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Susana Barrios
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Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Screen Time and Autism A connection that we can no longer ignore.
Suffer the Children INTERNET ADDICTION
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open
attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message.
04-06-24
Screen Time and Autism A connection that we can no longer ignore. Suffer the Children
INTERNET ADDICTION (P.R.D.D.C.)
PARENTS FOR THE RIGHTS OF DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED CHILDREN
CRAIG A. DURFEY FOUNDER OF P.R.D.D.C.
U.S. HOUSE OF CONGRESS H2404 - HONORING CRAIG DURFEY FOR HIS FIGHT AGAINST
AUTISM ... Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2003-03-27/pdf/CREC-2003-03-27.pdf
To whom it may concern.
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Screen Time and Autism A connection that we can no longer ignore. Suffer the
Children INTERNET ADDICTION
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/suffer-the-children/202112/screen-time-
and-
autism#:~:text=A%20recent%20study%20demonstrates%20that,%2C%20emotion
al%2C%20and%20physical%20development.
KEY POINTS
The rate of childhood autism has risen exponentially in the last 50 years.
Researchers are studying the correlation between screen time and autism.
A recent study demonstrates that the longer the child's screen time the
more obvious the autism-like symptoms.
Excessive time watching screens affects young children's language,
emotional, and physical development.
Does spending excessive time on electronic screens—television, tablets, smart
phones, computers—affect cognitive and language development in
early childhood? With the prevalence of autism increasing yearly—the rate is now
1 in 44 children (latest CDC data) up from 1 in 10,000 in 1970 and 1 in 150 in
2000—scientists are ramping up the search for possible causes in children's
social environments.
Many researchers are beginning to believe that social environmental factors like
exposure to electronic screens, rather than solely biological factors like genetic
predisposition, are playing a role in the skyrocketing numbers of children
diagnosed with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Despite the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that children
under age 2 have no exposure to screens and that screen time for 2 to 5-year-olds
be limited to 1 hour per day, most young children are exposed to screens more
than this. In one study the average daily screen time of preschool children in the
United States was found to be as high as 4.1 hours. Is it a coincidence that the
exponentially increasing rate of autism parallels the rising amount of time that
young children spend watching screens?
A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry looked at 158 children: 101
children diagnosed with ASD and 57 typically developing children. The
researchers analyzed the correlation between the amount of screen exposure of
2
the two groups and ASD-rating scores. The study, titled Correlation Between
Screen Time and Autistic Symptoms as Well as Developmental Quotients in
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, lists its main findings as twofold:
1. The screen time of children with ASD was longer than that of typically
developing children.
2. The screen time was correlated with the autistic symptoms and
Developmental Quotients (DQ's) of the children with ASD.
Their results demonstrate that “the longer the screen time the more obvious the
autism-like symptoms.” Longer screen time resulted in shorter play time, shorter
companionship time with caregivers, and shorter time for social interactions.
Further, screen time was related to the children’s language development: “The
younger the age and the longer the screen exposure time, the more serious the
impact on language development.” The study cites research that early exposure
to electronic media had a negative impact on language development.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT
This study, along with the 41 other studies it cites, highlights a trend that we can
no longer ignore: Increased exposure to tablets, smartphones, and TV in children
under age 2 is correlated with symptoms of ASD as the child develops.
The takeaways for parents are clear: Take seriously the recommendations of the
American Academy of Pediatrics regarding screen time, discuss your infant or
toddler’s exposure to screens with your pediatrician, and find more time to
socially interact with your child by talking, singing, reading, and playing simple
games without the presence of electronic screens. Above all, make eye contact
as often as possible with your infant or toddler. As psychiatrists Donald Winnicott
and John Bowlby pointed out decades ago, and what modern neuroscience has
confirmed, the baby must feel that he is important as reflected in the loving gaze
of his parents.
THE BASICS
What Is Autism?
Find a therapist to help with autism
References
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Dong, H. et al, 2021 Correlation Between Screen Time and Autistic Symptoms as
Well as Development Quotients in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2021; 12: 619994
Ducanda, A. Les tout-petits face aux écrans: Comment les protéger? 2021,
Editions du Rocher.
Healy, S. 2018. Environmental Factors associated with physical activity and
screen time among children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Journal
of Autism Developmental disorders (2018) 50:1572-79.
Montes, G. Children with autism spectrum disorder and screen time: results from
a large, nationallly representative U. S. study. Acad. Pediatrics (2016) 16: 122-8.
Morereferences
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About the Author
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Marilyn Wedge, Ph.D., is a family therapist and the author of A Disease Called
Childhood: Why ADHD became an American Epidemic.
Online:
Homepage, Facebook, Twitter
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