A new study out of Ireland has shone a light on the social development of pandemic-era babies, whose crucial first year was spent in an environment altered by Covid-19 restrictions.
Researchers found that babies born into lockdown had “deficits” in communication and other social skills compared to those born pre-Covid.
The study measured ten developmental milestones at the one-year mark in 309 babies born between March and May 2020, then compared them to data gathered from a cohort of 1,629 babies born between 2008 and 2011.
Results showed that fewer pandemic-era babies had, after twelve months, been able to speak one definite and meaningful word, point, or wave “bye-bye.”
Just 76.6 percent of babies in the cohort raised in lockdown were reported to have reached the speaking milestone compared to 89.3 percent from the earlier cohort. Only 83.8 percent could point, down from 92.8 percent. The gap was slightly smaller, however, when it came to waving, at 87.7 percent and 94.4 percent, respectively. Read more…
