Neurodevelopment in the Post-Pandemic World: The Altered Trajectory of Children's Education, Mental Health, and Brain Development

This book discusses how the radical psychosocial changes during the COVID-19 pandemic may impact neurodevelopment from birth through the transition to early adulthood, thereby altering the trajectory of psychological, social, and academic development in the years to come. The COVID-19 pandemic caused worldwide and sustained educational and psychosocial disruption for children and adolescents. Schools, when they were able to remain open, quickly shifted to adopt untested virtual instruction methods that varied widely in implementation. Youth were exposed to increased stress at home, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and mental health conditions increased. Young children who needed support for developmental and learning delays, as well as disabilities, missed critical interventions and/or entered school later. Older adolescents were lost entirely from the educational system. Although the acute phase of the pandemic has passed, the significant developmental and psychosocial impact on this generation of young people will be felt for decades to come, especially as resources have not yet been allocated in a manner that effectively and aggressively intervenes on behalf of those most impacted. Academic achievement data has shown significant attenuation in math and reading gains. The mental health system is presently unable to meet the demands of the population, prompting prominent national health care provider associations and other experts to declare a state of emergency for youth mental health. There are significant implications of changes in academic achievement for the identification of disability using pre-pandemic methods, especially for the fields of forensic neuropsychology and special education law. Radical educational and psychosocial changes during the COVID-19 pandemic may impact neurodevelopment from birth through the transition to early adulthood, with lasting impacts on psychological and social functioning, as well as academic achievement, especially for vulnerable youth. Altered Trajectories shows how the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to be a catalyst for change. In a world that anticipates future sudden and calamitous psychosocial disruption due to climate change or new pandemics, the information within this book is expected to be of use both in the immediate term and the future. This information has the potential to shape progress in the fields of psychology, developmental neuroscience, sociology, public policy, and the law.

About the Author

Molly Colvin is board certified in clinical neuropsychology with subspecialty certification in pediatric neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Dr. Colvin specializes in the assessment of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders across the lifespan. Dr. Colvin completed a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience at Dartmouth College and a respecialization program in clinical psychology at Suffolk University. Her clinical training included an American Psychological Association (APA) approved internship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and postdoctoral fellowship at MGH and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). She is currently Director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She also maintains a private practice in the Boston area. Jennifer Linton Reesman is board certified in clinical neuropsychology with subspecialty certification in pediatric neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Dr. Reesman specializes in providing accessible neuropsychological assessments to children who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or affected by some type of hearing loss and provides evaluations and consultations in American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Dr. Reesman was a member of the American Psychological Association Task Force on Guidelines for Assessment and Intervention with Persons with Disabilities. After a decade in practice as a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute, she is presently the Director of Training at the Chesapeake Center for ADHD, Learning & Behavioral Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Tannahill Glen is board certified in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of Florida (PY 6757). Dr. Glen completed a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology, and completed an American Psychological Association- and Canadian Psychological Association-accredited internship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Alberta Children's Hospital. Dr. Glen completed a National Institute of Health research training grant funded residency in Neuropsychology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine. After more than a decade as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at UF Health Neuroscience Institute in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Glen created Neuropsychology, Inc., an expert litigation consultation company. She is a clinical neuropsychologist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida.