Dr. Karen Heffler in Drexel’s College of Medicine has developed training materials to educate parents and caregivers about the negative impact of electronic screen media in early childhood development.  She has synthesized existing literature to create a short presentation about the developmental problems associated with prolonged screen media viewing, such as TV, mobile devices, electronic toys, and video games, in young children.  Social interactions are disrupted, as screen media cannot respond to the child.  Children learn at a faster rate in face-to-face interactions compared to watching videos, as there is shared attention by a live speaker.  Verbal stimulation by parents benefits language acquisition by children and promotes social interaction.  Having screen media on in the background of a child’s environment disrupts parental responsiveness to the child and involvement with play, impeding learning. 

Developmental problems seen in children with autism spectrum disorder include language delay, attention problems, cognitive deficits, and behavior problems, and these problems have been connected to an early onset and long duration of screen viewing.  Dr. Heffler references guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics, with no screen viewing under 18 months and no more than one hour daily up to age five.  She also offers early intervention strategies for those with autism spectrum disorder who have been exposed to prolonged electronic screen media.  A pilot study with children ages 18-42 months who have been diagnosed with autism is underway, where the effects of eliminating or reducing screen media viewing are being examined.