The well-being of children with special needs during the COVID-19 lockdown: academic, emotional, social and physical aspects

ABSTRACT

Although COVID-19 is being disruptive to all children, the effects are stronger for children with disabilities. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse, from a holistic perspective, the well-being of children with special needs during the total lockdown period in Spain. The ‘Well-being of Children in Lockdown’ (WCL) scale was completed by 1225 parents of which 3.1% (n = 38) had children with special needs. The results reveal the emergence of negative emotions among children with special needs, who were found to be crying more, feeling more nervous than usual, getting more angry and feeling sadder. These children also have more unhealthy habits, eat more than usual, overuse new technology and watch too many TV. Children with special needs scored lower for general well-being than those without these needs, and scored lower also for emotional aspects, playful and creative activities and physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of European Journal of Special Needs Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)