We hear a lot about screen time and the effects on developing brains, but children and young people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) are particularly at risk of adverse side-effects. Families struggling to cope with life with a child or teen with ASD are also at greater risk because of the exacerbated symptoms of excess screen time.

Correlation Does Not Equal Causation

While there are definite links between screen time and its effects on an autistic brain, it’s important to note that screen time has not been proven to cause autism. One Swedish study in 2014 concluded that the cause is likely a 50/50 split between environmental and genetic factors. As a complex disorder,  many other related factors also lie in the origins of the disorder within individuals.

Why are Autistic Brains more Vulnerable to the Effects of Screen Time?

Although we are all susceptible to the effects of excess screen time to one degree or another, young brains are more vulnerable than adults, and it affects children and young people with ASD much more than anyone else. This is because the unique characteristics of a brain with ASD  lend themselves far more readily to the disruption and chaos caused within the brain by screen time. ASD brains are not wired to readily process the regular use of technology without side-effects.
Not only are children with ASD more susceptible to the harmful effects of screen time, but they are also less able to recover. The effects last longer and have a deeper impact simply because their brains are not wired to cope. They are more sensitive, less resilient and more prone to lasting effects.

What Does Excess Screen Time Do to Children with ASD?

Excess screen time has a profound effect on the behaviour and coping mechanisms of children with ASD. These include the following;

1. Exacerbated Arousal Regulation Issues

Children with ASD often struggle with arousal regulation issues such as emotional dysregulation, exaggerated responses to stress, and a tendency to be either overstimulated or understimulated [1]. Excess screen time exacerbates all of these issues and manifests itself as exaggerated emotional dysregulation and increased likelihood of acute and chronic stress. It also causes overstimulation and hyperarousal [2].

2. Augmented Sleep Disturbances

Children with ASD often suffer from low melatonin, leading to sleep disturbances, particularly when technology is used at night [3]. Melatonin regulates the body clock and is critical for normal sleeping and waking patterns. It also works with other hormones to keep the brain chemistry balanced, plays a part in regulating immunity, and lowers inflammation. Excess screen time suppresses the production of melatonin, leading to even greater problems with sleep in children with ASD.

3. Increased Social and Communication Deficits

Screen time hinders the development of social and communication skills – even in children and teens that don’t have ASD [4]. This manifests as an inability to make eye contact, impaired ability to read body language, low levels of empathy and a delay in gaining language skills.

4. Higher Anxiety Levels

Children with ASD are prone to anxiety and screen time increases the risk of social anxiety and OCD issues. In addition, children with autism have been shown to be at greater risk of abnormal serotonin synthesis and amygdala activity and changes in amydala activity and serotonin regulation have been observed as a result of screen time [5].

5. Magnified Sensory Processing Issues

Children with ASD are more likely to experience sensory and motor integration problems such as sensory processing disorders, tics, and vocal and motor delays. Screen time worsens these issues, particularly sensori-motor delays. Tics may also worse due to higher dopamine levels.

Strategies to Help Families Reduce or Eliminate Screen Time

1. Educate Families About the Risks of Screen Time on an Autistic Brain

For many families, the use of technology is tempting because it restores peace, at least for a short time. So it is important that families understand the benefits of reducing or eliminating technology or they may be unwilling to try something new.

2. Encourage Families to do a Technology Detox

When families understand how technology use affects the brain of a child with ASD, initiating change is easier. Encourage them to try it for a specified time period (4 weeks is a good length of time to aim for) and see if it makes a difference.

3. Come up with Strategies to Replace Screen Time

Weaning a child off a favourite device will be more successful if parents have a plan in place ahead of time to replace that time with something more interesting or engaging. This will be something that fits each family’s unique dynamics, but memory-making events, spending time together out in nature, and playing together are options that can work well.

4. Encourage Parents to Limit their Own Technology Use

Encourage parents to model what they are trying to achieve. When children see that parents are not using technology either, they are more likely to accept the family’s decision to limit or eliminate screen time from family life.

