My 2nd grader’s teacher intends to mask all year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His 1st grade teacher masked all year too. He has a speech delay and is behind in reading. His teacher said she is immunocompromised and plans to mask all year and maybe beyond “just to be safe”. I get it from the teacher’s perspective. But my perspective is valid too. I feel stuck.

What did you do this summer to address the speech delay and reading level?

The teacher has the right to mask. I would ask to switch, but ultimately it is your responsibility to address the issues. Be prepared to work with your child at home and if the school can't make the switch.

OP refuses to answer this but its also surprising they are calling it a delay in 2nd grade which makes me question what is really going on. Once you hit ES, it turns into a disorder, not a delay.

This parent sounds in denial that their child has more serious special needs, needs a full educational and language evaluation and private services. MCPS pays for reading tutors, so cost cannot be an excuse.

If it is a disorder then even more crucial to get an unmasked teacher.

No, if its a language disorder, its crucial that OP supplement outside school and this child needs 2-4 day a week private speech therapy. Plus reading supports.

No, it's even more crucial that the child spend the majority of their hours in an appropriate, speech-rich environment. Which means, not masked.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who does not care if people in their kids' schools are medically fragile are horrible, horrible people. Same with other school employees who don't wear masks even when they KNOW that their colleagues are imunocompromised. You suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who does not care if people in their kids' schools are medically fragile are horrible, horrible people. Same with other school employees who don't wear masks even when they KNOW that their colleagues are imunocompromised. You suck.

I'm sorry, but the general population is not going to wear masks in perpetuity. I'm sure you believe masks are just an "inconvenience" but for many they are not, and since you don't care about that, why should we care what you think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no clear evidence that masks impact children’s speech or social skills. It’s just something that gets repeated because anti-maskers need a justification.

False. There is PLENTIFUL research on the impact of masks on communication; and pre-existing research on the role of faces and learning social skills/emotions/language. Beyond that, masks are an invasive intervention. It's just not true that you can mandate any intervention as long as there is not "clear evidence" against it. (Or whatever evidentiary standard you're using; it's a moving goal post.) Likewise claim that "blind kids learn to speak just fine, masks are not a problem!" is false. It's well known that visually impaired kids need specialized instruction for acquiring language and social skills because of the missing nonverbal cues.

I'm not even going to post the research here because there's so much. Anyone who is interested can search on Google Scholar.

Link to ONE peer reviewed study or article that says masking at school/daycare causes or worsens speech development. ASHA has clearly said there is no evidence that masking delays or prevents speech development. Parents do not mask at home with their children and that is where the majority of their language is acquired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who does not care if people in their kids' schools are medically fragile are horrible, horrible people. Same with other school employees who don't wear masks even when they KNOW that their colleagues are imunocompromised. You suck.

At least it sounds like you’re beginning to accept the new world. Going forward masks are the exception, not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, how is this an issue? Its better they mask vs. be out for a week or two sick and make their family sick. If your child has a speech disorder, get them private therapy and an IEP. MCPS is offering free tutoring again this year so take advantage of it.

Its none of your business why they choose to mask. But, good for them.

How could it NOT be an issue?? All the other 2nd grade teachers were unmasked at open house today… I felt a bit jealous.

This is so entitled.

Agree 100%. So entitled and selfish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His 1st grade teacher masked all year too. He has a speech delay and is behind in reading. His teacher said she is immunocompromised and plans to mask all year and maybe beyond “just to be safe”. I get it from the teacher’s perspective. But my perspective is valid too. I feel stuck.

What did you do this summer to address the speech delay and reading level?

The teacher has the right to mask. I would ask to switch, but ultimately it is your responsibility to address the issues. Be prepared to work with your child at home and if the school can't make the switch.

OP refuses to answer this but its also surprising they are calling it a delay in 2nd grade which makes me question what is really going on. Once you hit ES, it turns into a disorder, not a delay.

This parent sounds in denial that their child has more serious special needs, needs a full educational and language evaluation and private services. MCPS pays for reading tutors, so cost cannot be an excuse.

If it is a disorder then even more crucial to get an unmasked teacher.

No, if its a language disorder, its crucial that OP supplement outside school and this child needs 2-4 day a week private speech therapy. Plus reading supports.

