Children born-in-lockdown may struggle with executive functioning and self-regulation

A new study from City St George’s, University of London has found that some children born-in-lockdown have difficulty at four years of age with executive functioning (complex thinking and planning, such as staying on task, changing activities, following instructions, and regulating emotions).

The overall picture for language skills was more positive. Children were better than expected on their understanding of words and sentences. However, the researchers also found that some children had difficulties expressing themselves. Motor skills involving movement and coordination were also as expected for age.

Published in the BMJ Journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, the findings are part of the UKRI-funded BICYCLE study (Born In Covid Year – Core Lockdown Effects Study), which is exploring how COVID‑19 lockdowns affected the language and cognitive development of children born during that period. The project is being led by Professors Nicola Botting and Lucy Henry from the Centre for Language and Communication Science Research at City St George’s.

The first years of life are crucial for the development of children’s talking and thinking skills, but lockdowns in 2020 meant that family life was very different. Early interactions and diverse social experiences are important in shaping language and communication, executive functioning and everyday motor skills (fine/gross).

To understand how children born in lockdown are developing, 205 children (58.5% boys) from a mix of families took part when they were four years old. The participants were spread across the whole of England (19% from minority ethnic groups, 15% multi-lingual families, 78.5% of mothers had degrees). All children were born in the first lockdown between March and June 2020 and were assessed on their language, executive functioning and motor skills using a series of games completed by the child, and through questionnaires filled in by parents/caregivers.

When the team compared children born-in-lockdown with the expected developmental levels for four‑year‑olds, they found that:

• Caregiver-reported executive functioning was below expected levels.
• Sentence production (expressive language) and motor skills were in line with expected levels on average (although a significant minority of children scored lower than expected on sentence production).
• Sentence and word level comprehension, and the production of words, were all above expected levels.

Professor Henry said:

“Executive functioning was the most noteworthy area of concern for children born-in-lockdown, followed by expressive language. Four-year-olds who struggle with executive functioning might find it hard to follow instructions, move from one task to another, manage their emotions, remember things and plan their next actions.”

Professor Botting added:

“If timely intervention is not provided this may lead to educational vulnerabilities and compounded problems over time. The findings underline post-pandemic developmental impacts for children born-in-lockdown. They emphasise the urgent need for responsive educational policy and support for executive functioning and expressive language in classrooms.”

The team say that doing simple activities at home and school, such as shared reading, talking together and pretend play, may help boost children’s talking and thinking skills.