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COVID Babies
Have you seen this study?
It’s still in preprint, but it’s making news.
Babies born during the pandemic have suffered a significant drop in verbal, motor, and overall cognitive development.
A scary drop.
As in from 100, an average standard score, to 78.
Wow.
Wow.
For those of you who don’t routinely interpret test scores, here’s the classic reference for IQ tests, although the numbers may differ slightly depending on which test is used:
- 130 and up: Very gifted
- 120 – 129: Gifted
- 111 – 119: Above-average intelligence
- 90 – 109: Average intelligence
- 80 – 89: Low-average intelligence
- 70 – 79: Borderline intelligence
- 69 and below: Extremely low intelligence
So… in real life language…
We’ve got a problem.
A gigantic worldwide problem.
Babies born during the pandemic ( that’s 2020 until… who knows?) are not learning (or walking or talking!) at the same pace as babies born before the pandemic.
The study is from Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University (for our readers around the world, Rhode Island a very small state in the Northeast US) as a part of a longitudinal, or ongoing, project to track child neurodevelopment beginning in 2011. Authors compared scores from the preceding decade (2011 – 2019) to babies born in 2020 and 2021 using The Mullen Scales of Early Learning, a well-known 5 domain developmental assessment that many therapists use and trust.
Scores were down across the board – in motor, cognitive, and verbal skills.
Guess who seems to be most affected?
Boys and kids in families with lower socioeconomic resources – not a surprise to those of us who see kids with learning differences.
Even in the absence of illness, environmental changes due to the pandemic are resulting in significant developmental delays. A year and a half of stay-home restrictions, school and educational/therapy program shut downs, masks, and social distancing, not to mention parental fears of illness and unemployment, have all taken a toll on everything – including how babies acquire new skills.
We should have known it was coming.
There have been very few opportunities for the kinds of experiences that drive early development- exploratory play outside, social interaction with new adults in new places, and playdates, birthday parties, and playgrounds with other kids.
I am hearing this at teachmetotalk.com too.
Initially during the early days of the pandemic, an occasional therapist would send me an email wondering about this very thing.
Now, I get several emails in a week that read something like this…
“I just went to see my grandchild this weekend and I am very worried. Although I have seen him often on FaceTime since he was born, I had no idea of how behind he is. He’s just turned 18 months old and I did not hear any words the entire time I was there. Mom and Dad are not concerned. What should I do?”
Or
“I’m an SLP and I am very worried about my neighbor’s baby who was born during the pandemic. She has rarely been outside their tiny apartment – not even to the store.”
Or
“I went in for a well-baby check today and my pediatrician said he would refer us for a speech eval, but he doesn’t think we can see someone for a few months because the waiting lists are so long. Should I be worried?”
As a therapist, I bet you’re hearing this too.
If not, you will!
I’m certainly not going to stop talking about it!
What are we going to do about this avalanche of toddlers and preschoolers with global delays coming our way?
We’re going to rise up and help!
SLPs and other EI professionals are uniquely qualified because we already understand babies and families and how little changes implemented consistently can make huge differences and pretty quickly too!
We have a TON of advice we can give families and I’ll start sharing those specifics soon – so you can share them too!
Until then…
The study is a pretty easy read – as far as research goes! – so here’s the link if you’d like to add it to your weekend to-do list.
Blessings to you…
Laura
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"Laura, I am a long time follower. You have mentored me from a distance for many years. I've watched many of your courses and purchased 5-6 of your books. I just wanted to take a moment as a sister in Christ to say- --- Thank you!! I'm in my 33rd year as an SLP and still love it! I work in the public schools and have grown my skills along the way with your help. Thank you thank you thank you and, Many blessings to you and your daughter!!!"
Camille, SLP
"Laura,
Three years ago, my then 2year old (adopted) was only saying two words - momma and boat. We had been doing speech therapy for 6 months, and he loved to play, but he was entirely uninterested in talking. A dear friend who is a SLP recommended I look you up online. Since then, I've read your emails, listened to hours of your podcasts, ordered two of your therapy manuals, and watched many of your videos.
My now 5year old tells elaborate stories now, and if you didn't know his background, you would never guess. And thanks to the hours that I have spent with your guidance, when our next son, now a 2.5yr old, didn't talk (after a craniotomy), I had tools to get started with him. His speech has just taken off in the last month or so.
