The global pandemic of Covid-19 has impacted SO many areas of our lives significantly, now – for years. For a child born in 2018 or afterwards, the majority of their lives has been in an environment where people around them are navigating change due to Covid-19 in some shape or form. In my work as a Speech-Language Therapist, I have heard parent’s concerns about their young children’s early communication development and observed changes in our communication generally. Covid’s impact on child communication development is apparent.
Let’s have a conversation about communication and this snapshot of time.
What have been some of Covid’s impact on child communication?
Have there been any benefits to communication development?
What opportunities are there as we move forward?
Covid’s impact on child communication:
- Less social connections outside the family circle. Some children have not yet been able to enrol or attend reduced capacity Early Childhood Centres.
- Less physical opportunities e.g., closed playgrounds, swimming pools closed for lessons, even being sneezed on from attending daycare.
- Less ‘risk-taking’ opportunities e.g., trying any new thing is a risk-taking opportunity for young children and without those opportunities, it may reduce their tolerance to try new things.
- Learned ‘safe’ physical distancing therefore less informal interactions and touch (handshakes, high fives, hugs).
- The definition of ‘safe’ has constantly changed: where, who, how many, what is and isn’t ‘safe’ in 2022 is very different to 2021 and 2020.
- Mask use is harder for reading emotions (middle and lower face carry a lot of information about feelings).
- Mask use means less mouth movements are seen. It is useful to see the difference between sh, s, f etc. to help discriminate sounds and words.
- Mask use means voices and words are muffled so a clear message can be much harder to hear…especially if there are hearing issues and/or background noise.
- General hypervigilance about germs, sanitizer, washing hands, coughing into elbows. Does this make us a more anxious? Does this make children more anxious?
- Exposure of information about big topics constantly. For me, this is a small percentage of my life but for a young child, they have been exposed to a world in a state of crisis and will have heard words and opinions related to that crisis.
- General stress and anxiety of caregivers, including the impossible challenge of an adult working from home but being (or trying to be) unavailable.
Benefits:
- For many people there have been periods with a slow or slower pace of life e.g., less events and activities to rush off to. Perhaps that has allowed more chat. Probably more negotiation skills have been developed at the very least.
- Increased family connections within your bubble. Some people found they had more time to spend with their young child than they may have otherwise.
- Increased expectation for children to entertain themselves. Yes, there has been more screen use for many (not all bad – how many children can now sing a song from a tv show thanks to lockdowns?) but also there has been some simple creativity that only comes about through boredom.
- Vocabulary extension. While exposure of big topics is mostly a concern, there are young children who know how to say ‘sanitiser’ and ‘vaccine’, maybe they even know ‘unprecedented’?! I did not know all of the health and science jobs that would be needed in a pandemic…this could open a new surge of interest in science!
- Will there be a roll-on effect of young children being able to read emotion of eyes and forehead better than average?
- Increased connection to where you live. Walks around the neighbourhood. Some smaller things to take pleasure in, and watching developments in nature or new builds.
Ok, so it was harder to think of benefits related to Covid’s impact on child communication development…but they are there.
Opportunities:
We are not yet at the peak of the Omicron wave in NZ so I recognize that there is still a lot of uncertainty. I do think we are in a different stage of the pandemic, where we can reflect and consider what we want to leave behind and what lessons to take with us. I do hope that we are coming to the other side of the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic where we can make free and easier choices about where we go, what we attend, how many activities we participate in and sign our children up for.
As we continue to grapple with Covid’s impact on child communication development, there is an opportunity coming to expose your bubble to new adventures – even if that adventure is to attend a birthday party indoors. Remember, what has been normal for the majority of your life is new, and would previously have been considered ‘unsafe’ to your child. Little-by-little, exposure and your encouragement will allow small steps of development in their confidence. This little-by-little attitude may be needed for us adults too!
There is an opportunity here to simplify. We enjoyed ‘fake’ KFC on a picnic blanket inside to celebrate a birthday at our house. We spent time playing old board games. Do we really need to go out or have a big celebration every time? Do we really need that new game/book/toy/dress?
There is an opportunity now to do something about any concerns we have about communication with our children.
Concerned about hearing? Visit your GP and/or consider a referral to an Audiologist.
Concerned about your child’s speech and language development or social communication? Look into what is typical. I have an article that outlines ages and stages for expected speech and language development. If you have concerns, consider seeking assessment or guidance from a Speech and Language Therapist. If you live in the Hamilton area, you’re more than welcome to get in touch with me.
Thankfully there is always an opportunity for us to change. As we consider Covid’s impact on child communication development, this seems like a good time to be considering what we have been through, how it has impacted communication, and take the opportunity to make some changes. All the best for you and your bubble!