'Virus may cause hurt students' academic performance'

By Ayse Erkec

ISTANBUL (AA) - Children who come down with coronavirus may face aftereffects such as attention deficit disorder and mental confusion, possibly hurting their school performance, a neurologist told Anadolu Agency.

Dr. Derya Uluduz, the chair of Turkey’s Brain Health and Patients Association, said there are serious concerns that COVID-19 may lead to a decline in the academic performances of high school students preparing for university entrance exams.

Research shows the virus, which can cause distractibility and mental confusion in adults, could do the same to children, she said.

Scientists are concerned that children who recover from COVID-19 may suffer a loss in cognitive function which could hurt their academic performance, Uluduz added.

She warned that children at risk are not only those who come down with the virus.

"The period of transition to online education caused a deterioration in children's academic performance and other developmental skills," she said.

"The amount of physical movements and exercises of most children have been restricted, and the number of distracting factors around them has risen."

Emphasizing that the social aspect of schooling is a necessity for children, she said: "Going to school isn’t only about learning scholarly lessons. It’s also about improving the social and emotional skills which are critical for being successful in life."

Uluduz said school closures led to more cases of stress, anxiety, and depression in children, which may cause traumatic stress disorder which can last a lifetime.

She added that people facing such aftereffects or disorders should not wait for normalization from coronavirus measures to consult a doctor.

*Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara