developmental specialist, I am not surprised. Not one bit.
THIS is cataclysmic. It is a catastrophe of EPIC proportions. Do you even understand the gravity of this situation? You will…
Infants born during the pandemic produced significantly fewer vocalizations and had less verbal back-and-forth with their caretakers compared to those born before COVID, according to independent studies by Brown University and a national nonprofit focused on early language development.
… The connection between economic security and language acquisition was very much a pre-pandemic concern as well. A landmark 1995 study found that children growing up in low-income households hear 30 million fewer words than their peers from high-income backgrounds. A 2018 study raised questions about the extent of the gap, but the science is clear that children’s first three years are the most critical time for brain development. [emphasis added]