screen time & autism

I agree with the other commenter who works with autistic children, that screen time is NOT a cause of autism. Autism is passed down through genes, you cannot cause anyone to have autism. it could be due to the stimulation from screen time that seems more interesting, your child has no interest in social interaction as it is not as exciting as what's on the screen. check out health hub's info on screen time with children. one issue with excessive screentime from a young age is short attention span. we all need attention span to pick up skills such as eye contact, verbal language, communication. if the child has short attention span, it will be challenging to learn these skills. so it doesnt mean your child has autism, but perhaps you might want to consider giving less screen time. you can take it the old school way "eat your food first, THEN you can watch your show for 15mins". if you child doesnt want to eat, YOU HAVE TO stick to the rule. your child will not starve. if they get hungry they will eventually eat. and then you celebrate your child gently with words like "hey, it's great that you're eating your food. I promise, once you are done eating, then we can watch your show for 15mins". make sure your devices like iPad is on child lock mode. so only you can unlock the screen for the show. buy a timer like that to help your child learn about counting down the time. https://shp.ee/5ixi89r i'm an educator, these were what worked for me when I teach children to change habits pertaining to screentime. the most important thing is you and your partner as parents DONT GIVE IN when your child screams and cries. if you respond by giving your child the screen time which is exactly what he wants, you are rewarding that behaviour, and showing to him that his way of screaming as a form of communication works. when he screams and cries, try to keep calm yourself. at the start, it might be very hard, so take yourself out of the crying space if you need. once you feel calmer, you can say with a soft voice "I hear you crying, and I dont know what you mean when you are crying. when you are ready, talk to me with your soft voice and we can eat / play together." reward your child ONLY if the desired outcome has been achieved. he wants screentime, give it only when he isnt screaming or crying. i've changed the behaviour of many children with this method... but it takes time, a lot of time 🩷 hope it works for you 🙏