Regression is a normal part of childhood development, but in the age of COVID-19, experts say it’s happening in a vast and more widespread way than normal. What parents and caregivers need to know:
, and many children are struggling,” says Close, who is also clinical director of the Parent and Family Development Program. “So all of a sudden, you might see difficulties with sleeping because the idea of moving away from a secure caregiver can at times feel really overwhelming to a little one.Regression takes a variety of forms, depending on the child, their age, and their circumstances. Here’s a closer look at some of the ways it happens and what parents and caregivers can do about it.
“It’s important for us to talk about this so [parents] can recognize and identify it when it’s happening and appreciate that it's normal and natural, as long as it doesn't last for an extended period of time, and as long as that child is not continuing to lose skills over the long term that they have already developed,” Close says.
Help them make connections between what’s happening in their life and the world so they better understand what they’re feeling. “It does start to get pretty alarming,” she says. “I would say this was somewhat higher than I expected it to be, but we are talking about 3 months out of a 9-month school year where kids were not in classrooms and didn't get the exposure to academic content they would have gotten.”
The Annenberg Institute at Brown suggests this will require good assessments of where students are at, use of things like extended learning time, and increased tutoring when possible. As for parents, William Lane, EdD, a special education expert in Delaware, suggests you do as much as you can to boost your child’s skills. He says this has educational benefits, and limiting academic regression can help with behavioral regression, too.
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