5. Educate Parents about Healthy Sleep Habits

Some parents are not aware of the effects of screen time on sleeping habits – even for children and teens that don’t have ASD. Encourage parents to turn off all technology at least 2 hours before bedtime and establish regular bedtime routines and rituals. Preparing a child’s brain for bed is half the battle won.

If you would like to know more about screen time and autism, get in touch and call Deb or send us an email. We’ll be happy to talk to you!

References:

[1]. Matthew S. Goodwin et al., “Cardiovascular Arousal in Individuals with Autism,” Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities 21, no. 2 (2006): 100–123; BA Corbett and D Simon, “Adolescence, Stress and Cortisol in Autism Spectrum Disorders.,” OA Autism 1, no. 1 (March 1, 2013): 1–6.
[2].  Marjut Wallenius, “Salivary Cortisol in Relation to the Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in School-Aged Children,” Psychology 1, no. 2 (2010): 88–95; Amy E. Mark and Ian Janssen, “Relationship between Screen Time and Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents,” Journal of Public Health 30, no. 2 (June 1, 2008): 153–60; Gary S. Goldfield et al., “Video Game Playing Is Independently Associated with Blood Pressure and Lipids in Overweight and Obese Adolescents,” ed. Philippe Rouet, PLoS ONE 6, no. 11 (November 1, 2011): e26643.
[3]. ] Shigekazu Higuchi et al., “Effects of Vdt Tasks with a Bright Display at Night on Melatonin, Core Temperature, Heart Rate, and Sleepiness,” Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md.: 1985) 94, no. 5 (May 2003): 1773–76.
[4].  R. Adolphs, L. Sears, and J. Piven, “Abnormal Processing of Social Information from Faces in Autism,” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 13, no. 2 (February 15, 2001): 232–40.
[5]. Jun Kohyama, “Neurochemical and Neuropharmacological Aspects of Circadian Disruptions: An Introduction to Asynchronization,” Current Neuropharmacology 9, no. 2 (2011): 330; Klaus Mathiak and René Weber, “Toward Brain Correlates of Natural Behavior: fMRI during Violent Video Games,” Human Brain Mapping 27, no. 12 (December 2006): 948–56.

How to use a calendar to help transition back to school?

Here’s how!
Summer holidays can be the carefree, fun-packed time of experience and shared experiences which neither kids nor mums and dads want to end. It can be very appealing (and rightly so!) to make the most of every day of the school vacation, especially the days which directly precede the back to school date on your calendar.
Keep in mind however, to also do some preparation so that the shift back to school can be a smooth, confident one for both you and your kids.
What are the triggers that can potentially cause challenges for your kids when they are faced with returning to school?

How can the transition back to school be difficult for you and your kids?

• Feeling rushed – you’ve had a great summer and then suddenly the holidays are over and it’s time to return to school
• Disorganised – those last few days go SO quickly!
• Morning routine is difficult to return into
• Difficulty in getting out of bed/out of your home on time
• Mums and dads are nervous about the kids being okay
• Kids can be distressed about:
  • What will my new teacher be like?
  • Will my new schoolmates like me?
  • Will I be able to sit with my friends?
  • Who will I sit with at lunch?
  • What if I miss the school bus?
  • Will people make fun of me?
  • What if I don’t understand the lessons?
  • Will I look foolish?

How, as mums and dads, can we minimize these triggers for our kids and facilitate a smooth shift back to school?

Using a Calendar to Help Transition Back to School

Everybody, parents and children alike, prosper on routine and this holds specifically true when, as a household, we are confronted with the prospect of going back to school.
It is very important to take a look at methods of decreasing stress and anxiety around that date and finding a way to make going back to school an exciting, organised and positive experience.

