Young children’s speech and motor skills have plummeted since the pandemic, official figures show.
Experts said the multiple blockades have left young children unable to play and learn how to communicate, slowing their development.
The Royal College of Speech Therapists (RCSLT) has expressed concern that the gaps we see now could widen in the coming years, with more and more children struggling to attend school because basic skills have never been learned.
Estimates show that one in five children does not meet the expected standards by the age of two and a half, and thousands are likely to need help with speech and language therapy.
The figures come amid warnings from speech therapists that they are facing growing demand, with one in three saying the recommendations have doubled since the pandemic.
Data published by the Office for the Improvement of Health and Differences show that 79.6% of children who were examined last autumn achieved the expected level in all five measured areas of development.
In the previous three and a half years covered by the data, the figure was 83.1 percent, according to the Health Service Journal.
“Therapists can’t handle demand”
Kamini Gadhok, chief executive of RCSLT, said its members were “very worried” about the number of young children struggling with communication, which is closely linked to later school readiness and educational achievement.
“The bigger the difference when a child turns five, the harder it is to fill,” she said, warning that without early intervention, such children are also much more likely to suffer from emotional and behavioral problems.
Therapists are unable to cope with the demand, she said.
“Our members tell us that growing lists and waiting times for speech and language therapy are having a dramatic impact on their ability to provide the support that children need for the best start in life,” she added.
Alison Morton, executive director of the Institute of Health Visiting, said: “Recent national data on child development highlight an alarming picture with fewer children at or above the expected level of development at two to two and a half years of age. While the majority of children develop as expected, a significant and growing minority does not.
“The pandemic and its aftermath are not over. In many areas, despite the best efforts of health visitors, they are now struggling to meet the growing levels of need, vulnerability and backwardness of children in need of support.
Significant decline in communication skills
According to the data, communication skills have suffered one of the most significant declines in productivity. Only 85.3% of children have reached the expected standard, which is a decrease of 88.1% in the previous 14 quarters.
Dr Doug Simkis, president of the British Community Association for Community Health, said: “The pandemic has reduced children’s ability to play with other children and emphasizes the importance of crèches and early childhood settings for language development.
The five areas assessed by the screening questionnaire were communication skills, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving and personal-social skills.
When outcomes fall below expected levels, interventions may include observation by health visitors or referral to specialized care, such as speech and language therapy.
However, some data show that the number of full-time equivalent health visitors has decreased by 40 percent since October 2015, with a 10 percent decline during the pandemic.
Data for January this year show 6,824 such workers compared to 10,309 in October 2015.
Demand for therapy doubles levels before Covid
An RCSLT report released in January warned that services were facing high levels of demand, with 29% of respondents saying they were facing double-level demand before Covid.
An NHS report on public services in England, published in April, shows that only 63% of children’s speech and language therapy services have been restored to their pre-pandemic state in January. 86% of them say they are lagging behind.
A government spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring that every child has the best start in life, which is why we are working hard to improve support for families, including by funding local authorities to provide first-line services.
We are also investing £ 500 million in breastfeeding services, mental health support for parents and babies and a new network of family centers – a one-stop shop where families can access services – to improve support for babies, children and families in 75 local authorities across England. “
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