Remote learning has taken a heavy toll on children during the Covid-19 pandemic, with experts witnessing a 30 per cent rise in number of students seeking help for learning and emotional problems.
Reading and speech challenges have been reported in children aged between four and seven.
American Mission Hospital (AMH) clinical psychologist Dr Anisha Abraham highlighted the ‘uncertainty, boredom, social isolation and loss of a normal routine’ following the suspension of in-person classes after the pandemic.
Closure of schools was among the early measures adapted by countries across the globe to combat the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).
“We are seeing a sharp rise in learning and emotional problems among children in Bahrain in the recent months,” Ms Abraham told the GDN.
“I would estimate a 25 to 30pc increase compared with pre-pandemic times.”
The GDN had earlier reported on psychologists in Bahrain recording an alarming surge in the number of parents seeking counselling for their wards last year.
They urged parents to stay connected with their children and closely observe changes in their behaviour following a rise in anxiety among students.
“Children are now more sedentary and many are spending more than eight to 10 hours on screens everyday with online school and other extracurricular activities,” Dr Abraham said.
“We (AMH) are having a number of children presenting to us with difficulty concentrating and keeping up with class work, lack of motivation, restlessness, loneliness, anxiety, anger outbursts, depression and insomnia.
“Children in the age group of five to seven are even struggling with reading – a skill they would have otherwise learnt directly from teachers in classrooms.
“Those aged two to four are hardest hit as they are missing out on the kindergarten experience which is richly stimulating in terms of building on speech, learning social skills, emotional skills and improving confidence.
“Unfortunately, many parents may not be aware of the best methods of teaching children to decode and read words.”
STEPS Rehabilitation Centre chief executive Stephanie Long said a third of youngsters presenting at the centre since September have been deeply impacted by Covid-19.
Her observation was backed by the centre’s clinical psychologist Dr Aleksandra Jelonek-Turk, who also pointed to a significant rise in the number of children showing behavioural problems.
The concerns included anxiety, reading problems, speech delay and academic under-achievement in addition to postural issues including back, neck and head pain due to the extended screen time.
“Many students are coming to the centre, either directly with their parents and guardians, or with a referral from their paediatrician or school, requesting assessments and solutions due to a range of complaints,” she said.
“These include declining academic skills – as a result of the new online learning format – and difficulties engaging with online material presentation. Additionally, behaviour problems have increased which could be attributed to anxiety and sensory difficulties that make the learning environment even more challenging for some students.”
STEPS has also been witnessing substantial reading problems in the six- to seven-year-old age group.
“Speech delay issues are on the rise in children aged between four and five, who due to Covid-19 have had less peer contact and classroom exposure than children in this age group would have traditionally had.
“Younger students in particular are finding it challenging to engage with lessons, with parents struggling to find the time to support children during online classes due to work-from-home commitments.”
The centre offers academic and therapeutic solutions, as well as customised programmes to address these challenges, added the expert.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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