Using a Timeline/Calendar

• Make a timeline together or go shopping and choose a big calendar that you both like.
• Calendars are often offered for the scholastic year and these can be perfect to prepare all of the household for getting back into the swing of school life.
• A timeline can be a great tool in helping all of the household lower any school stress and anxiety that they may have.
• All kids like to be involved in choices that effect them and their households.
• Make a timeline that covers the last 2 weeks prior to school starts and the following 2 weeks when school has started.
• For the last 2 weeks of the holidays, factor in treats and rewards as well as challenges which the household will need to attain to receive the treat or reward. For example, all of the household should get up 10 minutes earlier every day for the first week of your timeline to be able to enjoy the daily rewards that have been planned.
• Plan these joint challenges so that they assist your kids (and you!) to cope and get used to the early morning regimen once again or leaving your house on time each day.
• For the first 2 weeks of school, factor in after school activities, activities at the weekend and decide in advance who will choose your kids up from school each day.
• This visual structure, which you can display somewhere for you all to see, will provide a more mild re-introduction of the back to school regimen than if you all of a sudden panic on the night before school and try to arrange yourself and your kids out!
• If you leave tasks to the eleventh hour you are producing stress and anxiety in children and yourselves – which is a dish for disaster on the first day back and will take days or perhaps weeks to pull back.

Agree on a Morning Routine to Help Transition Back to School

• A visual timetable can be invaluable for lowering anxiety and enabling your kids to efficiently shift from vacation to school time.
• Visual timetables are typically utilized in school, so prior to completion of the academic year, find out from them what sort of symbols, words, images they use daily.
• Utilizing familiar visual hints in your home can increase self-confidence in your kids and this will likewise spill over into minimizing any school anxiety they might have.
• If it’s possible, this is an excellent activity to include your kids in well prior to the stressors of imminent school, you can develop and create an early morning schedule together.
• You can make this activity enjoyable by utilizing timers to find out how long it requires to get on a school uniform or make a jam-packed lunch or pack a swimming bag.
• When you have actually exercised the timings of activities that you require to consist of in your early morning schedule, then you can add those timings into it and find out what time you will all need to get up to be ready to leave your house at a set time.
• Enabling kids to take ownership of their early morning schedule by working it out with you is an excellent method to increase their feeling of responsibility, whilst lowering anxiety at the exact same time.

Have family ‘Golden Time’ to Help Transition Back to School

Your kids may well be familiar with ‘Golden Time’, which often happens in schools on a Friday afternoon. The offer at school is if the kids have actually got their stickers/rewards for the week, then during Golden Time they get to choose their preferred activity.
All of us like to feel special and have quality, one-to-one time with the people we like. Add into your calendar a daily Golden Check-In Time at home with your kid. (You could have two of these if it works, one in the early morning and one in the evening).
Plan a 10-30 minute time with your young person and include it in the calendar.
Make this time unique and pick together what you want to do throughout this time, examples could be:

• Make and share hot chocolate with marshmallows and relax on the couch together (NO smart phones, NO disturbances!).
• Share a video game, take your pet dog for a walk, go outdoors and construct a cubby house / go to beach.
• Have a pamper session – a manicure, pedicure, facial – whatever you both enjoy!
• Construct a design together, paint together.
• The possibilities are unlimited!
• The most IMPORTANT thing to remember is that while you are taking pleasure in each others’ company, you also chat about how your child is feeling, ensuring they are okay, that school is okay and they are mentally in an ok place.

In general, with some thoughts and early preparation, the trauma of going back to school can be handled efficiently and in a positive way. Taking a little bit of time to put some strategies into practice can positively affect your child and your whole family too.

It’s count down before Christmas day, so let’s check these top tips and enjoy a truly sensory-friendly Christmas in summer!
As a parent, how can you create a sensory-friendly Christmas in Summer?
Christmas is traditionally a time of great excitement for all kids around the world, but if your young person has sensory or anxiety issues, the story can be very different.  If you add into this mix, the hot weather that we enjoy in Australia over the festive season – your kids will have even more to deal with.
Christmas can be a time of great joy for everyone, how can we make that happen?

