Many children missed out on special ed services during pandemic, report says

Tens of thousands of young children with developmental delays went without critical services early in the pandemic, a new report finds, suggesting many elementary schools are now serving students with elevated special needs, as Chalkbeat reported.

Federal officials characterized the report’s findings as “disturbing” though not unexpected, given the disruptions COVID caused to doctor’s offices, social service agencies, and child care programs.

Nationally, 77,000 fewer 3- and 4-year-olds received special education services in fall 2020, a steep 16% decline from the prior year, according to a report released by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. Similarly, 63,000 fewer infants and toddlers received early intervention services during that time, a 15% drop.

Many children who missed crucial services will entire school further behind, forcing already stressed elementary educators to fill in the gaps.

“We know that there’s a very good likelihood that those children are going to show up either on the first day of preschool or on the first day of kindergarten needing more services than they otherwise would have needed,” said Katherine Neas, a deputy assistant secretary for the federal education department that oversees special education,  as Chalkbeat reported. “We really encourage states to look at what additional supports they can and should give students with disabilities.”