Too much TV exposure at a tender age can lead to virtual autism in children.
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Virtual autism: When too much TV, smartphone screen time hurts children
As scientists raise the alarm over the health complications of allowing toddlers excessive screen time with electronic devices such as TVs, smartphones, tablets video games, to mention a few, James Njenga a father of two, has experienced the effects first-hand.
When James held his bouncing baby boy six years ago he was elated. He could barely wait to celebrate each milestone of his son, from that first smile, the first step, and the day he would utter his first word. Nothing prepared him for what lay ahead.
It all began with his son’s interest in cartoons. At first, it seemed harmless. His daughter often had to let her little brother enjoy endless Cocomelon lest he threw a tantrum. If he wasn’t watching it on TV, he would be soaking in cartoons from his parents’ smartphones.
“He was obsessed with Cocomelon, especially the Baby Shark song. He would wail if the smartphone was taken away from him or if one changed the YouTube channel.”
It was not until the child was around three years old during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, that the parents noticed that all was not well.
Fortunately, it was easy for James to spot the tell-tale signs of speech delays since at the time, he was working at Daughters of Charity Thigio, a special needs school.
The institution takes care of children with autism and delayed development.
“I noticed that my son had a problem with his language development in 2020 during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“At three, he did not respond to his name, did not maintain good eye contact, played alone even when his elder sister or the neighbour’s children were around, he would arrange all his toys in one neat row, and called everyone mum when he wanted help.”
The parents were frantic but the global shutdown and travel restrictions occasioned by the coronavirus scourge made it difficult for them to seek professional help for their son.
“We were frustrated. It was nearly impossible to get an expert to assess him. The assessors at the Kenya Institute of Education (KISE) had closed down due to Covid. We could not travel to Gertrude Hospital or even Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where I had been advised by a special needs teacher at work.”
Raised eyebrows
It’s said when it rains it pours. Besides dealing with their son’s condition, James and his wife found themselves drowning in unsolicited advice and endless disparagements from friends.
“Some of my friends dismissed my concerns saying, ‘It is because you do not speak to your child, ‘or ‘It is because you do not let your child go out to play.’ Their words were unbearable.”
Thankfully, amid raised eyebrows and criticism, two friends became a great source of comfort to James. They too were dealing with delayed speech in their toddlers.
“One of my friends was paying a speech therapist to go to his home regularly since he could afford it. The other guy had to send his family to the village where his son could interact with other children. These two formed my support group and we compared notes on how to help our children.”
Resolute that his son had to speak like other children, James embarked on research and tried out almost every concoction and technique he stumbled upon, cost notwithstanding.
“I googled about how to reverse speech delay and came to know of a method called Nemechek protocol. It involves taking supplements such as extra virgin oil, DHA fish oil, and inulin. It was recommended by an American doctor on YouTube and he was selling these products on Amazon.”
“I ordered them and had them shipped to Kenya. It was quite expensive but I was ready to spend my last shilling to help my son.”
Unfortunately, the son refused to take the meds saying they were “‘too disgusting.”
James felt lost but once again, help came in the form of a colleague who referred him to a specialist at Gertrude Hospital. A language pathologist at the hospital diagnosed the child with virtual autism.
According to the doctor, the boy was not autistic but had virtual autism as a result of too much TV exposure at a tender age.
“She advised that we cut down screen time and take him to the village where he would play with his peers. This seemed to work but when he came back, my wife started attending some speech therapy sessions with him reading the alphabet, colours, names of animals, and furniture among others. This worked wonders.”
Joining school
By the time they were enrolling their son in school, his social skills had improved dramatically. His words were still incoherent but they were music to the family’s ears.
“He started talking in full sentences after joining PP1 when he turned four years old. There were days when he would come home with stories of what they had learned in school. He began leading us in prayer during meal times. Of course, we didn’t understand most of the prayer but we just closed our eyes as he said that incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo then joined him in making the sign of the cross at the end.”
Although the boy slurs sometimes and one has to be patient with him to get the right words, his parents are ecstatic that he is capable of expressing his needs and can even narrate a story.
“His social interaction skills have now improved unlike before when he was a loner. He has three friends: Kamau, Mburu, and Maxwell who he always talks about when he gets home. He has an enemy, a boy called Njoroge, whom he describes as a bad, bad boy. I am not sure what Njoroge did to him.”
“He also knows his family members both nuclear and some of the extended family members.”
James represents a rocketing number of parents struggling with children with delayed speech and social development. His clarion call to them is to “speak out and be intentional.”
“You should suffer alone. Do not fear judgment or stigma. Speak out. There could be other parents going through the same problem as you are. At the same time, when you speak, people will offer workable solutions that you could try out.”
“Secondly, do not just sit and wait for your child to speak. Be intentional in their language development: play with them, read out books to them, sign up for speech therapy if you can, and also take them to school or avenues where they can mingle with other children.”