Thank you so much for all that you do to help parents facilitate speech therapy with their kiddos. And thank you for your gentle, confident living of your faith.
God's blessings."
Rachel (mom to 3 boys in a now very noisy house!)
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I became an SLP in 2004 and you were my first SLP crush! I was so fortunate to have a supportive school district that allowed me to purchase your videos and the Teach Me to Talk handbook. Not only was the handbook a life saver (I literally called it my Bible lol), but the videos, oh how the videos changed my life, and the lives of the families I worked with! I remember telling my families that they'd love you, not only because you spoke directly to families, jargon free, but also because of your southern dialect. You speak directly and clearly, but never rushed and never over anyone's head, something I highly value. I told families that I could listen to you read the phone book and it would capture my attention. You see, I'm from Ohio where we don't get a whole lot of diversity and cool dialects, so listening to you talk about my favorite topics was a breath of fresh air. So many of us think talking over people's heads makes us more credible or whatever, but now that I've been around over 20 years, I can say you had it right all along. Southern speech included 😊"
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Elizabeth, SLP
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Leah, SLP
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Ellen, SLP
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Elizabeth, SLP
"The course was very helpful and practical. I will certainly apply this approach to children on my caseload. I kept thinking about children that already "graduated" from EI and wish I had this knowledge when I still had them on my caseload. (Although I did put a lot of other Teach Me to Talk information into practice!)"
Heidi, SLP
"I appreciated learning the 7 C's of Communication, which seemed to include, (restated/reorganized/ summarized) information from '11 Skills Toddlers Master Before Words Emerge', which I have successfully used for years now (Thank you so much!!!!). I appreciated the additional information included to better assist toddlers with ASD since that population, unfortunately, continues to rise. I also appreciated the focus on regulating children and the need to keep them regulated, since dysregulation and sensory impairment in toddlers is also rising. These are areas I did not study in grad school. I appreciate the worksheets we can provide for parents to identify strengths and how to use these strengths more effectively in treatment. Thank you again, for your essential contribution to our field. p.s. You and Macy are precious!! God bless you both!"
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Susan, SLP
"Dear Ms. Laura and sweet Macy, I just purchased the new course and wanted to say THANK YOU! I would have definitely expected such cutting-edge information to come from you! I am part of several message boards for parents of autistic children, and we parents are just so tired of being told by professionals what our children can't or will never do. And really, what is the point of doing that? How does that help at all? Except to make the parent miserable and feel like there is no point in trying to help their child?...The tone of the course is great (such positivity), and Macy is such a delight! She is such a wonderful addition to Teach me to Talk."
Ann, SLP
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Natalie, SLP
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Kelsey, SLP
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A, SLP
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Christine, SLP
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Isabel, SLP
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“This was a fresh new philosophy and a comprehensive approach with a new concept for successfully working with children with Autism. Before this ,the very structured, compliance teaching model which has been utilized by many therapists using comply-reward, noncompliance -punish or a with-hold philosophy. Children with Autism became prompt-.dependent with this method. These Children couldn't initiate language or make a plan to move on their own. They had to wait to be prompted to act or to respond and never spoke spontaneously on their own. I and many of my SLP colleagues have always believed in play therapy and giving the child choices to play works best. It is very important that Parents should hear about this strategy! Thank you Laura and Macy for doing the evidence-based research and putting this new concept into words!!”
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F, SLP
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Brittni
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"Dear Laura Mize and Team,
Thank you so much for all your hard work and publishing books! Our 17-month-old toddler suddenly exploded into speaking and imitating everybody's gestures and sounds, just a week or two after we 'completed' all activities that are listed under 11 pre-linguistic skills! Your method really works!"
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I absolutely LOVE all of your workbooks, especially your Autism Workbook. Starting with Social Games has been a game changer for many of my littles with ASD and their families. It's been the best way for them to finally connect and sustain shared attention and engagement, leading to longer social interactions, through play!"
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Thank you so much for the videos you have posted on your youtube channel. They are so direct, informative, and helpful. Thank you for being a resource for me to become a better therapist."
Dianne
