Impacts of COVID-19 on the school experience of children and adolescents with special educational needs and disabilities

Abstract

This review of research conducted between March 2020-April 2023 summarizes the impact of COVID-19 on the learning and school experiences of children and adolescents with special educational needs and dis/abilities (SENDs) including youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, learning differences, intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. This research highlights the far-reaching consequences of COVID-19, with the most detrimental effects experienced by students of color, those from under-resourced communities, and those with multiple marginalized identities, whose struggles with systemic inequities have been amplified by the pandemic. To date, most studies have been cross-sectional and utilized qualitative methods. Future research should examine long-term impacts and ways to promote growth in learning and social-emotional functioning among students with SENDs.