![]() ![]() So when we were home due to the pandemic, I relented and let my kids have more screen time. For one thing, it’s expensive to go on outings, but also it would throw off routines and nap schedules which are just as important as enrichment activities. Obviously those activities were sidelined by the pandemic, but even when they were available, it still wasn’t sustainable to do it everyday. Before the pandemic we would regularly go to the zoo, children’s museum, playgrounds, etc. My kids (particularly the one with ADHD) need constant stimulation. Since using the iPad to work on his ore writing skills, he’s more willing to practice writing on paper. We also a kiddie stylus to help him with his grip rather than just using his finger. However, if I put him on the t ouch and write app on the iPad, he can pick different textures (without having to physically touch them which is great for his sensory needs) and he will practice his writing. We have crayons, markers, coloring pages, an easel, dry erase boards, etc., but he doesn’t like them. He knows that he struggles with writing, so he simply doesn’t. My child is a perfectionist, so if he doesn’t think he can do something, then he won’t do it, end of story. I know all my occupational therapist friends are yelling at me right now, but hear me out. I also mentioned that my son has fine motor delays, and the tablet has definitely helped him. I do believe that having access to symbolic communication helped them develop speech. Just like teaching sign language to babies enhances communication and language development (including deaf and hard of hearing babies, but that’s a rant for another day), providing them with AAC does the same thing. It is a symbolic communication app designed for people who are non-speaking, which I used to use when I was teaching special education. Initially the only app I would let my kids use on my iPad was an AAC app called Proloquo2Go. Ok, I know I just said that tablets didn’t cause them to meet their milestones, but I actually have seen a difference. Screens are helping them meet their milestones. I’m not saying that tablets and screens caused them to meet their milestones, but it clearly didn’t harm them…I don’t know about eyes, though, so I do try to encourage them to wear blue light glasses. His older brother, who has ADHD, does have some fine motor delays, which he had before using tablets, but otherwise has met all his developmental milestones. At his checkup, when the doctor walked in he said, “Hi doctor, there you are.” to which she responded, “Well, there’s nothing wrong with his language!” This kid has had access to a tablet for a majority of the past year and is addicted to TV (particularly Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). My younger son just turned two a couple weeks ago. My kids are meeting (and surpassing) their milestones. Again, I realize that’s just a sample size of two, but I’m just sharing my anecdotes. On the flip side of this point, our younger son does not appear to have ADHD, despite having more access to screens from a younger age than his brother. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit, when he was almost 3, that we started letting him use a tablet, but we had already been going to a behavioral psychologist, an occupational therapist, and was in the process of being evaluated for special education before we gave him a tablet, so clearly the tablet was not the cause. We would watch TV, but he’d largely ignore it in favor of playing with his toys. He had no electronic toys, no tablet, just “good” toys like blocks, books, dress up clothes, etc. He was having significant behavior issues by age 2, and we started discussing his behavior with his pediatrician. Easily overstimulated, wouldn’t sleep without complete sensory deprivation, tactile defensiveness, etc. In hindsight, we saw signs that our child was not neurotypical basically from birth. My child had ADHD before he had screen time. My hypothesis is that screen time is therapeutic for neurologically atypical kids, and therefore there is a higher correlation because it provides them more benefit. To be fair, the authors never explicitly say that screen time causes ADHD…they just imply it pretty heavily. A recent study was published about the correlation between screen time and ADHD. As a scientist I understand that a sample size of two is not significant, and there is inherent bias being that I’m there mom (and I want the world to think I’m doing a good job in that department), but also as a scientist I understand the difference between correlation and causation. ![]() I’m going to share how screen time has positively impacted my children. It damages their eyes, it stalls their fine motor skills, it impacts their communication, disrupts their sleep, and it causes behavioral problems.īut what if it were actually therapeutic and BENEFITED development? We all know that screen time is bad for child development. ![]()
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