Relationship between socioeconomic level and language development of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic
Language and Hearing Sciences, Language Development; Child Language; Socioeconomic Factors; Social Class; COVID-19.
Various studies have shown that socioeconomic conditions are related to language development in early childhood. Since the 2000s, much has been studied on the subject, but different measures are considered to characterize socioeconomic status, such as maternal schooling and family income. In recent years, in addition to demanding isolation and social distancing, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked debate about the extent to which different socioeconomic conditions may have had a different impact on child development. Given this scenario, this research proposes to contribute to this debate in two complementary studies. The first study comprises a scoping review, which aims to investigate how socioeconomic status is measured in studies related to language development. In line with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) proposal, the scoping review is currently in the data extraction phase of the 166 included articles that met the selection criteria. The second cross-sectional observational study aims to compare the language performance of children born in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic according to their socioeconomic status. Data collection is being conducted in a school environment and consists of both the application of a parental questionnaire to characterize socioeconomic status and the family stimulation environment, as well as language assessment using a scale that encompasses receptive and expressive skills, as well as phonology and expressive vocabulary. To date, 17 children from a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in Natal/RN in an area of social vulnerability have been assessed. The continuity of this research foresees the completion of the scope review and the expansion and diversification of the sample of children evaluated.