A GROWING number of toddlers are struggling to talk since the Covid pandemic lockdowns, official data has revealed.
One in five children are now failing to meet at least one of five key development milestones at their review between the ages of two and three.
Checks include speech, problem-solving, motor and social skills — and the failure rate is up 21 per cent since before the pandemic, according to Office for Health Improvement and Disparities figures, uncovered by the Health Service Journal.
Experts say the jump in the number of children needing help with their social and physical development is worrying.
Alison Morton, from the Institute of Health Visiting, said: “While the majority of children are developing as expected, a significant and growing minority are not.
“The pandemic and its impacts are not over.
Read More on Health
“In many areas, despite health visitors’ best efforts, they are now struggling to meet growing levels of need and vulnerability and a backlog of children who need support.”
British Association for Community Child Health chairman Doug Simkiss said: “The pandemic reduced the opportunities for children to play with other children — and highlights the importance of nurseries and early years settings for language development.
“Inevitably, this will put pressure on speech and language teams and, to a lesser extent, community paediatric teams.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring every child has the best start in life.
“That is why we are working to improve support for families, including through funding local authorities to deliver front-line services.”
Read More on Trending In The News
Did you miss our previous article...
https://trendinginthenews.com/covid-19/britain-should-reopen-debate-on-fixed-penalty-notices-says-jacob-reesmogg
