Clincal psychiatrists for children and adolescents have concluded there might be a link between masking and lockdown policies and lower IQ in children.
QUICK FACTS:
- According to clinical psychiatrists for children and adolescents who conducted a study at Brown University in the summer, concluded that children who were born and in crucial development during the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown appear to have delayed development and cognitive function
- Dr. Mark McDonald cited Brown University’s work, saying that masks, “Zoom schools,” and other lockdown measures have led to a deprivation of typical social contact, according to The Epoch Times.
- McDonald also cited the inability of children to see the faces of those around them, combined with being kept at home all day, is something that could be causing damage to the brains of small children.
- Carl Heneghan, the director of Oxford University’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, had a similar conclusion when he said that the “fear we instill into children” is leading to an increase in psychological problems.
- Heneghan cited a second study, conducted in October of this year, that concluded as many as 8 out of 10 children and adolescents have reported worsening behavior and psychological status due to the pandemic.
IN THE DOCTORS’ WORDS:
- “The first thing is to deescalate any fear and anxiety around COVID for children,” Heneghan said. “For children, [COVID] is actually a very safe disease” and children shouldn’t be worried about the impact of COVID “on themselves or their future health.”
- Heneghan also said that shutting down schools was a mistake because of the positive impact it has on the “social connectedness and well-being” of students.
- “We should really prioritize education and those interventions that are in children’s best interest,” Heneghan said.
- McDonald noted his observation of contact with children who “refuse to make eye contact, who are wetting their pants or wetting the bed at night, cannot go to sleepovers—being away from their mother for extended periods of time.”
BACKGROUND:
- The Brown University study was published on Aug 11 and funded by Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of Health.
- The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has again prompted a wave of school closures nationwide, according to Fox News.
- Several ivy league universities, such as Harvard University and Stanford University have announced they will begin the 2022 spring semester virtually, for most. Pennsylvania State University announced that students should be allowed to alter plans.
