It's Not Just Our Problem

"I'm seeing 15 children with speech delays every week, as against five before the pandemic." - said Neevita Narayan, consultant audiologist and speech therapist at Apollo Hospitals, Delhi NCR. - The Times of India

This article was published just this year, which makes me believe we're seeing just the beginning of the delays and developmental issues from the pandemic baby generation.

I've long believed the issues I've personally experienced with my 3-year-old are related to the isolation we experienced during the height of the pandemic. If you're new here, Roman was born two weeks before the world shutdown due to COVID. He has a speech delay, which I'm finding is more common than I first thought.

The Issue is Bigger Than the U.S.

"Experts have found that reduced social interaction owing to the COVID-19 situation has resulted in speech and language delays among several babies." - The Times of India

So what does this mean? To me, this means the developmental delays we're now seeing are a GLOBAL issue, and getting the help our kids need is more crucial than ever.

Quarantine was worse for children who didn't have siblings. Increased screen time and lack of two-way communication left them at a disadvantage. "Some children developed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and even behaviors typically associated with autism spectrum disorder." said Neevita Narayan, consultant audiologist and speech therapist at Apollo Hospitals, Delhi NCR. - The Times of India

THIS! JUST THIS! This statement is the reason I'm writing this blog. I'm not saying autism is a bad word, or an awful disorder. BUT, as a parent, it can be a scary word. I understand it's a matter of figuring out how to communicate with someone with autism spectrum disorder, and learning how they communicate with you.

But society makes autism a scary word. I admittedly cried for several days when our pediatrician told us it was time to get Roman tested. You start to criticize everything your child does and says, or doesn't say.

This statement, rings true I believe in my particular case, and possibly in thousands of other cases of pandemic babies.

During our meeting with the Developmental Specialist, he mentioned he's seeing an increase in kids getting tested. And he's finding some of what pediatricians or parents are seeing, are behaviors similar or even associated with kids with autism spectrum disorder. He told us then, it's his job to determine the difference, however ever subtle they may be.

My Prediction.

I really think we're going to see more and more articles and stories in the near future regarding the research now being done on this pandemic baby generation. What I'm hoping, is with all the attention being given to this generation, parents will realize help is available, and get it as soon as possible.

Connect with me!

Please, feel free to reach out to me on social or email. I would love to hear your stories, share your stories on this platform, but also do the research and ask experts what we can do to give our kids the best future possible.