BY MARY WANGARI
As scientists raise the alarm over the health complications of allowing toddlers excessive screen time with electronic devices such as TVs, smartphones, tablets video games, to mention a few, James Njenga a father of two, has experienced the effects first-hand.
When James held his bouncing baby boy six years ago he was elated. He could barely wait to celebrate each milestone of his son, from that first smile, the first step, and the day he would utter his first word. Nothing prepared him for what lay ahead.
It all began with his son’s interest in cartoons. At first, it seemed harmless. His daughter often had to let her little brother enjoy endless Cocomelon lest he threw a tantrum. If he wasn’t watching it on TV, he would be soaking in cartoons from his parents’ smartphones.
“He was obsessed with Cocomelon, especially the Baby Shark song. He would wail if the smartphone was taken away from him or if one changed the YouTube channel.”
It was not until the child was around three years old during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, that the parents noticed that all was not well.
Fortunately, it was easy for James to spot the tell-tale signs of speech delays since at the time, he was working at Daughters of Charity Thigio, a special needs school.
The institution takes care of children with autism and delayed development.
“I noticed that my son had a problem with his language development in 2020 during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“At three, he did not respond to his name, did not maintain good eye contact, played alone even when his elder sister or the neighbour’s children were around, he would arrange all his toys in one neat row, and called everyone mum when he wanted help.”
The parents were frantic but the global shutdown and travel restrictions occasioned by the coronavirus scourge made it difficult for them to seek professional help for their son.
“We were frustrated. It was nearly impossible to get an expert to assess him. The assessors at the Kenya Institute of Education (KISE) had closed down due to Covid. We could not travel to Gertrude Hospital or even Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where I had been advised by a special needs teacher at work.”
Raised eyebrows
It’s said when it rains it pours. Besides dealing with their son’s condition, James and his wife found themselves drowning in unsolicited advice and endless disparagements from friends.
“Some of my friends dismissed my concerns saying, ‘It is because you do not speak to your child, ‘or ‘It is because you do not let your child go out to play.’ Their words were unbearable.”
Thankfully, amid raised eyebrows and criticism, two friends became a great source of comfort to James. They too were dealing with delayed speech in their toddlers.
“One of my friends was paying a speech therapist to go to his home regularly since he could afford it. The other guy had to send his family to the village where his son could interact with other children. These two formed my support group and we compared notes on how to help our children.”
Resolute that his son had to speak like other children, James embarked on research and tried out almost every concoction and technique he stumbled upon, cost notwithstanding.
“I googled about how to reverse speech delay and came to know of a method called Nemechek protocol. It involves taking supplements such as extra virgin oil, DHA fish oil, and inulin. It was recommended by an American doctor on YouTube and he was selling these products on Amazon.”
“I ordered them and had them shipped to Kenya. It was quite expensive but I was ready to spend my last shilling to help my son.”
Unfortunately, the son refused to take the meds saying they were “‘too disgusting.”
James felt lost but once again, help came in the form of a colleague who referred him to a specialist at Gertrude Hospital. A language pathologist at the hospital diagnosed the child with virtual autism.
According to the doctor, the boy was not autistic but had virtual autism as a result of too much TV exposure at a tender age.
“She advised that we cut down screen time and take him to the village where he would play with his peers. This seemed to work but when he came back, my wife started attending some speech therapy sessions with him
reading the alphabet, colours, names of animals, and furniture among others. This worked wonders.”
Joining school
By the time they were enrolling their son in school, his social skills had improved dramatically. His words were still incoherent but they were music to the family’s ears.
“He started talking in full sentences after joining PP1 when he turned four years old. There were days when he would come home with stories of what they had learned in school. He began leading us in prayer during meal times. Of course, we didn’t understand most of the prayer but we just closed our eyes as he said that incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo then joined him in making the sign of the cross at the end.”
Although the boy slurs sometimes and one has to be patient with him to get the right words, his parents are ecstatic that he is capable of expressing his needs and can even narrate a story.
“His social interaction skills have now improved unlike before when he was a loner. He has three friends: Kamau, Mburu, and Maxwell who he always talks about when he gets home. He has an enemy, a boy called Njoroge, whom he describes as a bad, bad boy. I am not sure what Njoroge did to him.”
“He also knows his family members both nuclear and some of the extended family members.”
James represents a rocketing number of parents struggling with children with delayed speech and social development. His clarion call to them is to “speak out and be intentional.”
“You should suffer alone. Do not fear judgment or stigma. Speak out. There could be other parents going through the same problem as you are. At the same time, when you speak, people will offer workable solutions that you could try out.”
“Secondly, do not just sit and wait for your child to speak. Be intentional in their language development: play with them, read out books to them, sign up for speech therapy if you can, and also take them to school or avenues where they can mingle with other children.”
