{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,30]],"date-time":"2026-08-30T05:16:46Z","timestamp":1788067006408,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,18]],"date-time":"2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742256000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected children\u2019s lives, particularly preschool-aged children who undergo rapid biological and psychosocial development. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the language skills of preschool children in Greece. Methods: To that end, a widely used screening tool was applied in a screening project involving 213 preschoolers. Language skills were assessed in three groups of children aged 2\u20134 years old before, during and after the pandemic. Results: A significant increase in the number of children with atypical language skills profile was identified in relation to the preschoolers after the pandemic versus those before or during the pandemic period. A higher prevalence of atypical profiles was observed in girls than in boys. Interestingly, an increase in the number of successfully produced or repeated words and pseudowords, along with enhanced expressive abilities, was observed during the pandemic compared to the periods before and after. Conclusions:Our findings suggest that post-pandemic preschool children exhibit higher rates of atypical language skill profiles compared to those assessed before and during the pan-demic. Given the importance of language development as a critical aspect of children\u2019s overall personality and well-being, further research is needed to explore the impact of specific pandemic-related factors on language competency. These factors include mask-wearing, increased screen time, reduced social interaction and exposure to language-rich environments, as well as impaired mental health and parental distress. Additionally, personalized interventions should be developed to support healthier developmental outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12030376","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,18]],"date-time":"2025-03-18T06:02:40Z","timestamp":1742277760000},"page":"376","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["The Impact of COVID-19 on the Language Skills of Preschool Children: Data from a School Screening Project for Language Disorders in Greece"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Eleni","family":"Kyvrakidou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Special Treatment Center \u2018Nous & Logos\u2019, 554 38 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giannis","family":"Kyvrakidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Special Treatment Center \u2018Nous & Logos\u2019, 554 38 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anastasia S.","family":"Stefanaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chair of Social Pediatrics, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Asterios","family":"Asimenios","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Special Treatment Center \u2018Nous & Logos\u2019, 554 38 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Athanasios","family":"Gazanis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychiatry Department, 424 General Military Hospital, 564 29 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7047-9449","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Asterios","family":"Kampouras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"4th Pediatric Department, Papageorgiou Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ng, J.Y.Y., He, Q., Chong, K.H., Okely, A.D., Chan, C.H.S., and Ha, A.S. 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