Impacts of COVID-19 on the school experience of children and adolescents with special educational needs and disabilities

Authors

Melissa R. Dvorsky, Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, And Department of Pediatrics, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: mdvorsky@childrensnational.org.
Delshad Shroff, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
W Bianca Larkin Bonds, Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Psychology, Howard University, Washington DC, USA.
Amanda Steinberg, Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Rosanna Breaux, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Stephen P. Becker, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

8-1-2023

Journal

Current opinion in psychology

Volume

52

DOI

10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101635

Keywords

Adolescents; COVID-19; Children; Development; Disabilities; Special education

Abstract

This review of research conducted between March 2020-April 2023 summarizes the impact of COVID-19 on the learning and school experiences of children and adolescents with special educational needs and dis/abilities (SENDs) including youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, learning differences, intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. This research highlights the far-reaching consequences of COVID-19, with the most detrimental effects experienced by students of color, those from under-resourced communities, and those with multiple marginalized identities, whose struggles with systemic inequities have been amplified by the pandemic. To date, most studies have been cross-sectional and utilized qualitative methods. Future research should examine long-term impacts and ways to promote growth in learning and social-emotional functioning among students with SENDs.

APA Citation

Dvorsky, Melissa R.; Shroff, Delshad; Larkin Bonds, W Bianca; Steinberg, Amanda; Breaux, Rosanna; and Becker, Stephen P., "Impacts of COVID-19 on the school experience of children and adolescents with special educational needs and disabilities" (2023). GW Authored Works. Paper 3307.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/3307

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences