The Impact on Children's Development: Socialization and Sensory Overload

Post-pandemic, many school teachers reported that children appeared stunted in their development, lacking proper socialization. Socialization is a higher-order function of the autonomic nervous system, dealing with primitive reactions related to social engagement. The trauma of not attending school during formative years was significant, but the greater trauma was the sensory overload from excessive screen time before their brains were ready.[1] As I mentioned, the brain will begin to ignore and then diminish afferent sensory pathways in an attempt to reduce sensory input. A developing child has not finished their limbic or emotional regulation, which is part of the educational process. In an attempt to reduce their own overwhelm, children will first resist and then refuse subjects that overwhelm their autonomic nervous system (ANS). While it looks like defiant behavior, many times it is self-preservation.

A child who cannot integrate visual information like columnar math, for example, may experience intense frustration and rage. This phenomenon was evident in my nieces and nephews during COVID-19, when their brains and eyes had not yet integrated enough to handle certain tasks, leading to meltdowns. Unintegrated reflexes in children result in conditions such as ADD, ADHD, learning disorders, and anxiety. The prolonged exposure to screens, coupled with the absence of physical interaction, has deeply impacted their social and cognitive development. Addressing these issues requires a nuanced approach, recognizing the deep-seated trauma and sensory processing challenges these children face. 

As an adult survivor with childhood brain trauma, I realized during my own vestibular work that seeing complex visual structures, like an O-ring in biochemistry, would cause me to dissociate, after which my visual centers shut down. I could read the caption under the illustration (epithelial), but my brain could literally not find meaning for this word, even though I am a 25+ year clinician. Full disclosure: this results in blind frustration, if not outright rage. Reflecting on my own experience in college, I often felt intellectually inadequate without realizing that these episodes of dissociation were contributing to my struggles academically. I received my dyslexia and sensory processing diagnoses at 57. What could have been accomplished had this been addressed when I was younger?

This is a source of deep frustration in stroke, aphasia and early dementia patients as well, whose deficits progress similarly. Many times, my MS clients can see and feel the word in question but were either unable to create the motor function or find the link from their speech centers to physically communicate the word. This is also seen in stroke patients, where the loss of speech or sensory function adds another layer of difficulty. They might understand the word internally but cannot express it verbally or process sensory information effectively, leading to immense frustration and emotional distress.  

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(1) The prevalence of video games, particularly among boys, exacerbates this issue. The brain struggles to differentiate between on-screen events, real-life experiences, and imagination. For instance, a seven-year-old repeatedly engaging in violent video games may begin to dissociate from the violence they see, which leads to a loss of empathy.