As the country approaches five months of battling the coronavirus, the impact of the pandemic has taken a large toll on everyone, including children.
According to statnews.com, COVID-19 has become the largest global disruption since World War II. During the pandemic, many have experienced added stress, fear, anger, sadness, or even loneliness, but adults are not the only ones having to cope with these feelings.
“They’ve been out of school... sounds great. But with that comes school plays and interaction with friends, and dance classes, recitals, football games, soccer games, and all those things that kids look forward to are now gone,”said Jason Miller, a speech-language pathologist in Bell County.
Mental health struggles can be extremely hard to spot. With the loss of routine and signs of stress going on in the world around them, it can be hard for kiddos to communicate their feelings.
“All kids behave badly, but you want to look at something that is out of the norm. What is not characteristic of their behavior and use that as a stepping point to ask ‘What are you feeling,’"said Jason Miller.
Everyone reacts to change and stress differently, and in children, age is a huge factor.
“They’re having to listen to parents talk about a virus that they don’t necessarily understand. It can be scary. The younger they are the more since of safety they need, and the older they are the more they need those activities,” said Jason Miller.
Health professionals agree that communicating and finding stimulating activities can help. That can just be taking a walk, playing board games, doing projects, or spending time with friends and family through FaceTime or Skype calls.
