In this August 17, 2021 article published by The Defender, Owen Dyer discussed a study conducted by researchers from Brown University.

According to the study, the evidence shows that children born during the pandemic have low cognitive capacities compared to their peers born before it. This result is part of an ongoing longitudinal study that began in 2011. It involves 672 children participants. Results show a 22 point drop of IQ scores, with those children born during the pandemic having an average IQ score of 78, compared to the average IQ of 100 for those children born before the pandemic.

Editor’s Note: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all our lives, and it has a significant toll on children whose activities have been dramatically altered. Based on the study above, children born during COVID-19 contagion have suggestively lower IQs. The initial 2 years of children’s lives influence their IQ scores depending on how they advance from infancy. This is the utmost essential sliver of their young development. This has made pandemic-era children score poorly on tests constructed to evaluate their verbal, motor, and overall cognitive development.

What could be the factors that have steered the drop in cognitive abilities among children born during the pandemic? Here are a few likely culprits:

• Mask wearing among adults has prevented children from learning non-verbal cues and instructions.^[1]https://www.wpr.org/psychologist-calls-clear-masks-caregivers-aid-child-development We must remember that children learn emotions through facial expressions.^[2]https://www.ndcs.org.uk/blog/face-masks-and-communication-coronavirus-info-for-families-of-deaf-children/ By looking at faces, they also learn who to trust and who they should avoid.^[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/well/family/how-children-learn-to-recognize-faces.html With masking, children lose this essential means of learning.
• In addition, masking also causes permanent neurological damage to children [read German Neurologist: Oxygen deprivation due to face masks cause permanent neurological damage].
• Lack of physical interaction with peers. When children play with each other, they gain knowledge about things. School closures have kept them away from their friends [read Education secretary: Children need human interaction]. It has also subjected children to lengthy exposure to digital media and sedentary lifestyles.^[4]Read https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8153273/ Without physical movement children’s brains do not develop, which influences their learning aptitude.^[5]Read https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/6-reasons-children-need-to-play-outside-2018052213880

Einstein^[6]https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7256572-i-fear-the-day-that-technology-will-surpass-our-human has been right after all: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”

The longer we keep our children out of school, the more problem we create for them. Here are a few more articles relating to children, read What happens to children’s immune systems after a year of lockdowns and social distancing?, Lockdowns leave half of teenagers battling anxiety and trauma, Canadian Paediatric Society: Ontario government must re-open outdoor spaces immediately, Large UK study finds lockdowns unnecessary for children.

Experts have also repeatedly called for the reopening of schools, read German experts: Schools and day care centers should be reopened, UN: COVID-shut schools in 19 nations risk ‘generational catastrophe’, Scientific evidence shows schools can clearly be opened, Science shows schools must re-open for in-person learning, WHO: Closure of schools should be considered only if there is no other alternative, Expert panel recommends reopening of schools for young children and children with special needs, 60+ doctors and educators release statement on the situation of children and adolescents during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

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