No, it's even more crucial that the child spend the majority of their hours in an appropriate, speech-rich environment. Which means, not masked.

The child isn't masked at home or in school. If the teacher or others choose to mask, that is their right. Child needs to be in private speech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, how is this an issue? Its better they mask vs. be out for a week or two sick and make their family sick. If your child has a speech disorder, get them private therapy and an IEP. MCPS is offering free tutoring again this year so take advantage of it.

Its none of your business why they choose to mask. But, good for them.

How could it NOT be an issue?? All the other 2nd grade teachers were unmasked at open house today… I felt a bit jealous.

This is so entitled.

Agree 100%. So entitled and selfish.

How so? Some kids just end up losing the lottery by getting masked teachers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no clear evidence that masks impact children’s speech or social skills. It’s just something that gets repeated because anti-maskers need a justification.

False. There is PLENTIFUL research on the impact of masks on communication; and pre-existing research on the role of faces and learning social skills/emotions/language. Beyond that, masks are an invasive intervention. It's just not true that you can mandate any intervention as long as there is not "clear evidence" against it. (Or whatever evidentiary standard you're using; it's a moving goal post.) Likewise claim that "blind kids learn to speak just fine, masks are not a problem!" is false. It's well known that visually impaired kids need specialized instruction for acquiring language and social skills because of the missing nonverbal cues.

I'm not even going to post the research here because there's so much. Anyone who is interested can search on Google Scholar.

There are also millions of dead people from covid. So what's your point? Teachers should risk their lives and well being for your benefit?

The fact that millions died of covid in no way changes the state of evidence we have on the costs & benefits of masking kids and teachers. I’m not going to force a particular teacher to unmask but if I had a kid w speech delay would certainly argue that unmasked teachers & SLPs are required for FAPE.

So, you would argue a teacher should unmask. You and OP are bullies. And, care nothing about anyone. This child has a language disorder, not a delay if its serious at this age and masks are not to blame as the child was delayed prior to covid.

DP. Your response is ridiculous in many ways, but I will just say that OP doesn't seem to be blaming the masked teachers for causing the delay/disorder but rather for making it harder for the child to improve. My experience with my child who is in a somewhat different situation (different age, different disorder) is that taking off her mask and being around unmasked teachers was really, really helpful in addition to therapy. If left untreated, this disorder would likely get more severe, difficult to treat and be life-altering and/or deadly. That's why when you say folks like OP "care nothing about anyone" I have to wonder, do you care at all about people who face difficulties other than COVID? Or is COVID the only valid concern right now? Because honestly, you sound like the bully here.

The masking group here (and it's usually the same couple of posters) are indeed bullies.

There are no mask requirements so what are you commenting about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, how is this an issue? Its better they mask vs. be out for a week or two sick and make their family sick. If your child has a speech disorder, get them private therapy and an IEP. MCPS is offering free tutoring again this year so take advantage of it.

Its none of your business why they choose to mask. But, good for them.

How could it NOT be an issue?? All the other 2nd grade teachers were unmasked at open house today… I felt a bit jealous.

This is so entitled.

Agree 100%. So entitled and selfish.

How so? Some kids just end up losing the lottery by getting masked teachers?

Losing the lottery? What is wrong with you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no clear evidence that masks impact children’s speech or social skills. It’s just something that gets repeated because anti-maskers need a justification.

False. There is PLENTIFUL research on the impact of masks on communication; and pre-existing research on the role of faces and learning social skills/emotions/language. Beyond that, masks are an invasive intervention. It's just not true that you can mandate any intervention as long as there is not "clear evidence" against it. (Or whatever evidentiary standard you're using; it's a moving goal post.) Likewise claim that "blind kids learn to speak just fine, masks are not a problem!" is false. It's well known that visually impaired kids need specialized instruction for acquiring language and social skills because of the missing nonverbal cues.

I'm not even going to post the research here because there's so much. Anyone who is interested can search on Google Scholar.

Link to ONE peer reviewed study or article that says masking at school/daycare causes or worsens speech development. ASHA has clearly said there is no evidence that masking delays or prevents speech development. Parents do not mask at home with their children and that is where the majority of their language is acquired.

