to school are bound to arise. A plethora of anxiety-related thoughts regarding our children have become a big part of our new normal. Becoming scared and nervous about what the future holds regarding COVID-19 and the well-being of your child is not uncommon. Questions such as "Should I send my kids to school for in-person learning?" "Will it be hurting their social development if I don't send them to school?" "What if my kids get COVID-19?"—these humanely-driven concerns are only a natural response to have as parents during this pervasive pandemic. After all, you want the best for your kids.
Schools and teachers are trying their best to alleviate parents' concerns about their children's educational attainment for the future. Nevertheless, some of you might wonder whether sending your child back to school for in-person learning will be harmful or helpful, and whether the benefits will out-weigh the risks. Juggling between the fear of risking your child’s safety for them to potentially contract COVID-19, versus the fear of risking their education and social-emotional well-being due to confinement—both are legitimate concerns.
When it comes to staying home, we know that prolonged school-closures and home confinement during such an outbreak can have adverse effects on children's physical and mental health. Evidence suggests that when children are out of school, they are physically less active, have much longer screen time, irregular sleep patterns, and less favorable diets, resulting in weight-gain and a loss of cardiorespiratory fitness (Wang et al., 2020). Perhaps a more critical but easily neglected issue is the psychological impact on children and adolescents. Stressors such as fears of contracting the infection, frustration, and boredom, lack of in-person contact with friends and family, lack of personal space at home, and family financial loss can also have additional problematic and enduring effects on children and adolescents (Wang et al., 2020).
When we consider sending our children back to school, there are valid concerns about whether or not it is safe to expose children to this virus. Although children may be more resilient in terms of overall impact, infants and young children may still be at risk of ongoing neurodevelopmental implications. Certainly, we need more research to help us determine the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the impact it has on our children’s development. The effect of viral illness can potentially lead to emotional, behavioral, and cognitive changes (Condie, 2020). Emotional and behavioral changes could include things like: affective lability (i.e., mood swings), episodic rage or behavioral outbursts, depression, and anxiety. Examples may consist of impulsive conduct, apathy, rigidity, deficits in self-awareness, reduced judgment, and forgetfulness.
Now that we have a glimpse of the risks of confinement versus exposure, what do we do? Do we send our children to school? Do we not? To date, there is no "right" answer. Quite honestly, it will probably take a while (years of research) until we fully discover the extent and impact this pandemic has had and what the most appropriate course of action entails. At present, however, we can find ways to better manage the serious issues involved:
1) First and foremost, children need security, comfort, and a sense of safety. Maintaining close relationships and open communication with our children is key to identifying any physical or psychological concerns they may be having. In other words, comfort your child and teach them how to navigate these complicated issues. Be a listening ear.
2) Equally as important is taking care of yourself as a parent. Managing your own stress and well-being and making sure to model healthy and safe socializing through Facetime, Zoom, etc., so your kids see that it is doable to maintain a sense of social normalcy in a safe and secure way. It is also important to model to your children that it is ok to stop, take a deep breath, and cope with stressors one minute or step at a time.
3) Pay attention to your child. Try to notice if there have been any substantial changes in how they show emotions, their general demeanor, or their behavior over the past few months. Are they just as willing as they were to try new things? Can they still handle disappointment and frustration just as well? Are they finding ways to play and have fun despite the social-distancing and homebound conditions? Also, pay attention to their cognitive development when it comes to things like their attention span, ability to concentrate, stay organized, and learn new things.
4) Similarly, it is important to try to stay aware of what the educational expectations are for your child’s age and grade and whether they might be struggling to move forward in certain subject areas or skill sets with respect to development. Are they still understanding others and expressing themselves adequately for their age? Are they still on their way when it comes to things like handwriting, drawing, or athletics?
These are just some of the areas of childhood and adolescent development that we might take note of as parents to help us better help our children during this trying time. If you do notice a change, contact your pediatrician for medical advice. You can also contact a psychologist to help address social-emotional challenges, or schedule a neuropsychological assessment to learn more about your child's cognitive, academic, social, and emotional presentation.
Don’t forget, you are not alone. We are all in this together. Indeed, things will get better, but in the meantime, let’s be supportive of each other and don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Through this, we can come out on the other side stronger!
