PedTalk: Will My Child Fall Behind in School Because of the Pandemic?

The second installment of Mommy Mundo’s PedTalk series, in coordination with Sanofi Pasteur and Huggies, aired on Facebook Live on May 30, 2020.  The topic was: Will My Child Fall Behind in School Because of the Pandemic.  Host, Camille Prats Yambao, and guest speaker, Dra. Jocelyn A. Eusebio, an expert on developmental concerns took the over 14,000 viewers through physical, educational, psychological, and emotional challenges children might be facing at this time.  

The topic was more relevant than ever since President Rodrigo Duterte announced that no school would take place until a vaccine is found, driving plenty of parents to explore homeschooling options, or wondering how their children will cope with distance or online learning.  More than that, however, the effects of having to stay home and not see their friends take a toll on children, just as they do adults.

Some notable points the doctor brought up were:

• Know your child’s period of development.  Are they toddlers or preschool age?  Are school-age or adolescents? Knowing your child’s period of development and knowing (or reading) what a parent can expect in terms of the child’s activities and temperament can help a parent take their child through the pandemic or quarantine period.

• Acquaint yourself with the red flags in each stage. Dra. Eusebio goes through the various behaviours to watch out for, and how to address them.

• Find ways for them to connect with their friends to keep their social skills at the appropriate level.  Video calls with friends are also vital because in quarantine, this will provide them with human interaction that they are likely to be missing.

• Though difficult–especially given the socialising via video–limit screen time (this is for all ages!)  Make sure that children’s screen time is not constant (meaning hours on end). Try to find ways for your child to stay physically active while at home.

• Understand how children exhibit stress.  They can include excessive energy, more emotional or tearful, and have an increased sense of separation anxiety.  Children can sense how the situation is unnatural, and they respond to this emotionally.  (Dra. Eusebio tackled all of these in her presentation)

• Remain flexible! Routines are good–especially for small children–but flexibility is just as important.

A final guest speaker, Maoui David Chua, came on to talk about how uninterrupted play supports child and brain development.  It lends to creativity, improvisation, better management of their feelings, and more.  When properly considered and allowed, it makes it easier for parents to have some unstructured time for their children, a realisation that alleviated a lot of worries among the mothers watching the talk.

PedTalks is short for “pediatrician talks,” and they are geared towards making much needed information readily available and easy to find for mothers in this rapidly changing digital world. The talks remain free to watch on Mommy Mundo’s Facebook Live.