The symptoms of virtual autism often disappear when screen exposure is stopped. A significant improvement can be observed in the child's cognition, hyperactivity, and irritability levels.
“Most of the time, the child receives only certain sensations (visual and / or auditory) from a virtual environment, and can not correlate these visual and auditory sensations with other types of sensations: vestibular, tactile, odor, tasteless, unable to develop accordingly.
Virtual autism is a phrase formulated in 2018 by Marius Teodor Zamfir, a Romanian psychologist. He found that children, 0-3 years, who stared at screens for over four hours a day, had “sensory-motor and socio-affective deprivation”.
The behaviors that are attributable to both autism and vision problems can include lack of eye contact, staring at spinning objects or light, fleeting peripheral glances, side viewing, and difficulty attending visually. Autistic people may also have problems coordinating their central and peripheral vision.
Virtual autism is a condition when young children have prolonged and excessive exposure to screens. With proper support and counselling, virtual autism can be cured.
Children can be misdiagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and not actually be autistic. It is concerning enough for a parent to be told their child is on the Autism Spectrum, but for a child to be misdiagnosed as having autism can cause unnecessary stress and worry for the family.
Incorporate more movement, exercise and free play. While stress and screen time break down brain connectivity, exercise does the reverse — it builds connections and actually makes the brain bigger!
Two major U.S. studies have found that 4 to 13 percent of children lose their autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, but that doesn't always mean a complete "recovery" from developmental problems.
New research suggests that substantially reducing the amount of time that young kids with autism spend watching screens could lead to fewer symptoms of the developmental disorder.
It is recommended that you begin to gradually reduce screen time by selecting certain activities, such as play time with mom or mealtime, when screen time is not available. Then, you can gradually add more activities that don't include the screen so that the change occurs over time.
The best remedy for a shutdown is giving the person the space to rest, recuperate and recover without placing additional demands on them. A shutdown can be like a reset for an autistic person.
Every child is different and unique, and their families are different. How the child interacts with his/her environment, family members, peers, toys etc. differ. Hence, a definite recovery time cannot be established.
Autism Spectrum Disorders are not caused by emotional deprivation or the way a person has been brought up. Theories such as the "refrigerator mother" have long been discredited.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
As a child ages, symptoms can change. Whether symptoms worsen or improve often depends on a person's treatment plan. With an effective treatment program that involves behavioral therapies, educational support, and lifestyle changes, many children's autism symptoms improve as they age.
A healthy diet for people with autism means eating foods like grass-fed meat, pasture-raised eggs, organs, and fresh fruit. Make sure to avoid any processed foods with added sugar and vegetable/seed oils completely if you want to thrive. Avoid drinking anything with caffeine or added sugars or artificial sweeteners.
Playing helps when a child needs to reset and focus on calming down. The Polyvagal theory states that play stimulates the social engagement system of the vagus nerve, which is the body's largest nerve, and when it becomes stimulated it relaxes the nervous system.
Studies show that it takes 21 days to form a habit, so taking 21 days to break one is a swell idea to help one reset from screen time too. And perhaps this shouldn't just be a rule the kids follow.
To complete a full digital detox, Dr Kardaras recommends your child doesn't use their screen for 4-6 weeks. For a lot of parents, this might seem an impossible task.
Conditions That Can Be Mistaken for Autism. These include: Speech delays, hearing problems, or other developmental delays: Developmental delays are when your child doesn't do things doctors expect kids their age to be able to do. These can include language, speech, or hearing problems.
Does The Father Or Mother Carry The Autism Gene? Autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component, however, research suggests that the rarer variants associated with the disorder are usually inherited from the father.