COVID-19 Impact?…1 in 3 Infants and Toddlers Shows 'Developmental Delay'

Seoul City Conducts First Survey on 542 Infants and Toddlers

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[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] One in three infants and toddlers in Seoul who experienced the COVID-19 period is having difficulty with age-appropriate development.

On the 13th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the results of the "Post-COVID Infant and Toddler Development Status Survey," conducted for the first time nationwide in collaboration with the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. This survey evaluated the developmental status in areas such as language, emotion, cognition, and social skills of 542 children aged 0 to 5 (456 attending daycare centers and 86 receiving home care) from May to November this year.

The survey results showed that 33.3% (152 children) of infants and toddlers attending daycare centers currently have developmental difficulties and require professional help. Children with normal development in all areas accounted for 52.0% (237 children), and 14.7% (67 children) were identified as needing continuous observation for developmental improvement.

The areas requiring support were general development (18.2%), emotional (10.5%), language (7.9%), social skills (6.5%), and sensory integration (0.67%), in that order. There were also 46 infants and toddlers experiencing difficulties in two or more areas.

Among infants and toddlers receiving home care, one in three showed delayed language development. Slight delay was observed in 12 children (14%), developmental delay in 15 children (17%), and normal development in 59 children (69%).

The city plans to open the "Seoul Child Development Support Center" within Space Sallim in Daebang-dong, Dongjak-gu, around March next year to ensure practical support for infant and toddler development is smoothly provided. The Seoul Child Development Support Center will offer a one-stop service from free initial consultations to developmental assessments and treatment connections for families concerned about their children's developmental status.

If a child is diagnosed with developmental delay or deemed to require long-term treatment based on the assessment results, the center will connect families to voucher support programs for treatment at specialized institutions. It will also provide attachment play education for parents and children and education to improve awareness of developmental delays.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women and Family Policy Office, said, "Based on the survey results, we are reviewing various systems to help families with infants and toddlers who are at risk of developmental delays. We will strive to create a Seoul where parents' worries are eased and raising children is easier."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.