Long-term consequences of lockdown on internalising, attention and externalising problems of children with special needs

This cross-sectional study examined 177 Israeli parents of children with special needs (SEN). It focused on parental perceptions of how school closures impacted their children’s internalising, externalising, and attention problems. These perceptions were evaluated using the Achenbach Assessment (ASEBA). Parents’ views were gathered post-lockdown and retrospectively during and before the lockdowns. Results showed behavioural problems peaked during the lockdown and decreased after returning to school, remaining higher than pre-COVID. The child’s behavioural problems during and after the lockdown were explained by the child’s cooperation with remote learning and parental assistance. Parental satisfaction with remote learning and their education level were associated with children’s behavioural problems only during the lockdown, becoming non-significant afterwards. The child’s difficulty level was linked to behavioural problems post-lockdown but became non-significant when remote learning variables were considered. There was no difference between autistic children and those with other difficulties. The study indicates that lockdowns may have a prolonged effect on children with SEN. Negative family dynamics, characterised by parents who are heavily involved in their child’s remote learning or a child’s uncooperative behaviour, are associated with behavioural problems even after returning to in-person learning. The child’s diagnosis was not found to affect this association.