The pandemic today has caused many adverse effects on the mental health of many people including children, particularly their social intelligence.
According to research, stress and excitement are the two common reactions of children when returning to school. It is telling that this emotional response is due to the social aspect of schooling.
A Medical Xpress report said that "children are keen social learners." They develop skills like sharing, solving conflicts, and empathy at a fast pace.
Nowadays, a lot of them have already attended parent and toddler groups before they begin school. Therefore, even if they have no siblings, their social and emotional cognition has already begun to develop.
Pandemic Effect
During COVID-19 lockdowns though, a lot of opportunities, especially for children's social learning, "have been lost." So, how is this pandemic effect affecting children's development, and what could be done about it?
Brain development starts shortly after conception and continues at least until young adulthood. It is formed by a multifaceted relationship between the environment and human genes.
Evidence has shown crucial periods in brain development like adolescence, in terms of social cognition. Social cognitive development though, starts during the life's first year, when children start developing the so-called "theory of mind."
Essentially, "theory of mind" means understanding what other people are thinking, which continues until they are five years old.
Play as an Essential Part of the Process
Researchers found that play is an essential part of social cognition as it comprises a lot of "physical contact and development of friendships" that help children to deal with their emotions and remain strong, mentally.
The study authors still need to completely understand the ways in which these lockdowns will impact children because of reduced or deferred social interactions.
However, research offers evidence that social cognition of some adults has certainly been impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The study, according to The Conversation, presented that people experienced a decline in positive feelings, making them inclined to have negative thoughts. This has a substantial link on how socially connected they were. Those who were socially connected before the pandemic were found to be more affected.
Children are More Susceptible
It is possible then that children are more susceptible when it comes to long-term impacts of a slowdown or absence in "peer-to-peer interaction."
It is known that social development of the brain is a two-way street: the environment and social interaction between peers.
Social cognition is not only needed to succeed in school and work environments but in personal relationships as well. It is also required in "hot cognition," which is importantly emotional reasoning taken wholly.
Moreover, it is known that such cognition is considered a building block for the so-called "cold cognition" involving skills like attention, planning and conflict solving.
For instance, if children are not capable of having creative play with other kids, learning to empathize, compromise and deal with their emotions -- language development and social communication would be impacted as well.
Certainly, it has been shown that children who have higher social cognition are doing better in secondary school.
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