There are REAMS of papers on how masking may impair emotion recognition and communication. I TOLD you to google it, but since you will not:

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C47&q=masks+communication&btnG=
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C47&q=masks+speech+delay+covid&btnG=
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C47&q=visual+face+processing+masks+language+acquisition&btnG=
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C47&q=covid+masks+communication+impairment&btnG=


Notably, the DCUM-favorite speech disorder diagnostician Dr Camarata wrote about it: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0194599820978247

ASHA even though it does not want to fully acknowledge it, covertly acknowledges that masks impair therapy delivery. (As they must - how nonsensical would they be otherwise?)

"Here are some examples of how masks can negatively affect services:

Increased difficulty in understanding speech: Masks attenuate sound by 3–12 dB and result in low-pass filtering of high-frequency sounds, making it more difficult to understand speech and some higher-pitched voices (Goldin et al., 2020). Listening to masked speech can be especially hard for people with hearing loss.
Reduced discrimination of speech signal among competing noise: For example, reduced discrimination may occur in the presence of traffic or noisy yard work like lawn mowing.
Reduced intelligibility of the wearer’s speech: Listeners may perceive speech as being muffled or lower in volume.
Loss of visual cues: Masks remove the ability to speechread and see facial expressions; both abilities augment communication.
Increased difficulty of verbal communication: Speaking and understanding language while wearing a mask can be hard for people with communication problems like aphasia and voice problems.
Reduced ability to provide appropriate cues to the patient/client/student: Masks can reduce one’s ability to provide communication cues—for example, in the case of speech sound production.
Non-compliance of mask wearing: Masks can be uncomfortable for young and school-aged children and for people who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants. Noncompliance with mask use can also be an issue for those with cognitive or sensory deficits."

https://www.asha.org/practice/using-masks-for-in-person-service-delivery-during-covid-19-what-to-consider/

Are there double-blinded RCT on masking 2 year olds? No, there are not, because prior to covid it would have been completely insane to suggest such a think and an IRB NEVER would have approved it. Post-covid, in the US, it is still career suicide in some quarters to even suggest this research and so it won't get funded or performed.

So we're left with a few main principals.

1. You don't get to just impose bodily restrictions like masking based on "we don't have any evidence it is bad for kids." You need to have a MUCH higher standard than that to change the status quo.
2. You must ACCURATELY weight the costs and benefits, including taking into account the very persuasive studies that show masking doesn't work to stop covid in schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no clear evidence that masks impact children’s speech or social skills. It’s just something that gets repeated because anti-maskers need a justification.

False. There is PLENTIFUL research on the impact of masks on communication; and pre-existing research on the role of faces and learning social skills/emotions/language. Beyond that, masks are an invasive intervention. It's just not true that you can mandate any intervention as long as there is not "clear evidence" against it. (Or whatever evidentiary standard you're using; it's a moving goal post.) Likewise claim that "blind kids learn to speak just fine, masks are not a problem!" is false. It's well known that visually impaired kids need specialized instruction for acquiring language and social skills because of the missing nonverbal cues.

I'm not even going to post the research here because there's so much. Anyone who is interested can search on Google Scholar.

Link to ONE peer reviewed study or article that says masking at school/daycare causes or worsens speech development. ASHA has clearly said there is no evidence that masking delays or prevents speech development. Parents do not mask at home with their children and that is where the majority of their language is acquired.

As you (and ASHA) are aware, it is very difficult to assess the impact of masks on speech. While this does not qualify as a peer reviewed study, ASHA offers the following list of ways that masks can negatively impact speech interventions:

Determining Whether PPE Negatively Affects a Service

Although critical to infection control, masks may negatively affect audiology and speech- language pathology services.

As a clinician, use your clinical judgment (in compliance with requirements established by employer and/or federal, state, and local oversight bodies) to determine whether mask use is the most appropriate protocol for service delivery—or if you can or should make modifications.

If you’re modifying recommended best practices, make sure you’ve documented informed consent from the patient/client/student or caregiver.

