Nixon, Laura;
de la Fuente, Gema Milla;
Sideropoulos, Vassilis;
Lakhanpaul, Monica;
(2025)
Parental concerns about the long‐term impacts of Covid‐19 pandemic restrictions on the health, education and development of their children with Down syndrome: A qualitative analysis.
British Journal of Special Education
10.1111/1467-8578.70046.
(In press).
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Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic significantly limited access to vital services and resources required to support the health, education and development of neurodivergent children, especially children with Down syndrome (DS). We undertook qualitative analysis of responses to open-ended questions exploring caregiver (n = 194) concerns about the impact of the pandemic restrictions on their children with DS. Results showed that parents were concerned about their child's mental and physical health during lockdowns, and reported that children found the social isolation and lack of routine particularly challenging. Restrictions also raised ongoing longer-term concerns. Parents reported that limited social contact affected the development of children's communication and social skills, and fewer group activities impacted weight and motor development. School closures affected academic progress and development of the skills required to navigate a classroom environment. Restricted access to healthcare services delayed diagnosis and treatment, and cancelled therapies disrupted speech and motor development; ongoing disruptions continued to limit opportunities to mitigate concerns. The interlinking impacts of multiple restrictions compounded the challenges, highlighting the importance of accessible social resources and system-wide support for the health and development of neurodivergent children. We urge practitioners, researchers and policymakers to collaborate with families to mitigate the long-term implications of the pandemic for children with DS.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Parental concerns about the long‐term impacts of Covid‐19 pandemic restrictions on the health, education and development of their children with Down syndrome: A qualitative analysis |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/1467-8578.70046 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.70046 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2025 The Author(s). British Journal of Special Education published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of National Association for Special Educational Needs. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | children, Covid-19, Down syndrome, education, health, neurodivergent |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10211143 |
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