The Effects of the Pandemic on Language Development
The COVID-19 pandemic’s collateral effects continue to surface years after the event. One of these is its significant impact on children’s language development. This is because of the closure of schools and daycare centers, social distancing and parents spending more time at home has disrupted the social interaction needed for language exposure. As a result, a lot of children experienced delays in their speech and language skills. Hence, raising concerns for educators and necessitating childrens’ speech therapy.
Causes of Delayed Speech Secondary to Pandemic Restrictions
Lack if Social Interaction childrens’ speech therapy
One of the most significant collateral effects of the pandemic on language development is the lack of social interactions. This is because, in early childhood, language acquisition needs social exposure. Children need to be around friends and adults in constant communication to hone this skill. However, because of the social restrictions in place during the pandemic, children had less opportunities for face-to-face interactions. As a result, it limited their ability to practice and master their language skills.
Moreover, the virtual learning that became the norm during lockdowns has made things worse. This is because online environments are not as conducive in fostering language and communication and development compared to that of in-person settings. As such, there are now a higher number of kids in need of childrens’ speech therapy.
Less Parental Attention Despite Being Physically Present
Additionally, during the lockdowns, many parents found themselves busy with childcare, work, and homeschooling. Some have reported going through all these motions with the added anxiety that the pandemic brings. As a result, although taken care of, children got less verbal stimulation that they needed for vocabulary expansion. This limited exposure to rich language environments has led more kids to delays in speech. In the same vein, they are also having difficulty with social communication as well as challenges in their academics. Hence, necessitating childrens’ speech therapy to help them develop conversational and social communication skills.
Why Speech Therapists Need to Consider This
Knowing this history, speech therapists must consider these disruptions when assessing and treating children. This is because delayed language skills may not only be a result of developmental factors but can also result from environmental factors like the pandemic. Therefore, childrens’ speech therapy in this post-pandemic era should focus on building foundational skills that have been neglected during lockdowns. This includes vocabulary, sentence construction, and social communication.
Here at Speech Link, our team of professional and expert Speech-Language Pathologists acknowledges the wide range of challenges faced by families both during and after the pandemic. We understand that some kids may require more intensive support to catch up. Whereas others may need custom-planned interventions which address only specific issues. By considering these factors, our speech therapists are able to support individual children’s language development effectively.