Thread by @1goodtern

Ok.

This is a shit thread, and very depressing, so, yes, please, flick past it, or just block me.

I'm in my fourth decade of working with young kids. I've done it in different roles in different places, but I've done it steadily throughout that time.

Throughout that time I've interacted closely with different age groups within 0-10s.

I'm one of those people who cares deeply about whoever is in front of me, maybe it's some problem with my brain, I don't know, so I always listen and watch closely.
I can't switch it off.

Throughout those four decades, I have always seen kids with problems concentrating, with problems thinking, with problems articulating themselves, with problems processing and retaining information.

It's worth emphasising this.

There have always been kids with these difficulties.

But now there's a flood.

Seriously.
It's just overwhelming sometimes.

People in nurseries are talking about it.
Schools.
Kindergartens.

It's being spoken about on a national level.

Mostly it's getting blamed on screens or lockdowns, but I tell you, it's absolutely not either of those. I'll tell you why not in a moment.

In other countries, it's getting blamed on covid vaccines, but kids here haven't had Covid vaccines, so that's just bs.

And it's not the traditional vaccines that are causing it, because those have been administered for decades, and these effects have all suddenly multiplied *now* when this age group are being hit constantly by something new.

Something that has been proven to have an effect on developing foetuses.

Something that has been proven to have an effect on developing babies.

Something that has been proven to have an effect on developing children.

Covid infections.

Repeat covid infections.

And so, here I am, following a chat this week with a childminder who said that all four of the children she cares for on different days of the week have developmental delays.

Here I am, thinking about the group of 20 six year olds I spent time with last term, whose teacher said of them, "I'm sorry, I've never known a class so unable to focus".

Here I am, taking a prayer request from a family who are told there is a massive waiting list for the tests to check their child for developmental delays.

And, is it screens?

Absolutely not. Some of these families are completely screen free.

And most of the issues are so clearly physical, biochemical, biomechanical, biological, actual real issues caused not by what goes in through the eyes, but by what goes *in through the lungs*.

These mums had Covid when they were pregnant.

Then their babies had Covid when they were tiny.

These mums and babies have been hit at both stages.

It's heartbreaking.

https://x.com/RTHM_Health/status/1951388109087842319?t=_b98YeJNaPJmxKonmK6PFA&s=19

But it's not news.
We've known this can happen for years now.

But what's terrible is *the scale*.

It's not rare.

It's not small numbers.

I tell you, this isn't just whole classes of five year olds.

It's not just whole nurseries of three year olds.

It's *a whole generation*.

If you're reading this from a country where kids aged six months and up were vaccinated against covid, maybe things are different there.

But that's not the case here.

None of these kids were vaccinated.

And I think we're going to see a shockwave go through society as this generation grow older.

And, sadly, I think it will get worse.

Sorry for the shit thread.

I'm just saying what I'm seeing very clearly in front of me, and what ten thousand teachers and nursery workers are seeing every week, even if they don't know the cause.

Ps.... and I'm probably not going to say this bit well, and I'll get a load of shit for it...

I really don't know how to say this.
😳

All across those four decades, I've worked with kids from across different social groups.
Wealthy. Poor. Health food. MacDonalds. Active. Inactive. Sporty. Nothing.

Often there would be a correlation (but not always) between the healthiness or unhealthiness of the lifestyles of the families, and the state of the kids.

I'd see a kid in a children's club, then I'd meet the parents, and I'd have zero surprise.

Now, I'm surprised.

The correlation is more than partially broken.

These kids are not from the families I would have expected.

Well, expected by the old rules.

Here in England, I think all school groups are groups have been a little affected, but I think the noticeable and marked cliff edge is at 7-8 year olds.

The effects are slight on the above 7-8s.

The effects are stark on the ages below.

The kids who were one when covid hit.

The kids who have had a covid infection every year of their lives.

And even worse in the kids whose parents had Covid while pregnant.

I know this is miserable, and I know it's shit, and I know if you're a mum reading this who had Covid while pregnant you're going to hate me.

But I'm sorry.
This is just science.
😥

https://x.com/RTHM_Health/status/1951388109087842319?t=_b98YeJNaPJmxKonmK6PFA&s=19

@threadreaderapp please unroll ❤️

Pps
These are the effects I'm seeing for myself, because my engagement with this age group is during school, nursery, or children's club time. I'm not the carer, I'm a content deliverer.

https://x.com/1goodtern/status/1951545459295576235?t=lkllaQJJj2wEOiP4kCnqdA&s=19

But what I'm also hearing from the carers and teachers and parents is the problem with delays in toilet training, difficulties in coordination and balance, delays in learning to dress or use cutlery, delayed social skills, and trouble following multi-step instructions.

And those are common right across the country.
They're getting described in newspaper articles and journal articles, and they're getting blamed on lockdowns too.

Blaming lockdowns that didn't even last a single term, for developmental delays of kids born two years later?

*that* is thirsty.