Top Tips on how to create a sensory-friendly Christmas in Summer

Social Stories

• A great way to prepare your child for any activities or visits which are out of their “normal” routine
• If you can, create the social story together and add in all the triggers that are relevant, then work out how to deal with them

Christmas Structure

• Build a Christmas Timetable together
• Your young person will cope much better if they have advance warning of what is happening on each day of their festive holiday
• Use a familiar timetable, similar to the one your child would use at school
• This can be very visual and include photos (eg of members of the family they haven’t seen for a long time), activities that will happen and choices they can make in each situation
• Even with the best planning in the world, Christmas is a time when things may well not follow that plan!  Talk with your child and come up with a special sign that means something “off-plan” might happen – so that they can prepare themselves for this and enjoy a sensory-friendly Christmas in summer

Prepare Ahead of Time

• At LifeSkills4Kids, we often mention a pre-prepared sensory kit for your child to take with them
• It is a fantastic idea to have a rucksack full of games, comforters, toys, technology that you know your child likes.  These favourite objects will allow your child to recharge their ability to cope and to self-regulate in any situation
• Also think ahead with strategies which you and your child can use to avoid a meltdown

Pre-Warn before Family Visits

• Some of your family and friends who you do not see very often, will not be aware of the helping strategies that they can use to help your child when they visit
• A pre-visit phone call or email can be a great way to let them know how your child may react when they visit eg:
  • you could ask them to turn off the lights on the Christmas tree
  • have food choices available that you know your child likes
  • turn down the volume or turn off Christmas music
• You know your own child, so share any information that you know will help make any social occasions more manageable for everybody

Food Choices

• Our kids can often be very picky eaters and will only be able to tolerate certain foods
• Factor this into any festive meals that you prepare and make sure there is food available which your child will eat happily
• It is a great idea to pack a bag of food to take with you too, so that you know your child will have food they like
• We are talking about the path of least resistance here – Christmas can be a time of sensory overload and just by providing easy food choices, this will help your child to cope
• It is tempting to try and “make” your child eat the special Christmas treats that you have prepared, but if you can allow them to have their favourite foods instead it will really help

Know your Child’s Triggers

• You are the person who knows your child best
• When you are in the planning stage of any visits or special days, make sure you notice any potential triggers so that you can take steps to avoid them
• When you are actually doing the festive activities, remember to take your child’s rucksack that is packed full of things that will help your child to self-regulate and stay calm

Be “Sensory Safe”

• Remember, if your child it finding it hard to manage his or her behaviour this Christmas and holiday season, have a brain storm about what the triggers might be and brainstorm how you can make your current situation and environment to be :
  – Calmer
  – More familiar
  – More consistent
  – Neutral
  – Create positive associations
  – Slow the pace of the day, decrease expectations
  – Change to a quieter activity with less sounds, movement or visual input
  – Revert to simpler activities that your child enjoys

Dealing with the Weather

• Christmas can be the hottest time of the year in Australia
• Remember to factor this in, take plenty of drinks, sun cream, shade and cool clothing wherever you go
• The heat can add to difficulties for your child in working on self-regulating their thoughts, actions and emotions – it’s your job to help them out as much as possible
• The warm weather can be a bonus too for your kids – a pool or cool water in the garden can really help your kids to self-regulate and cope with the potential struggles of Christmas

Articles from LifeSkills4Kids with more tips on surviving the holidays :

1. Reducing Anxiety for End of Term
2. A Sensory Safe Christmas
3. How to Transition from School to Home
4. Tips for Reducing Anxiety at Christmas
5. Creating A Sensory Safe Corner At Home
6. Helping Hyperactive & Busy Kids
7. Tips for Travelling with Children
8. Fireworks Survival Guide
9. Minimising Tantrums at the Shops

Written by Deb Hopper, Occupational Therapist

Written By Deb Hopper, Occupational Therapist
In the classroom, you are likely to find that some of your kids may have a form hearing impairment.  Teaching students with Auditory/Hearing Difficulties can be a challenge if you have no previous experience.
This article will provide you some useful background knowledge and practical strategies to help you.

