Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdowns on Gross Motor and Fine Motor Neurodevelopment in Toddlers.

Aim: To investigate possible differences in neurodevelopment between lockdown-exposed and non-exposed 18-month-old toddlers in Sweden.

Methods: Data were extracted from the prospective NorthPop Birth Cohort Study in Sweden. Neurodevelopment was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Third Edition (ASQ-3) and a clinical routine evaluation at the child health care centre for additional validation. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics.

Results: More lockdown-exposed toddlers fell below the cut-off score on the ASQ-3 "Gross motor function" assessment at 18 months, compared to the pre-lockdown category (5.1% vs. 3.6%, adjusted p = 0.002). Conversely, fewer lockdown-exposed toddlers failed the fine motor task "Can draw scribble" versus the pre-lockdown category (1.4% vs. 2.4% adjusted p = 0.014).

Conclusions: Toddlers who were lockdown-exposed had lower gross motor function but were more successful in the fine motor task at 18 months.