Infant T.V. -Warning: Controversial Topic | Autism PDD
What if kids with Autistic brains are just more attracted to the TV?
Bug watched a lot of TV from when he was 1-2 (I had newborn twins that year).
That said - I don't think it caused his Autism... If Television caused Autism, then a lot more than 1 in 94 boys and 1 in 150 children would be diagnosed!
We never had any Baby Einstein... Bug watched mostly Noggin/PBS type shows (Jay Jay the Jet Plane was a favorite).
OMG! Abby watched Baby Einstein videos since she was about 2months old all the time. She does not anymore just because she is not interested , but I never knew anything about this.
Mommy to Abby Grace 3yrs old PDD/NOSThere was a discussion about this a while back when this study first was released (I can't seem to find it though). I think that the general consensus was that there was not adaquate, unbiased research to back up the claims that this study makes, and it's especially troubling that it does not address those who do not have access to a television, yet still have Autism (I work with two families where this has been the case.)
Too much TV is bad, we all realize that, but allowing children to watch some TV probably isn't going to cause much harm.
Well, I didn't read the article but my son didn't watch tv almost AT ALL until he was two and didn't regularly watch it until he was about four and a half. And before he was two, the ONLY time he ever watched it (even if it was on, he was not interested in it - although we never put on cartoons) was when the "Seventh Heaven" theme song came on! When I was nursing him, one time a day always ended up when a Seventh Heaven rerun was on. I loved the theme song and I would sing it to him when it came on. So, when the song would come on at any time, ds would run to the TV and dance - it was very cute! But seriously, I only turned on the TV for that show and he almost never got other exposure to it before he was 2. He has autism.
While I don't think a lot of exposure early on is necessarily good (I returned any Baby Einstein videos I received as baby gifts or sold them), I don't particularly believe that it CAUSES autism. If your child already has autism, then perhaps it might exacerbate it - I have no idea. I think it's probably a good idea to explore, but I'm not terribly in favor of having ANOTHER theory that makes all of us parents second-guess our parenting and make us feel guilty for something we cannot go back and change. Personally, I hope they rule out TV-watching as one of the causes. The only thing I would say about it is that if kids are watching TV at an early age, they aren't learning to interact with their environment or people and may become more obsessed. But, I don't think it CAUSES autism - I think it was probably already there.
But that's just my two cents!
Interesting, I have a pal who swears that tv causes autism, her two kids have never seen tv, they don't have one in the house and they ask it be switched off when they go places where there's a tv on.I will agree that too much TV is probably not good for a child with autism because it encourages zoning out and doesn't promote interaction. That being said, TV has it's place in our home. If I didn't have a TV to park the kids in front of occasionally I'm not sure a meal would ever get prepared around here!
I would say we let the kids watch a moderate amount of TV when they were little. We weren't super restrictive limiting it to certain minutes per day, but we didn't have it on 24x7 either. We're an active family so we're all outside more often than not. Dh and I don't watch much TV at all.
Both kids watched the same TV, same amount. 1 is NT and 1 is ASD. For what it's worth we've never had Baby Einstein. When the boys were little they watched alot of wiggles & elmo. When the wiggles were on they would get up and dance to the music. They even learned their body parts this way (think of the song "head, shoulders, knees and toes.")
I know that Spongebob and Barney have saved my sanity many times before. I'm probably a horrible mother, but I need that break sometimes and TV is the best baby sitter in the world. I'm doing all of this alone. I have to have something for the child I'm not working with 1:1 to do, or neither of my boys would be able to do ABA. It's a necessary evil in our house, but one I'll continue to embrace...at least untill I win the lottery and can afford someone to help out a little. Again...tought provoking and emotion provoking post Hope...great job.I think that autistic kids are more prone to fixate on these videos while typically developing kids will watch them, get antsy, seek out a parent to harass, watch a bit more, etc. With the girls, it was like hypnosis. I don't think they cause autism, but watching too much of them (instead of interacting with people) certainly doesn't help matters and probably does contribute to delays in some cases (probably in our case).EDIT: I do not actually mean "caused" after further thought about this, I mean "caused further delay/ worsened" the infant autism experience. Sorry my thoughts were not very clearw hen I wrote the original post!http://seedmagazine.com/news/2006/10/must_we_fire_the_electr onic_ba.php?page=1
OK this one I REALLY truly believe in. I am very happy that they are researching this.