Teaching Students With Auditory/Hearing Difficulties

What is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is a hearing problem that affects around 5% of school-aged children.
APD causes some sort of interference with the way the brain sends messages to the ears.  The lack of coordination between the brain and ears causes a difficulty in interpreting sounds, especially speech.
If you suspect that one of your class has APD, you will need to refer that child to an audiologist, as only they can make the diagnosis.
Symptoms to be aware of include:

• Do noisy environments upset the student?
• Is the student unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
• Does the student’s behaviour and achievements improve in a quieter environment?
• Does the student have difficulty following simple or complex instructions?
• Do they find conversations hard to follow?
• Are they disorganised and forgetful?

If you pick up any of these symptoms in a student, refer them straight away.  You may also find our article on sensory processing disorders useful to look at.

Teaching Students with Auditory Processing Disorder

Strategies for In-Class Learning:

1. Repeat or rephrase key information throughout your lesson.  (This not only helps APD students, ALL student benefit from repetition of key points)
2. Seat the student close to the teacher and away from doors & windows to help them focus
3. Speak clearly and slowly when teaching and delivering your lessons
4. Provide a signal to indicate that a key point is being made
5. Provide an assistive learning device to help the student to hear the teacher’s voice
6. Use visual tools to support spoken lessons eg whiteboard or computer
7. Teach through use of gestures and images to help the student to understand the important concepts of your lesson

Strategies for Classwork:

1. For independent work, provide a quiet area for your APD student
2. Assign a classmate to share notes with the student
3. Ignore spelling errors in their work
4. Give the student opportunities to show their strengths in class
5. Make sure work instructions are broken down into clear, short, written steps
6. Allow extra time for any tests or exams

Educating Students with a Hearing Impairment

Hearing impairment has recently been in the news, as a 20 minute Short Film called The Silent Child won an Oscar in the 2018 awards.  This film highlights some of the issues around a hearing impaired child, within both the family and starting school.   As educators, it reminds us that we need to put in place a variety of strategies for each hearing impaired student to enable them to learn and thrive.
What’s the difference between APD & a Hearing Impairment?  
Check out this article from Understood to find out more.  The symptoms can be very similar and easily confused, this article will help you to work out which one your student may present with.
Strategies for Teaching students with a Hearing Impairment:
1. Personal Delivery

• Speech – lipreading is exhausting and for this reason, speech needs to be clear and you will need to provide your student with adequate contextual cues to give them the greatest chance of success
• Visibility – the student needs to be able to see your face, remember not to cover it with your hand or a pen.  Think about staying in the same place and not moving your head around too much
• Face – remember to be face to face with the student wherever possible, speak clearly and check comprehension by asking relevant questions
• Position – bring the student towards the front of the class and allow them to tell you where their ideal seat is
• Distractions – wear plain clothes and keep shiny jewellery to a minimum
• Gaining Attention – make sure the student knows that you are starting your lesson and provide them with an agreed signal
• Equipment – the student may need a hearing aid or other type of assistive device to help them (check with the audiologist).  It may also be necessary for you to wear a device to help amplify your speech or have a sign language interpreter with you

2. Presentation

• Context – provide contextual cues and be clear when you are changing the subject
• Structure – follow a structured lesson plan to provide the student with a framework for learning
• Pace – allow extra time for your hearing impaired student to give them chance to assimilate the information you are providing.  Also build in regular breaks in your lesson, this allows your student to have a rest from lipreading
• Contributions – to enable your student to be included, always repeat any questions that come from behind them and only allow one person to speak at a time

