Speech and non-verbal communication are essential tools for interacting with others in social settings. The adoption of communication skills is a process that begins in childhood and continues over the years as we improve our ability to express and understand others. For this, the reception of stimuli is the basis of learning by imitation that we practice as children.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it serious restrictions on mobility and interpersonal contact. Prudent attitudes such as maintaining a safe distance, together with the use of masks, became real obstacles to communication that, however, the little ones assumed as normal behaviour. Although genetic and neurological factors are those that have a greater incidence in the development of language problems, the difficulties of some children to speak, write or listen have also been influenced by the pandemic context.
Language problems are a significant handicap in the minor’s cognitive development that can negatively affect their personal relationships or their academic performance in the future. Despite being multi-causal, the psychologist Elena Sanz compiles among the restrictions on communication and socialization during the pandemic some of the causes that could have affected the expression and understanding skills of children born in this context.
On the one hand, sensory stimuli and interactions were limited to the family nucleus during confinement. In parallel, with restricted access to nurseries or parks, it meant depriving children of interacting with their peers and thus adopting the precise mechanisms for learning by imitation. In addition, once the toughest restrictions have been overcome, but with the state of alarm still in force, communication with others continued to be largely conditioned by the absence of physical contact and the fear of getting close.
The use of masks also made it difficult to understand expressions and non-verbal language, as well as to clearly hear the phonemes that children must imitate when they start to speak.
Some studies have glimpsed a greater predisposition of children who have lived their first year of life in a pandemic to suffer communication delays, although there are no conclusive data. However, in the event of any symptom that implies difficulties or unwillingness to express themselves verbally, gesturally or in writing, it is advisable to take the child to see a speech therapist.
A specialist will give you the necessary advice to create a stimulating environment that invites communication. From home, promoting reading, stories or limiting the use of screens can help to promote the child’s language skills.
