Are the reported rise in speech-delays due to masked daycare caregivers making you rethink daycare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of anecdotes on this but no legit studies or data. I ask my pediatrician about it at every check up and he confirms there is no data yet. Everyone on this thread claiming there is seems to be basing that on such evidence as "of course" and "it has to".

To add another anecdote, my son turned 2 in March 2020 and returned to daycare later that summer. All his teachers have been masked ever since. His speech was on track at 2 but it took off between 2-3 and he is incredibly articulate now at nearly 4. No impact from masks whatsoever.

My daughter was born during the pandemic and has been going to daycare since she was 5 months, she's now nearly 17 months. She's right on track for her age in terms of speech and emotional milestones.

If my kids never talked to anyone without a mask on maybe I'd be worried, but daycare is just a part of their day. The other kids aren't masked at daycare and during nights and weekends they interact with unmasked adults. I make a point to talk to the baby, especially, as much as a possibly can to ensure she sees me forming words. I just narrate everything when I'm with her. She has had no lack of opportunity to learn from watching people speak.

You’re right. Yours is just another anecdote. And you can’t say how much more advanced you kids would have Brennan had their daycare teachers not been masked. In my mind, the solution is to stop masking teachers I the infant and toddler rooms. Test the teachers daily and stop covering their faces.

Yes, mine is just another anecdote, that's my point. Proposing a "solution" begs the question - we don't actually know if there's a problem. People are just assuming that.

You know what we do have lots of real data and study on? Language development by blind children. That research has not shown any strong link between blindness and impoverished language acquisition. Moreover, they often "find independent adaptive strategies by the children, pointing to a plasticity in the acquisition process itself." If blind babies can develop language skills normally I'm sure babies cared for by people in masks 6-8 hours a day can manage.

Interesting but not comparable. Blind babies see nothing ever, don’t realize others do see, and have to adapt by touching faces and mouths (which they can’t do now either) Our babies see our mouths move when we speak but hear only voices in daycare. Stands to reason there would be delays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, the children most at risk from covid are ages 0-4. I would take a minor speech delay over this any day.

My child had a speech delay 15 years ago. He didn't speak till he was 2.5. Not only did he "survive," he thrived. He is on the debate team and Model UN now.

People acting like speech delays are worse than illness remind me of the folks who don't vaccinate because they are afraid of autism. Nonsensical and offensive.

Yes but they don’t even know if masks masks are effective against omicron. Why can’t they test vaccinated daycare workers daily?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, the children most at risk from covid are ages 0-4. I would take a minor speech delay over this any day.

My child had a speech delay 15 years ago. He didn't speak till he was 2.5. Not only did he "survive," he thrived. He is on the debate team and Model UN now.

People acting like speech delays are worse than illness remind me of the folks who don't vaccinate because they are afraid of autism. Nonsensical and offensive.

Yes but they don’t even know if masks masks are effective against omicron. Why can’t they test vaccinated daycare workers daily?

LA film industry mom here. That’s what they do with actors and there hasn’t been an outbreak. They test daily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard from various parents and on this forum and other forums that this is an issue in the infant care rooms. Babies can’t see mouths form words or facial expressions for at least eight of their daytime hours and it’s causing speech delays. Our baby has a place at a reputable daycare center next month (baby will be 2.5 months) but now I’m starting to reconsider sending him.

I could extend maternity leave and look for a nanny but the expense will definitely hurt us.

Anyone changing their childcare plans?

Hey OP unless you can substantiate the “reported rise” stop fear-mongering.

[Anonymous]

I'm keeping baby #3 (4 months old) for more reasons than this, but I'll share my experience of daycare/preschool for my DD (just turned 4).
She started Spanish-immersion preschool this fall.
I know that the mask wearing definitely has a negative effect on her Spanish language learning. She mispronounces so many words due to not seeing/hearing them clearly. Oh well. She's still learning a lot. But she tells me things like, "The opposite of feliz is sisde," I tell her it's "triste," and she argues no. It's often these same sounds she gets wrong. She can absolutely say those sounds and speak clearly. But she's not able to comprehend as what sounds the masked teachers are using - a lot of the sounds are more garbled.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone link to evidence of a rise in speech delays due to masking? I found one article but it speculated that the delays were actually due to being out of daycare, and lack of social interaction/increased screen time.

