Many people suffered during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but those who may have been affected the most are now entering grade school. In Dr. Martha Ann Bell and colleagues’ work, “Relations between frontal EEG maturation and inhibitory control in preschool in the prediction of children’s early academic skills,” a longitudinal examination displayed how young children at 10 months who showed major growth in inhibitory control during development performed better on reading and math tests later on in school. This early occurrence of inhibitory control, or learning discipline in child development is something that was found to have a great benefit to later intellectual maturity.
The New York Times story, “The Youngest Pandemic Children Are Now in School, and Struggling,” by Miller and Mervosh discusses how kids who developed during quarantine are exhibiting academic and developmental immaturity. Basic skills that children usually attain by a certain age are not being learned, such as holding a pencil, communicating needs, knowing letters and shapes, maintaining control of emotions, and problem solving skills, especially with peers. This limitation in socialization during the necessary developmental years have caused quite a few problems for these quarantine babies.
Preschool is a time for this inhibitory control to develop. Kids have to learn to listen to their teacher, conform to a class standard and setting, follow rules, and work with others. When there was a time with no preschools or daycares open, many of these children suffered in not getting this educational space to grow and mature in. What’s more, not every child was affected in the same way. Miller and Mervosh state that schools with mostly Black or Hispanic families and areas with lower incomes are most behind. Not every family had the capacity to homeschool their kids. Parents or guardians may not have had the time, money, space, resources, or their own educational levels to support a child’s academic needs. Speech delays and behavioral problems are becoming an increasingly alarming problem for grade school teachers, who now have to put more focus on aiding a child in self-regulation before the ABCs can be learned. Miller and Mervosh state, “Of particular concern, the students who are the furthest behind are making the least progress to catch up.” They have found data showing that these pandemic children remain developmentally behind the pre-quarantine children of their same age. In Dr. Martha Ann Bell’s recent work, she had found via EEG that a higher alpha band power increase and prefrontal cortex maturation from 10 months to 4 years old aligned with greater inhibitory control at the age of 4. Conversely, those with less inhibitory control showed slower growth and maturation.
It is to be seen whether there will be a general recovery of these functions as these children grow, or if they will be affected for the entirety of their lives. Early intervention and extra resources and programs would be beneficial for these kiddos to catch up. Even post-quarantine, preschool attendance is still not to where it once was at. Parents are making it the new norm to not have their kids attend a preschool, with low-income families even slower to implement preschool back in as a priority. It is important for these kids to find consistency and learn inhibitory control as soon as possible. Putting time and resources in our youth’s education may have more of an impact on the behavioral and emotional states of this next generation than we ever knew.
Works Cited:
Claire Cain Miller; Mervosh, S. (2024). The Pandemic’s Babies and Toddlers Are Struggling in School. Nytimes.com. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/01/upshot/pandemic-children-school-performance.html?searchResultPosition=5.
Whedon, M.; Perry, N. B.; Bell, M. A. (2020). Relations between Frontal EEG Maturation and Inhibitory Control in Preschool in the Prediction of Children’s Early Academic Skills. Brain and Cognition 2020, 146, 105636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105636.
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