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The academic, emotional, and financial realities of remote learning

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remote learning

Understood, a social impact organization and the only lifelong guide for those who learn and think differently, unveiled a study with insights on how the shift to remote learning and the pandemic has affected children and families academically, emotionally, and financially.

Understood’s “Pandemic Learning Impact Study,” which surveyed 1,500 parents, found that those with children who have learning and thinking differences, like ADHD, or specific learning disabilities like dyslexia, are experiencing considerably more challenges than children without learning and thinking differences. 

“As we look to the next normal while still in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we need to understand the full impact remote learning had on our nation’s children, especially those with learning and thinking differences,” said Fred Poses, CEO of Understood.

“Our study findings validate that those with learning and thinking differences are especially vulnerable at this time and that our mission to help these kids thrive is more important than ever today and moving forward.” 

Academic Repercussions

The study unveiled that in the remote learning environment, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of parents have become aware or noticed their children have a learning and thinking difference.

And an astounding 59 percent of parents of those with learning and thinking differences say their children are a year behind because of the pandemic and may never catch up, while only 16% of typical parents — those whose children have not exhibited signs or have not been diagnosed with a learning difference — believe their children are behind in their studies.

In addition, 44 percent of parents of children with learning and thinking differences say their child’s legal right to access an equitable education has been abandoned since the move to remote learning.

Emotional Consequences

Children with learning and thinking differences have been particularly impacted emotionally by the pandemic’s schooling changes, which has driven high levels of concern and anxiety at home.

Almost half of all parents (48 percent) have noticed behavioral changes in their children since the start of the pandemic and an equal percentage (48 percent) of those with learning and thinking differences report suffering high to extreme levels of school-based anxiety since the pandemic, more than double the rate among typical children. The study also found:

  • Children with learning and thinking differences are also about three times as likely to have experienced depression related to schooling changes.
  • The stress related to distance learning has been much higher for those with learning and thinking differences versus those without (65% vs. 44%), resulting in emotional distress (61 percent vs. 36 percent), physical symptoms (57 percent vs. 30 percent), avoidance of attending classes (47% vs. 23%) and more.
Financial Implications

Additionally, 43 percent of all parents say they are facing a financial burden because of their children’s remote learning.

However, when comparing the two parental groups, almost twice as many (56 percent vs. 30 percent) parents of children with learning and thinking differences say providing their child with the academic supports they need has put a major financial burden on their family.

  • 77 percent of parents are investing a significant amount of both time and money to support their children with learning and thinking differences to keep pace academically amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Buying supplemental software and apps, hiring personal tutors, and cutting back hours at work are the most common steps that parents have taken to support their children during the pandemic.
  • Twice as many (49 percent vs. 25 percent) parents of children with learning and thinking differences are concerned about the “summer slide,” the loss of academic skills and knowledge during summer vacation, compared to those of typical children.
  • The majority (86 percent) of parents of children with learning and thinking differences are planning on summer academic supports compared to just half of parents of typical children. 

Conducted in April 2021, Understood’s “Pandemic Learning Impact Study” leveraged quantitative data from a total of 1,500 parents of both neurotypical children and those with learning and thinking differences across the U.S. to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children academically and emotionally.

The survey polled parents of children between the ages of 5-18, with 62 percent identifying as White/Caucasian, 25 percent as Black/African American, 5 percent as Asian and 1 percent as Native-American. Twenty-five percent of the parents identified as Hispanic/Latino.

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