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/experts-pandemic-isolation-screen-time-leading-to-childhood-developmental-delays-in-some-children/85-5cd83561-8859-4b11-9a95-9b27fe883f68

I mean, it makes some sense but if it's just anecdotes my kids (4 and 1) have been going to school/daycare masked since the beginning of COVID and they are both solidly meeting all their speech milestones

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard from various parents and on this forum and other forums that this is an issue in the infant care rooms. Babies can’t see mouths form words or facial expressions for at least eight of their daytime hours and it’s causing speech delays. Our baby has a place at a reputable daycare center next month (baby will be 2.5 months) but now I’m starting to reconsider sending him.

I could extend maternity leave and look for a nanny but the expense will definitely hurt us.

Anyone changing their childcare plans?

Hey OP unless you can substantiate the “reported rise” stop fear-mongering.

This.

[Anonymous]

Lots of anecdata here.

DC started daycare at 22 mo with a speech delay which rapidly improved after starting. DC had been home with a nanny (no mask) before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard from various parents and on this forum and other forums that this is an issue in the infant care rooms. Babies can’t see mouths form words or facial expressions for at least eight of their daytime hours and it’s causing speech delays. Our baby has a place at a reputable daycare center next month (baby will be 2.5 months) but now I’m starting to reconsider sending him.

I could extend maternity leave and look for a nanny but the expense will definitely hurt us.

Anyone changing their childcare plans?

Hey OP unless you can substantiate the “reported rise” stop fear-mongering.

This.

No. Please don’t stop, OP. I can come to conclusions by myself but really don’t want anyone to stop speculating or reporting on something even anecdotally that might help/hurt my child. Substantiation and final proof takes too long and might come too late. Let us decide what’s believable. Let us bring it up with our pediatricians. Please no censorship.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we are reconsidering daycare based on a number of reasons - this issue included. We’re looking into nanny shares and one small home daycare now and away from the larger centers where we first applied and got a spot. Not returning to work for either of us is not an option nor is our own nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard from various parents and on this forum and other forums that this is an issue in the infant care rooms. Babies can’t see mouths form words or facial expressions for at least eight of their daytime hours and it’s causing speech delays. Our baby has a place at a reputable daycare center next month (baby will be 2.5 months) but now I’m starting to reconsider sending him.

I could extend maternity leave and look for a nanny but the expense will definitely hurt us.

Anyone changing their childcare plans?

Hey OP unless you can substantiate the “reported rise” stop fear-mongering.

This.

No. Please don’t stop, OP. I can come to conclusions by myself but really don’t want anyone to stop speculating or reporting on something even anecdotally that might help/hurt my child. Substantiation and final proof takes too long and might come too late. Let us decide what’s believable. Let us bring it up with our pediatricians. Please no censorship.

+2. Do not stop. I’ll make my own evaluations.

[Anonymous]

If what I witnessed this past weekend is any indication, I think it's terrible/lazy parenting that's to blame.

The kids are just sat down with a tablet in hand for hours on end. And when interacted with, babytalk is used instead of clear, concise language. It's rare to even see a kid in the grocery store without a tablet in hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, the children most at risk from covid are ages 0-4. I would take a minor speech delay over this any day.

My child had a speech delay 15 years ago. He didn't speak till he was 2.5. Not only did he "survive," he thrived. He is on the debate team and Model UN now.

People acting like speech delays are worse than illness remind me of the folks who don't vaccinate because they are afraid of autism. Nonsensical and offensive.

I really, really hate it when moms of TEENAGERS troll the expecting mother board and give their advice. Unless you have had a covid baby and been faced with these (incredibly hard) choices you have nothing valuable to add. I don't go around giving covid college admission advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If what I witnessed this past weekend is any indication, I think it's terrible/lazy parenting that's to blame.

The kids are just sat down with a tablet in hand for hours on end. And when interacted with, babytalk is used instead of clear, concise language. It's rare to even see a kid in the grocery store without a tablet in hand.

How old are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If what I witnessed this past weekend is any indication, I think it's terrible/lazy parenting that's to blame.

The kids are just sat down with a tablet in hand for hours on end. And when interacted with, babytalk is used instead of clear, concise language. It's rare to even see a kid in the grocery store without a tablet in hand.

My kid didn't have a tablet till 3 and was in ST started at 18 months 4 days a week for many years. If anything the tablet helped with speech from what we observed. Only if language disorders were fixed by good parenting. We could have saved a lot of money.