Everyone thought I was crazy when I told them that I thought Baby Einstein movies caused my son's Autism. (OK so it was a little "out there" - but -) Here's the short version: I ended up pulling my son out of the home daycare he was in from 6 weeks old and on when he was 12 months old. I would do drop bys of the place & the T.V. was on ALL DAY LONG. It was always Baby Einstein. My baby also watched Baby Einstein at home. He loved the movies & would be so content while watching them that it allowed me to get housework done & study since I was a very young 19 year old single mother. I thought they were "good for him". I lovingly bought every new tape that came out - Baby Shakespeare, Baby Bach, ect. So in retrospect it was absolutely horrible for a baby, but I kept thinking that there were other babies to play with & toys for my son to play with, and the lady who ran the daycare was widely respected in town and best friends with my father (ever since they were little) so I trusted that it was the right place for him.
I did not allow my daughter to watch T.V. AT ALL. I threw away all the Baby Einstein movies because I was convinced for a very long time that the movies had made my son lose sense of the environment around him & get stimulated by two dimensional objects on the television. YES, I SWEAR, I even wrote an article about it for a parenting 'Zine that was published that year. My daughter is N.T.
Again, I'm just sayin'!!!!!
I think this is a really great study to bring up, and I really hope it gets further research somehow. Baby Einstein has exploded now, even more so than when my son was a Baby. There was nothing like Baby Einstein 20 years ago. I am not saying it caused all the Autism, but what if - like the article mentions- it caused Autism in those who were genetically predisposed to it, or caused it to manifest itself in a more serious way?? Thoughts on this??
More links:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061017150526.ht m
and look at this picture, unrelated but doesnt this make you wonder about the whole thing:
and look at this post from someone's blog:
[QUOTE] Baby Einstein videos suck
I've always said these things probably cause autism (not vaccines). I might have read this wrong, are they saying that if you ignore your child, never talk to him/her and use your TV as a baby sitter then your child will have weak verbal skills?
Posted by daddy drivel at 12:43 PM
1 comments:
Anonymous said...
Yeah... I gotta agree w/ your assumptions. All those crazy images and quick cuts can't be good for developing brains. I wonder if there is any correlation to the increase in autism to these awful videos.
August 16, 2007 4:45 PM [/QUOTE]
Here is a link to the video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7Qak9WnBMnY
Here is my other post where I try to clarify what I mean about this topic:
True, I am thinking about neurologically.
The brain, from what I understand, is constantly developing based on experiences in the environment in an infant. So you take an infant who may already have some genetic susceptibility to Autsitic like traits, who would otherwise just be "quirky" people for example. You put them as an infant (as young as 3 or 4 months, or earlier) and you put them in front of these videos where there is all kinds of stimulating images, revolving quickly, flashing on a screen. You do this over an entire year or more, you have it in the background while they play, whatever. Instead of getting all of those 30 minutes increments engaging with the environment, they are basically being sucked into a flat "stimming" experience on the T.V.
Keep in mind that there are several genetic disorders that also have Autism along with them. Some vision disorders cause Autistic-like symptoms. Some kids have gut issues, some don't. Some respond to GFCF, some don't. Gross & fine motor delays are neurological from what i understand - again, this could be a product of delays caused by watching the videos too much.
I don't know, I'm just looking at from a point of, say, a jury - I can't say that it is ridiculous because my "gut" instinct is telling me "Hey you know what, i really feel like something is wrong with these videos." I will always have that feeling - I had it then and have it now. It isn't something I have dwelled on, and you are right that it probably doesn't "cause" Autism but it may have contributed substantially to delays in early childhood.
All I would like is for them to put a warning on those videos, such as "Do not watch more than one per week, and please hold your baby/ talk to your baby while watching. " Especially for the young moms (single & married) who may not realize or keep track of how frequently they are watching the videos.
Does that make sense?
There are also some great videos that are out there that can help teach a child with autism about socialization. And, my ds has picked up expressions that he never would have without watching television.
One video series I have liked is the "Watch Me Learn" videos. They are specifically made for kids with autism by a mom of a child with autism.
I had to laugh when reading one of the posts - I too, was a very hyper first-time mom. I have loosened up a lot as well!
I have always felt guilty about the time when ds was about 15-18 months. I was pregnant and then had a stillbirth. I wasn't terribly present for ds at that time - obviously through no fault of my own. That lasted a few months. I could look back and say, If I had just interacted with him more then (don't get me wrong, I DID interact - just not as frequently and intensely as I had previousl for a while), maybe he would be interacting better now. Then, when I got pregnant again and was terrified the entire nine months until giving birth - and then horrendously tired for the next two months as well. So, almost a year of worrying about the baby and not him. Again, I obviously interacted with him - but it was during that time that he watched more television and played with the toy vacuum more than I probably should have let him. But, it was about survival. I doubt if I could have changed it even if I knew that ds had autism at that time.
