Recently, I was talking to a kindergarten in the Sunshine Coast area, and the director asked me about “virtual autism.” I had yet to hear about this diagnosis! Cue my spiral into the current research and what others are saying about “virtual autism.”
From what I have found “virtual autism” is a presentation of autistic-like symptoms that is caused by high rates of exposure to technology in early childhood. In the research however, specialists more accurately term this as “early media overexposure syndrome” (EMOS), which I will use for the remainder of this blogpost to be respectful to the autistic community by not promoting the negative view that the term “virtual autism” promotes. Now, the difference between EMOS and autism is that one is caused by too much screen time while the other is a neurological developmental difference which can be seen through structural differences as within this research article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7359361/ A child undergoing an autism assessment will be identified as autistic whether they have EMOS or autism, and the only way to differentiate the two is by removing technology and seeing how this affects the child’s presentation. There is evidence to suggest that EMOS exists, yet, this evidence is limited and should be viewed with caution while waiting for additional research to be conducted.
EMOS is treated by the reduction of screens and an increase in parent-child interaction and some research shows that language delays may remain after this intervention while the autism scores can reduce to dropping the identification entirely. There is some speculation as to whether a child may in fact have autism and then the presentation is further exacerbated by technology, but the consensus that I can find is that children under the age of 3 that are exposed to 3 or more hours of technology a day are at risk of underdeveloped social gaze development. Basically, time spent on a device interferes with the social interaction time, among other developmental domains, the child could otherwise be developing. The American College of Child and Adolecent Psychiatry has recommendations on screen time which can be found here: https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx#:~:text=Between%2018%20and%2024%20months,limit%20activities%20that%20include%20screens
If you suspect that your child may have had more access to screens than is recommended, you can follow these steps to reduce symptoms:
- Limit access to screens. The research that is available says that the best intervention for EMOS is to remove screens entirely which helps to reduce symptoms within a matter of months when paired with parent-child interaction time.
- Be aware of screens. We now have tablets, phones, computers, TV’s, and other devices littered throughout our day and almost every environment we come into contact with. Know where screens are so that you can mitigate their use around your child.
- Be mindful of your other children. Children that are school-aged have access and do work on tablets and screens at school. These children will know how to use devices, and they may also be using them around your other child, thus increasing their screen time.
- Increase interactions with your child! Parent and child interactions help children make sense of their world, communication and language and teach emotions and other social communications. This is a highly recommended strategy for any child!
- Create a routine around using technology. Though the research I found said to remove screens entirely, this may be a strategy you can play with after symptoms have reduced. You may be able to have set screen time well below the 3 hours that children can still have access to.
- Be prepared for tantrums. Children that have had a lot of exposure to screens will likely want this to continue, however as we’ve seen screens can have negative impacts on development. Any reduction in an activity that is highly preferred is likely to cause tantrums, so be prepared with other engaging activities and seek support to promote coping with big emotions particularly for the first 2 weeks after removing screens.
- Be kind to yourself and others if too much exposure has happened to your little one. Technology is a tool that we all use and aren’t always aware of the harmful effects that it has. Instead focus on what you can do to help your child now!
Many parents may find this type of intervention distressing on their own, in which case, you should seek paediatric allied health support from a provider that you trust!
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