Preschoolers with special educational needs (SEN) functioned better emotionally and behaviorally when schools reopened after COVID-19 lockdowns, but the opposite was true for school-aged children and those with intellectual disabilities, suggests a study published today in JAMA Network Open.
University of Hong Kong researchers administered a questionnaire to the parents of 456 children aged 3 to 18 years with SEN enrolled in special schools in Hong Kong during COVID-19 school closures in April 2020 (wave 1). Six months after schools reopened, from July to October 2021 (wave 2), they repeated the questionnaire with the parents of 519 children with SEN.
In wave 1, the average child age was 7.4 years, and 69.1% were boys. In wave 2, the average child age was 8.2 years, and 70.3% were boys.
“Disruptions to daily routines can cause anxiety, frustration, and other negative behaviors in children with SEN,” the researchers wrote. “During the pandemic, children with SEN were found to have poorer mental health and quality of life and were at higher risk of maltreatment.”
Worse quality of life for those aged 6 to 11
After schools reopened, preschoolers aged 3 to 5 years with SEN had significantly fewer emotional difficulties (average Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ] score, 3.26 vs 2.68; standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.26) and behavioral problems (average SDQ score, 2.88 vs 2.41; SMD, 0.25).
But adolescents exhibited more behavioral problems (average SDQ score, 1.62 vs 2.37; SMD, 0.41), and children with intellectual disabilities had significantly lower scores for emotional functioning (average PedsQL score, 73.93 vs 68.12; SMD, 0.31).
Disruptions to daily routines can cause anxiety, frustration, and other negative behaviors in children with SEN.
The quality of life of children with SEN aged 6 to 11 years also declined after school resumption (average Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory [PedsQL]) score, 67.52 vs 60.57; SMD, 0.41).
“These findings suggest that the mental health outcomes varied according to the age and disabilities of children with SEN after school resumption, indicating that vulnerable groups might require additional support in the school setting,” the study authors wrote.
