"Modest" decreases in kids' development during pandemic, study finds

What they found: The study, led by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, examined data from roughly 50,000 kids from birth to 5 years old based on reports from a web-based screening tool used by primary care physicians.

• They observed "significant" age-specific decreases in some areas. For instance, communication scores decreased approximately 3% and personal-social and problem-solving scores decreased approximately 2% over a three-year period starting just before the pandemic.
• "Communication, personal-social, and problem-solving skills are honed during interpersonal interactions and may therefore have been most undermined by parent or caregiver stress during lockdowns, childcare closures, and social distancing," the authors wrote.
• They saw no changes in fine or gross motor skills during the same time period.
• The effect was more limited among infants compared with young children.

What we're watching: Researchers cautioned it's important to continue monitoring development in children because the long-term implications of these modest declines are unclear.