The Association of Medical Officers warns of unrecognized development deficits in school beginners because the school examinations are sometimes canceled.

In Cologne, the suitability of every fourth school starter had not been checked beforehand, and other health authorities had not completed all the examinations either, said the chairman of the Federal Association of Doctors in the Public Health Service (BVÖGD), Johannes Nießen, to the newspapers of the Funke media group. "We are very concerned that many children with special needs are still not recognized or are recognized far too late." This affects, for example, seeing, hearing, motor skills or language skills.

As the reason for the gaps, Nießen cited the lack of staff in the health authorities, missed appointments due to illnesses in families and employees, but also the greater amount of time required by the corona-related hygiene regulations. "We used to be able to examine eight to nine children per team in the morning, now only six." The lack of examinations would have serious consequences: "If you don't do it, it can mean missed opportunities for the child. If nobody recognizes that a child can't see or hear well, it can have consequences for the whole school career."