TV-caused Autism
If you have children under three years old and are concerned about their health and wellbeing, you
ought to take this good advice from the British publication the Guardian Unlimited on April 24, 2007. It
reported new research linking autism in young children to the harmful effects that watching television can
have on their physical and mental wellbeing. According to the research, allowing children under 3 to
watch television can impair their linguistic and social development, and also increase their risk of health
problems including attention-deficit disorder, autism and obesity.
Before the age of 3, children's brains go through rapid development and are being physically shaped in
response to whatever they are exposed to, says the report. It further points out that exposing children to
fast-moving images for sustained periods at this time in their lives can inhibit their ability to sustain
attention, and hinder their development of social skills.
Other research suggests that television can also cause irregular sleep patterns for infants and toddlers,
and decrease their resting metabolic rate, which compounds the physiological problems that come with
lack of exercise. Furthermore, there are several studies suggesting early exposure to TV can be a trigger
for autism.