Helping young children in Singapore catch up after years lost to the pandemic

SINGAPORE, Sept 11 (The Straits Times/ANN): Born during the Covid-19 pandemic in the middle of 2020, Luis* spent the first two years of his life at home being cared for mainly by his grandmother, while his mother, Coleen*, worked long hours to support the family financially.

The pandemic restrictions meant Luis had few opportunities for social interaction and instead spent a lot of time looking at screens. When he started school at the age of two, he had a limited vocabulary and lacked the confidence to speak, preferring to remain silent or use gestures.