The point is, first of all - we can't change what we have already done. Second, there is really no doubt in my mind that too much tv watching did NOT cause ds' autism. And, I think again, in moderation, most things are okay - including tv - as long as you monitor the type of tv they are watching and sometimes use it as a tool to interact (i.e. watch it together and ask questions).
I'm done now!
[QUOTE=mishy]Its these types of tests that make us parents of kids on the spectrum feel terrible. They are trying to put the blame on us.
Thank you for saying this. Watching television has nothing......and I mean NOTHING to do with your child having Autism.
MY GRACE IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE!
Since it is far greater for boys to have Autism how do you explain the fact that we have 2 older sons and they watched Barney and Dragon Tales since day one from coming home from the Hospital and neither has Autism, but our youngest, a daughter, has Autism and has never watched 1 episode of Baby Einsteins and as a baby never watched any t.v.
With our daughters Autism she is prone to constantly messing around with our V.C.R and DVD machine. She never WATCHES anything for a long period because she's too busy rewinding/fastforwarding/inter-changing. Grace's psychologist also told us that Autistic children are more prone to T.V watching because of their lack of social abilities......what this means is would you rather your Autistic child sat and spin a wheel or sat in a corner banging their head or would you rather that they watched T.V. because they arent going to go outside and play with their friends.........they don't have any because they are Autstic!!!!
Plus, I will stand before GOD and tell you that Grace has picked up more words and facial expressions thru watching T.V than 2 years of therapy so I am a big fan of Autism and television. Proper videos can really work wonders for these children.
The first thing I did was turn the TV off. I used to let her sit for hours...it was a fantastic babysitter. She'd watch Einstein or Baby First TV.
She started showing improvement in her skills within days of taking the TV away.
I don't know if my daughter is on the spectrum or just delayed, but either way, I am CONVINCED that TV was the most harmful thing to her development.
Everyone who has read my posts knows my feelings on TV with kids...never much liked it except in small doses. I think a little here and there is ok.
BB gets 30 minutes in themorning and 30 in the afternoon and that is it. We choose what he sees and we did start with Baby Einstein videos. He took a lot of good stuff away from them. Language, numbers and he loves Classical (though we were pumping that into the womb with earphones over Mommy's tummy).
I don't believe that it causes autism or even can increase the chances of autism in those "predisposed." What I do believe is that the bright colors, lights, sounds etc...will attract the attention of those on the spectrum just like any other stim.
Many people I know swear that from the TV came their ASD babe's first words and even though it was scripting it led to much more.
Again, I am not one for TV and kids...or parents for that matter. I call it the "Cathode Ray Nipple." It is when a kid is parked in front of the TV and there is nothing else that there is a problem!
IMHO
[QUOTE=OZZIE-ROZIES-MA]I think if TV is a cause of ASD, then ceiling fans also cause ASD. [/QUOTE]
Hilarious! 
Well I am glad to hear EVERYTHING you all have to say - how does one learn unless you hear different perspectives? My main thread was not to "persuade" you but just to express how I was feeling at the time & provide as much information as I could in a way that everyone understood what I was trying to get thoughts about. That's why I asked for them!
I think everyone has really great points & definitely has helped me rethink the whole issue. I am really glad to have revisited this topic, I am sorry if it was already "hashed out" before. As of this evening I would say that I still think there should be a warning label on the tapes about too much of them being bad for babies, but I do not necessarily know that my original feeling about the movies making the Autism worse wasn't very well thought out. I would say I agree with many of you who mentioned that it isn't necessarily GOOD for an infant, especially one with Autism, but doesn't necessarily cause more severe development of Autism. Although I do think it may contribute to delays if it is excessive watching. My dd rarely watched TV before 2 1/2, and when she did it was not more than 1/2 hour a day. I was a neurotic first time mom. Don't even ask me about my youngest. Let's just say I have loosened up a lot.
I think if TV is a cause of ASD, then ceiling fans also cause ASD.
[QUOTE=OZZIE-ROZIES-MA]I think if TV is a cause of ASD, then ceiling fans also cause ASD. [/QUOTE]
I didn't mean to come across as being completely anti-TV in my initial post. I'm NOT! But, I thought it ironic that the post was saying that early tv watching was causing autism (I know you edited that Hope) because my ds didn't watch any! And my dd watched a LOT more tv early on and as far as I know she is NT!
