A growing body of research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the development of key cognitive skills that help children make plans, control their impulses, and adapt to new situations.
Several long-term studies conducted before, during, and after the pandemic have found significant declines in children’s executive functioning, a set of mental skills that help people set goals, focus, and get things done. Executive function skills include flexible thinking, inhibition control, and working memory, which allows people to remember information without losing track of what they’re doing—such as when working on math problems.
Children typically experience big gains in executive function when they begin school, according to Caitlin Dermody, MSc, a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
For example, kids need to remember to bring their lunch and snacks to school, to put them away during the day, and bring their lunch boxes home again in the afternoon, said first author Stephanie Jones, PhD, a professor of early childhood development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Children also practice self-inhibition by learning to raise their hands to speak, rather than shouting out answers.
7.5-point drop in executive function
Jones and Dermody, along with other researchers from Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley, tested more than 3,100 Massachusetts children ages three to 11 years to study the early-life experiences that shape how executive function develops
When the pandemic hit, researchers were able to use the data to evaluate whether the public health crisis was associated with changes in the children’s development.
In the prospective study, conducted from 2018 to 2023, children performed at or above national averages for executive function before the pandemic. When researchers tested the children after the pandemic began, the group’s scores dropped dramatically, falling below the pre-pandemic national average, according to the study, published earlier this week in Child Development.
The average standardized score for an eight-year-old in the study fell by about 7.5 points on a 100-point scale, as measured by a test called the Minnesota Executive Function Scale. In statistical terms, that’s about half a standard deviation from the average national score for a child of that age.
Pandemic caused ‘extreme disruption’ for kids
The study’s design can’t prove cause and effect, so researchers can’t say for sure that the pandemic caused children’s scores to suffer. But in a news release, the study authors say they weren’t surprised that scores fell after the “extreme disruption” of pandemic-era lockdowns.
When schools, daycare centers, and other facilities closed, children lost the chance to learn in structured environments with predictable schedules, as well as socialize with kids their own age. The pandemic caused significant trauma for many families, including illness, job loss, and eviction.
Other recent studies have produced similar findings.
A prospective study of 667 Oklahoma children assessed from 2018 to 2023 found that students’ executive functioning growth stagnated during school closures, leading to a loss of 11 to 12 months of growth compared with pre-pandemic trends. In the study, published online in December in Developmental Psychology, growth in executive function resumed, but at a rate 65% to 74% slower than before the lockdowns.
“It’s hard to say exactly which aspects of the COVID experience were so challenging for children,” said John Spencer, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and senior author of a prospective, long-term study published last month that found declines in executive function in British children after the pandemic.
“Certainly, the lack of socialization was challenging, as well as the change in structure,” Spencer said. “Both probably had an impact on children’s executive function skills, as they had less practice with self-regulation in the complex classroom setting. Throw in the chaos and social trauma on top, and it was a bad time for children to develop.”
Research shows that diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rose during the pandemic, as well. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that an additional 1 million children were diagnosed with ADHD in 2022 than in 2016, for a total of 7.1 million kids.
Other studies have found that rates of anxiety and depression in children steadily increased before and during the pandemic.
Uncertain future
Executive functioning skills help children become better learners, said Lawrence Diller, MD, a behavioral/developmental pediatrician in Walnut Creek, California, who was not involved in the new study.
Research shows that people with better executive functioning skills have more academic success, express more satisfaction with their careers and relationships, and are mentally and physically healthier.
No one knows how the children in the Massachusetts study will fare in the future, study author Jones said.
Although children’s cognitive development may have slowed during the pandemic, “with support, and with opportunities to learn and practice, children can acquire those skills,” she added.
“We have to think about the kinds of support that we can provide to families to help them manage this challenge and ensure there are predictable, stable routines, and the kinds of things that would help children practice executive function skills.”
Children from wealthier families who can afford to hire tutors and offer other kinds of support may overcome pandemic-related delays in their cognitive development. But children from families with fewer resources may face a tougher time, Diller said.
“The implications are somewhat worrisome in that this group of kids, especially ages two to five, will be permanently affected by the year to two years they missed out on relationships with their teachers,” Diller added. “These current studies suggest that these kids will need more help, better teacher-student ratios, more individual instruction.”