3. Use of Visual Aids

• Include into your lessons visual aids to help all of your students, including your hearing impaired student
• Add things in like flash cards, posters, captioned images and captioned videos
• Depending on which system of sign language your student may be learning – include captioned signs and symbols from the system to build up their bank of vocabulary

Remember, when you think there may be any type of hearing impairment, to initially refer to an audiologist.  In school, you may also have a specialist teacher you can contact to discuss the student you have concerns for.
It is vitally important to be provided with the correct equipment for each individual hearing impaired student and this can come from the specialist teacher or audiologist.
As professionals, we must also be in regular contact with parents so that all parties involved with the student can agree and contribute to helping the young person learn and progress, both at school and at home.

Helping Kids with Homework (Part 1)

Written by Deb Hopper

Published in

Printable PDF Available Below

Helping children of all ages settle down and focus on homework after school or on weekends can seem like an impossible task. On week days, children have been concentrating, taking in information for most of the school day and settling back into school work is often the last thing they are wanting to do. Weekends are just for fun.

HELP TO CREATE A LEARNING SPACE

Many teachers these days are providing creative projects such as making up maths games, making recycled craft or asking children to draw a map of their local area, which can be much more fun than traditional homework.
However, whether home work is reading, spelling, maths and traditional bookwork or more creative projects, often the homework battle can feel like a black cloud looming.

HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS THAT MAY ASSIST YOUR CHILD WHEN DOING HOMEWORK

1. Children can experience stress when thinking about starting homework.
Just as adults, if the perceived challenges outweigh the child’s capacity or energy, they can experience stress and become overwhelmed. A fun way to get started is to create a grid of say nine spaces, where the homework for the week (or day for older children) is divided into nine different smaller tasks, which are written onto the grid. The simple act of seeing what homework needs to be completed, can help to reduce some of the stress and not be overwhelmed. It helps the child to pick out one or two activities to start with e.g. writing down spelling words.
Once this is completed, it is crossed out on the grid, so they can see progress, like playing tic-tac-toe. Often after they finish a couple of easy tasks, the challenge of the game kicks in and they want to keep going.
2. Support the sensory needs of your child.
It is also important to support the sensory needs of a child, in preparation for doing homework. After sitting in class for most of the day, it is really important to encourage them to move and ‘fill up’ their nervous system before starting homework. This will help reduce any feelings of being overwhelmed, help them feel grounded, refreshed and help them to be able to focus and complete their homework quicker.
3. When does your child have high energy?
In addition, consider the times of the day when your child has high energy. Are they a night owl or a morning person? If your child is extremely tired in the afternoon/evening, maybe doing reading practice in bed, first thing in the morning, or setting the alarm for an older child for 5.30am, may help them complete assignments in their strength zones.
4. When is the best time for ‘brain work’?
Just as adults are aware of times that are best for ‘brain work’, we can observe our children, suggest and gently guide them to trial different strategies. We have built our own learning strategies over many years. Rather than forcing the issue of homework with our children, let’s support them in looking for their peak performance times and suggest activities and routines that support their
learning and homework practice time.
In the next issue of GHGTM, I will discuss the top six ways to help a child settle into doing their homework with less tears.

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Download your Printable PDF here: SUB 402-SEP Helping Kids with Homework Part 1

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Deb Hopper… Occupational Therapist, author, workshop presenter. Deb is passionate about empowering parents and educators to understand the underlying reasons of why children struggle with behaviour, self-esteem and sensory processing difficulties. A practicing Occupational Therapist, she understands the daily struggles that children, parents and teachers face.
Deb is the co-author of the CD Sensory Songs for Tots, and author of Reducing Meltdowns and Improving Concentration: The Just Right Kids Technique. The Just Right Kids Technique Model can be downloaded at: http://www.lifeskills4kids.com.au/just-right-kids-model/
You can contact Deb on 02 6555 9877. She is available for clinic and phone/ Skype consultations.