Unmasking their Trauma: Helping Children Cope with Covid-19

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have drastically altered our lives. We have worked from home, held meetings and business virtually, shopped virtually and attended school virtually. We have socially distanced ourselves from our families, communities and much of what we knew as normal.

But what about our youngest ones? The years between birth and five are when their brains are developing the most and they are soaking in their environment to develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually. As parents we have many questions: How has the pandemic affected children’s social and emotional development? What might be the lasting effect of missing the usual social and emotional cues hidden by masks? In short, are they going to be okay in the long term? And what can we do now to support their healthy development?

Join a panel of researchers, physicians and practitioners who work with young children to find out what they know.

Dr. Phil Fisher is the Philip H. Knight Chair and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, where he serves as Founding Director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center on the Developing Child and a member of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, both based at Harvard University. He is currently the lead investigator in the ongoing RAPID-EC project, a national survey on the well-being of households with young children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Terri McFadden is a Pediatrician and Professor at Emory University. She is also a Fellow at the American Academy of Pediatrics where she serves on the Council on Early Childhood.

Dr. Vasanne Tinsley recently retired as the Deputy Superintendent of Student Support and Intervention for the DeKalb County School District. Dr. Tinsley is also a member of Quality Care for Children's Board of Trustees.