I think kids with autism may be more attracted to it - but I also have read that if kids aren't interested in it AT ALL (like my ds) that that is a red flag for autism too - something about not being aware or interested in things in your environment?
Again, I don't want this to end up being a blame the parents thing - because trust me, I know TONS more people (including one of my s-i-ls) who plopped their baby in front of the tv for hours and their kids are at least mostly NT...
The social delay of autism causes some children to be interested in things rather than people. We had to teach my son the value of interacting with people. I can see where kids with autism would happily retreat to watching a video; they are not kids who typically seek out interaction anyway. Oh, I forgot to add that Bug learned all his letters from that Leap Frog Letter Factory video... around 16 months!He also has learned TONS of sight words and probably numbers from various children's programming.
I don't sweat it. I also feel he was born with his Autism.
Let's find another way to blame the parents.
My son was this way from birth. My husband has it too, and his brother and their father. So, NO, tv did not cause anything in our house and I don't belive it does. It may cause anitsocial symptoms and speech delay which would lesson after the kid no longer watched tv and was able to catch up on the world they had been missing out on.
My son with Aspergers does not even like tv very well and neither does my DH.
All I know is my twins watched the EXACT same amount of tv in their first 2 years....and yes, the majority of the time it was Baby Einstein. My son has mild autism, and my daughter is as NT as they come. Guess you could consider this a controlled study.
I firmly believe my son was born with ASD, and that although the tv viewing didn't help and probably contributed to some of his language delays, I don't feel it caused his autism. In fact, one of the series they watched starting around age 3 was Baby Bumblebee. This helped tremendously with my son's language development. In hindsight, I wish I had started with the BB series sooner.
I guess that is true, I do not think it "causes" Autism as I have mentioned b4 that I know my son was bornw ith it - I guess I should have said "worsens symptoms" or "increases delays" Sorry!Yep...you might want to consider rewording that initial post Hope. Flame wars have been known to flare up over this topic.Is this a joke? It must be! We do not own and never have owned a TV - in 25 years of marriage. Our son has moderate to severe autism. Hi Ken,This is not a joke, it is just getting people's thoughts & perspective based upon the provided information. Thank you for sharing yours.
Sounds like the 2007 version of the Refrigerator Mother/Father theory to me.
No offense.
Sounds like the 2007 version of the Refrigerator Mother/Father theory to me.
No offense.
[/QUOTE]
lol.
[QUOTE=Rhosyn]I know that Spongebob and Barney have saved my sanity many times before. I'm probably a horrible mother, but I need that break sometimes and TV is the best baby sitter in the world. I'm doing all of this alone. I have to have something for the child I'm not working with 1:1 to do, or neither of my boys would be able to do ABA. It's a necessary evil in our house, but one I'll continue to embrace...at least untill I win the lottery and can afford someone to help out a little. Again...tought provoking and emotion provoking post Hope...great job.[/QUOTE]
an associate of my hubby's, his wife bragged about all 3 of there kids watching baby Einstein. Anyways, I had to listen to her bipolar family member bragging about how her grandkids are smart as whips. Well, for the kids sake, I hope the apple does NOT fall to far from the tree. I believe it is genetic. I have a cousin with AS, grandmother AS, daughter with AS and a son with signs. I wonder how many more of my family members actually have AS. My aunt did every hippy thing possible raising my cousin in 80's and my cousin has AS. She had no shots, no tv, breast fed her to 3 yrs old (way to long) etc/etc.
I guess living in FL you don't have to worry about Amish plagues infecting the towns and state with measles, whooping cough etc.
It is possible that too much tv watching at a young age could cause speech delays. I'm not sure. I know parents whose babies and toddlers have watched loads and talked from an early age. I do restrict my sons' tv watching to half an hour twice a day, apart from very rarely I put a Miss Marple on to watch
However, it does not cause autism and one of the reasons for this is that autism is made up of more than communication and interaction. There are usually different sensory reactions. Perceptions are different (I'm never quite sure of that one, I know I see things differently to other people and I tend to focus on things other people don't, for example, but I mostly only know what I experience). There are often uneven skill levels, my son is very good at non verbal puzzle solving and scores poorly on the verbal part of tests, for example.
Exactly how it was with Gage! I can see what you mean - maybe not the CAUSE but may delay their development even further. I am just not sure, but it is something I would like to hear more research on. I don't know how they will ethically research it though - it isn't like they can have baby mice watch a bunch of T.V.!
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