Impact of School Closures due to COVID-19 on Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Japan.
Naomi Kawaoka, Kei Ohashi, Satomi Fukuhara and 4 others
PMID 34081298WHAT IT FOUND
School closures increased aggressive behavior and externalizing problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, with anxiety and depression rising only in those with intellectual disability.
Most children showed small changes, but some deteriorated markedly.
Key findings
01After school closures, total problem scores, externalizing scales, and aggressive behavior scores significantly increased in the whole group.
02Children with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD showed increased externalizing and aggressive behaviors, but anxiety and depression did not significantly change in these groups.
03Children with intellectual disability were the only subgroup to show a significant increase in anxiety and depression scores, alongside increased externalizing and aggressive behaviors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
There was no control group of typically developing children, so it is unknown how much of the change was due to the closure itself versus normal development or other pandemic factors. Parents reported on both time periods at the same time after the event, which introduces recall bias and may distort the comparison between 'before' and 'after'. The study only looked at two weeks before and after closure, so it does not capture long-term effects or how children adapted over time. Increased parental time with the child during closure may have made parents more aware of existing problems, potentially inflating the 'after' scores.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that anxiety and depression increased in all children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The study found that anxiety and depression scores only rose significantly in children with intellectual disability, while children with autism and ADHD primarily showed increases in externalizing and aggressive behaviors.