Physical isolation has negatively affected the mental health of many people worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. For children with neurodevelopmental delays and disorders (NDD), as well as their parents who already lived in isolated circumstances, the pandemic has exacerbated their social exclusion and impacted their mental and physical well-being. The need to address the treatment access gap for children with NDD existed long before the pandemic, which let WHO develop a fully-fledged programme, which kicked off when it was needed most.
