Social communication skill attainment in babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic: a birth cohort study

Abstract

IntroductionThe SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic was managed with sustained mass lockdowns to prevent spread of COVID-19 infection. Babies born during the early stages of the pandemic missed the opportunity of meeting a normal social circle of people outside the family home.MethodsWe compared 10 parentally reported developmental milestones at 12-month assessment in a cohort of 309 babies born at the onset of the pandemic (CORAL cohort) and 1629 babies from a historical birth cohort (BASELINE cohort recruited between 2008 and 2011).ResultsCompared with a historical cohort, babies born into lockdown appeared to have some deficits in social communication. Fewer infants in the pandemic cohort had one definite and meaningful word (76.6% vs 89.3%), could point (83.8% vs 92.8%) or wave bye-bye (87.7% vs 94.4%) at 12-month assessment. Adjusted log-binomial regression analyses demonstrated significant differences in social communication in the CORAL cohort compared with the BASELINE cohort: one definite and meaningful word (relative risk (RR): 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80 to 0.92)), pointing (RR: 0.91 (95% CI: 0.86 to 0.96)) and waving bye-bye (RR: 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90 to 0.99)).DiscussionParentally reported developmental outcomes in a birth cohort of babies born into lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic may indicate some potential deficits in early life social communication. It must be noted that milestones are parentally reported and comparison is with a historical cohort with associated limitations. Further studies with standardised testing is required to validate these findings.ConclusionPandemic-associated social isolation may have impacted on the social communication skills in babies born during the pandemic compared with a historical cohort. Babies are resilient and inquisitive by nature, and it is hoped that with societal re-emergence and increase in social circles, their social communication skills will improve.

Assessment of Neurodevelopment in Infants With and Without Exposure to Asymptomatic or Mild Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Pregnancy

“…The ongoing prospective COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative previously reported no neurodevelopmental differences at age 6 months in infants with and without exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy on any of the 5 subdomains of the parent-reported Ages & Stages Questionnaires, third edition (ASQ-3), in a cohort from New York City. Similar null results on the ASQ-3 among infants with prenatal exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported from other geographical regions, including Kuwait and China; however, it should be noted that both the COMBO Initiative and other research groups have found slightly lower parent-reported developmental scores in infants born during the pandemic compared with those born before the pandemic. To date, the cumulative available data have relied on parent-reported measures such as the ASQ-3, which has only moderate sensitivity and specificity for estimating actual neurodevelopmental delays .…”

“…This study addressed several limitations of previous studies by the COMBO initiative 16 and other research groups. 19 , 20 Previous work by the COMBO Initiative 16 was limited to infants born in New York City during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the current analysis included infants born across 3 distinct geographic regions in the US. The previous study 16 also relied on a parental report measure and was therefore subject to potential parental biases.…”

Developmental and behavioural outcomes at 2 years in babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic: communication concerns in a pandemic birth cohort

“…Studies of infants who have lived some portion of their life during the pandemic have demonstrated deficits in communication, motor and personal/social scores 7–9. We have previously demonstrated that an Irish birth cohort born into the pandemic had reduced social communication skills relative to a historic Irish cohort at 12 months of age 10. This has been confirmed in a recent systematic review looking at developmental outcomes 11.…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of new mothers in China: A qualitative study of mothers with infants aged 0–1 year old

“…For example, parents were socially isolated during lockdown ( 7 ) and, thus, did not receive professional and experienced parenting guidance on time ( 26 ), which has caused changes in family behaviors ( 27 ). A study also stated that social isolation leaves infants with potential deficits in social communication skills ( 28 ). Okinarum and Rochdia noted that the weakened breastfeeding experience during the COVID-19 pandemic was dominated by impaired comfort, inadequate milk supply, parenting problems, and indifferent spouses ( 29 ).…”