Here are some examples of how masks can negatively affect services:

Increased difficulty in understanding speech: Masks attenuate sound by 3–12 dB and result in low-pass filtering of high-frequency sounds, making it more difficult to understand speech and some higher-pitched voices (Goldin et al., 2020). Listening to masked speech can be especially hard for people with hearing loss.
Reduced discrimination of speech signal among competing noise: For example, reduced discrimination may occur in the presence of traffic or noisy yard work like lawn mowing.
Reduced intelligibility of the wearer’s speech: Listeners may perceive speech as being muffled or lower in volume.
Loss of visual cues: Masks remove the ability to speechread and see facial expressions; both abilities augment communication.
Increased difficulty of verbal communication: Speaking and understanding language while wearing a mask can be hard for people with communication problems like aphasia and voice problems.
Reduced ability to provide appropriate cues to the patient/client/student: Masks can reduce one’s ability to provide communication cues—for example, in the case of speech sound production.
Non-compliance of mask wearing: Masks can be uncomfortable for young and school-aged children and for people who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants. Noncompliance with mask use can also be an issue for those with cognitive or sensory deficits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His 1st grade teacher masked all year too. He has a speech delay and is behind in reading. His teacher said she is immunocompromised and plans to mask all year and maybe beyond “just to be safe”. I get it from the teacher’s perspective. But my perspective is valid too. I feel stuck.

What did you do this summer to address the speech delay and reading level?

The teacher has the right to mask. I would ask to switch, but ultimately it is your responsibility to address the issues. Be prepared to work with your child at home and if the school can't make the switch.

OP refuses to answer this but its also surprising they are calling it a delay in 2nd grade which makes me question what is really going on. Once you hit ES, it turns into a disorder, not a delay.

This parent sounds in denial that their child has more serious special needs, needs a full educational and language evaluation and private services. MCPS pays for reading tutors, so cost cannot be an excuse.

If it is a disorder then even more crucial to get an unmasked teacher.

No, if its a language disorder, its crucial that OP supplement outside school and this child needs 2-4 day a week private speech therapy. Plus reading supports.

No, it's even more crucial that the child spend the majority of their hours in an appropriate, speech-rich environment. Which means, not masked.

Cite that. I suppose the blind cannot learn to speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no clear evidence that masks impact children’s speech or social skills. It’s just something that gets repeated because anti-maskers need a justification.

False. There is PLENTIFUL research on the impact of masks on communication; and pre-existing research on the role of faces and learning social skills/emotions/language. Beyond that, masks are an invasive intervention. It's just not true that you can mandate any intervention as long as there is not "clear evidence" against it. (Or whatever evidentiary standard you're using; it's a moving goal post.) Likewise claim that "blind kids learn to speak just fine, masks are not a problem!" is false. It's well known that visually impaired kids need specialized instruction for acquiring language and social skills because of the missing nonverbal cues.

I'm not even going to post the research here because there's so much. Anyone who is interested can search on Google Scholar.

Link to ONE peer reviewed study or article that says masking at school/daycare causes or worsens speech development. ASHA has clearly said there is no evidence that masking delays or prevents speech development. Parents do not mask at home with their children and that is where the majority of their language is acquired.

This is true, there is no evidence whatsoever that masks harms speech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His 1st grade teacher masked all year too. He has a speech delay and is behind in reading. His teacher said she is immunocompromised and plans to mask all year and maybe beyond “just to be safe”. I get it from the teacher’s perspective. But my perspective is valid too. I feel stuck.

What did you do this summer to address the speech delay and reading level?

The teacher has the right to mask. I would ask to switch, but ultimately it is your responsibility to address the issues. Be prepared to work with your child at home and if the school can't make the switch.

OP refuses to answer this but its also surprising they are calling it a delay in 2nd grade which makes me question what is really going on. Once you hit ES, it turns into a disorder, not a delay.

This parent sounds in denial that their child has more serious special needs, needs a full educational and language evaluation and private services. MCPS pays for reading tutors, so cost cannot be an excuse.

If it is a disorder then even more crucial to get an unmasked teacher.

No, if its a language disorder, its crucial that OP supplement outside school and this child needs 2-4 day a week private speech therapy. Plus reading supports.

No, it's even more crucial that the child spend the majority of their hours in an appropriate, speech-rich environment. Which means, not masked.

Cite that. I suppose the blind cannot learn to speak.

Do you actually think that’s a persuasive argument?

1. Blind children typically get intensive speech early intervention specifically because the lack of nonverbal cues can delay speech
2. Forgive me if I don’t think it’s acceptable policy to just say “hey, blind kids talk - so no worries about deliberately creating impediments for nonverbal communication in sighted kids!”