AUTISM TRIGGERED BY TV WATCHING

 The more children watch TV, the shorter their attention spans later in life. They expect a high level of stimulation and anything short of that is boring and abnormal to them.   Extensive TV viewing in infancy and early childhood may be a trigger for the development of autism.

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AUTISM TRIGGERED BY TV WATCHING

What has caused the rapid rise of autism in our children?  There is no single cause of autism but TV watching does triggers autism in young children.

INCIDENCE

Twenty years ago autism was found in one out of 5000 children, today it is one out of 100 children.   Today 1% of all eight year olds have autism, a 60% increase over the last five years.

The CDC has found autism has dramatically increased nearly 5 times higher in boys than girls.  Today one out of 70 boys have autism and one out of 315 girls.

No one has an answer for this dramatic increase.

CAUSES OF AUTISM EXPLORED

 There are many theories including: genetic causes, older age of parents, higher educated parents, electronic magnetic influences from all our high-tech gadgets, bottle water, highly processed prepackaged foods, air pollution, household products, medical treatments, diet, food supplements, infections, and also the ingredients in vaccinations.

 Researchers feel that in autism, there is a connection between the genetic and environmental causes. Autism clusters in certain areas around the country suggesting that environmental exposures can trigger autism.

 John Hopkins researchers have identified one of the autistic factors in autism.  Genetic researchers are looking at genetic sequencing and how the DNA binds with all kinds of protein.  Mother’s immune response to their baby may be a factor that leads to autism.   Mothers of autistic children were found to have fetal brain antibodies.  The immune cells cross the placenta that should normally protect the baby. These antibodies produce proteins that mark that the brain as a foreign object to be attacked by the immune system.

 Some researchers say the newly found retrovirus XMRV, recently found to be the cause of most chronic fatigue syndrome patients, may also be the cause of autism.

 EFFECT OF TV WATCHING

 Babies in the first months of life must interact with their parents, and need face time with them.  Instead, we give them interactive toys, electronics, screen media, and video games. Time is precious in early years and a newborn is learning everything from the parents and is watching them.   Infants are listening and waiting for you to talk to them.

 Social skills are acquired by continuous interaction with parents.  Viewing leads to reduced attention span and increased hyperactivity.

 A child between the ages of 1 to 3 watching an extra hour of television has a 10% higher probability to have ADHD behavior symptoms. This extensive TV viewing in infancy and early childhood may be a trigger for the development of autism. There are unique patterns of brain activation associated when infants view violence. (The brain focuses on the limbic system and areas of, memory storage and the posterior cingulated area).

Children who have older autistic siblings fail to break from this visual TV attention and cannot break the tension when viewing TV.

 Children under six, spend over two hours a day watching the screen media.   TV, computers, and video games all have loud noise, and fast and bright visual changes, all attract the attention of very young children. High action, violent programs, all leads to increase impulsivity and attention disorders.   Action by the characters, letters and numbers, all lack meaningful dialogue.    Social face-to-face interaction needed for interpersonal relationships are absent.

 Preschool kids are only awake for 12 hours a day and spend half of those hours in front of the TV.   For every hour a baby spends watching a video or TV, they learn eight fewer words than babies who never watch TV. Language skills start at eight to sixteen months. The more videos babies’ watch, the fewer words they will learn.

 It seems that early TV watching can precipitate the induction of autism in young children.  Children's  videos may be doing more harm than good by delaying toddler language development. Preschoolers miss out on the opportunity to interact, socialize, learn language skills, and set back their development.

 COMMENTARY

 The more children watch TV, the shorter their attention spans later in life. They expect a high level of stimulation and anything short of that is boring and abnormal to them.

 It appears there is no single cause and no one answer for autism. By eliminating some of the factors that trigger autism, we may however reduce the effects of autism.

 It is important for children to make eye contact, comprehend facial expressions, and learn to share and follow instructions. Compulsive interests and behaviors seen in autistic children must be prevented.

 Perhaps it’s a good idea for all of us to limit our children’s viewing time for TV, video games, and computers.  The precious little time we have with them should be spent talking to them, looking at them, and having them listen and comprehend what we are saying. 

Sources:

Christakis, Pediatrics, 113(4), 708-713.

Murray, Media Psychology, 8(1), 25-37.  

Anderson Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 66(Serial No. 264).

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Your comments are always appreciated.

As the owner of The Brainy Baby Company, we have solid, peer reviewed, University research that proves that Brainy Baby DVDs are most beneficial to children learning (please see Press Release to be announced 2/9/10).  In addition, we have MANY reports from parents and support from the Autism Society of America, citing that our DVD products in fact IMPROVE conditions of those children suffering with autism.  Scientists have also noted an INCREASE in vocabulary after children under the age of two have watched our DVDs.

If you check your facts, you will find that no specific research exists to show that Brainy Baby DVDs were ever studied in the research you are quoting.  Additionally, the study you cite included BROADCAST television, which may have bearing.  However, there is a BIG difference in watching the 6pm news on TV and a controlled, quality educational program.  Where do you think Sesame Street fits in? Why is Brainy Baby not considered in the same quality, education category?

Your quote above is simply someone else’s flawed research and then popularized by the media and repeated by professionals such as yourself.  If you want the truth to these studies, please see: http://www.junkscience.com/ByTheJunkman/20070823.html

For more than 15 years, Brainy Baby has been helping children learn.  We are doing good things for children and I find it insulting that you would take the time to check your facts, before you made such comments to the public, causing more confusion.

 Dennis Fedoruk,President & CEO