ABSTRACT:
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 caused the COVID-19 pandemic. There are a lot of worries about how it will affect the health of mothers, the outcomes of pregnancies, and the development of children. This infection during pregnancy is linked to higher rates of maternal disease, complications during pregnancy, and negative outcomes for newborns, such as preterm birth, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, and death. However, evidence concerning its impact on long-term neuro-behavioural developmental outcomes in children is inconsistent, with certain studies indicating developmental delays while others report no significant associations. In this context, the current pilot case–control study was conducted to investigate whether maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy serves as an independent risk factor for neuro-behavioural developmental delay in children born during the pandemic. The research took place from August to September 2025. The Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart (TDSC), Language Evaluation Scale Trivandrum (LEST), and Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) were used to check for developmental delays in children. A total of 18 children participated, consisting of six with neuro-behavioural developmental delay (case group) and twelve without developmental delay (control group). Information regarding demographic characteristics and prenatal, perinatal, postnatal and childhood risk factors for developmental delay was gathered. The statistical analysis encompassed descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and regression analysis. The results showed that there was no statistically significant link between a mother's SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and a child's neurobehavioral developmental delay (?² = 0.117, p = 0.732, OR = 0.7). Conversely, specific perinatal and postnatal factors exhibited significant correlations. Low amniotic fluid during pregnancy (p = 0.034) and NICU admission after birth (p = 0.009, OR = 22.0) were recognized as significant risk factors for developmental delay. The study concludes that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may not independently affect neurobehavioral developmental outcomes in offspring. Nonetheless, the identified correlations between low amniotic fluid levels and NICU admission underscore the significance of perinatal and neonatal factors in early neurodevelopment. It is advisable to conduct larger, longitudinal studies to validate these findings and evaluate the long-term developmental trajectories of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic.