The impact of the Covid restrictions and pandemic on children with special educational needs (special educational needs, special educational needs) could be “prolonged” and “severe”.
So says Professor Siobhan O’Neill, NI’s mental health champion.
Prof O’Neill also said that overall, young people are “more affected by the pandemic and the restrictions than any other age group”.
It resulted in “an increase in symptoms of mental illness, behavioral, emotional, and attention difficulties.”
Prof. O’Neill spoke about Stormont’s Education Committee during a briefing to Assembly Members (MLAs).
Previous reports, including Northern Ireland’s Children’s Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma, have highlighted the “serious impact” of the restrictions and the pandemic on young people.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of young people in mental health crises seeking hospital help.
Prof O’Neill told MLAs that symptoms of mental illness in children “increased during periods when activities were restricted and face-to-face classes in schools were reduced”.
“Young people’s mental health before the pandemic was poor and they were more affected by the pandemic and restrictions than any other age group, there is now a huge amount of research showing that,” she said.
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But she said not all children and young people are equally affected.
“Rates were higher in younger children, children with special educational needs or neurodevelopmental disabilities, and children in disadvantaged areas,” she said.
Prof O’Neill said the large-scale Co-Space study, which tracked the mental health of parents, children and adolescents between March 2020 and July 2021, suggested that “behavioural, emotional and attentional difficulties decreased as the restrictions eased”.
Therefore, she suggested that the effects would be relatively short-lived for most children.
But she said children with SEN and from low-income households “didn’t show the same level of recovery.”
MLAs on the committee had previously been told essential services for many young people with disabilities “went to zero overnight” due to lockdowns.
This had resulted in some children harming themselves and harming their parents.
Many relief and other support services have also been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some families have said that due to the withdrawal of day centers and discharge services, their children have been declining and have been struggling to cope.
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But the executive ruled that special schools should remain open to all students when other schools switched primarily to distance learning in January 2021.
Prof. O’Neill was interviewed by Sinn Féin MLA Nicola Brogan about the impact on children with SEN.
“I have to address this at every opportunity because this is a group of young people who are not recovering,” said Prof. O’Neill.
“The effects are longer lasting and much more severe.
“One of the studies showed that young people with disabilities were less happy. That’s just shocking.
“We have to do something for this group of young people and their carers.
“Some services haven’t come back, you know, and we closed schools this week,” she said.
Prof O’Neill also said it was “vital” that a new 10-year mental health strategy be funded, including an increase in funding for child and adolescent mental health services.
BBC News NI has also previously revealed that targets for child mental health assessments have previously been violated hundreds of times.
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