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COVID-19
PANDEMIC

COVID-19 has drastically altered the day-to-day life of the majority of
The Effects of the citizens in the United States, from young to old. Nursing homes are
closed to visitors and women are delivering babies without their husbands.
COVID-19 Working from home has become the new ‘norm’ and, for children and ado-
lescents, learning from home has become the only option for completing
Social Distancing the 2019-2020 school year. While online classes offer challenges to student’s
educational advancement, social distancing could also be creating other bar-
on Children: riers for childhood development. The school environment and peer-to-peer
interactions provide the necessary platform for many aspects of psychoso-
cial and biological development. It is important to consider the effects of
and Questions that social distancing on children ages 2-11, particularly concerning their psy-
chosocial development and mental health.
Need Answers be beneficial, allowing them to establish necessary relationships with care-
For infants and children 2-4 years old, stay at home orders may actually

givers. At this age, children begin to develop spoken language and initial
By Kalli R. Davis
language development can easily occur within the household. Studies have
shown that when encouraged and provided opportunities to learn, pre-
school isn’t necessary for them to reach developmental milestones and it is
even believed that the home learning environment may be less stressful for
children at this age. They are likely to successfully learn at home with proper
encouragement and activities facilitated by family members. These children
can also entertain themselves relatively well within the home environment,
and may play with blocks, a ball or colors by themselves. The question to

34 San Antonio Medicine • June 2020