e-Screen Reduction & Autism
Screen Reduction in Treatment of Young Children with Autism
Connecting Theory, Evidence, and Practice
This web page provides contacts and background information for the hypothesis, for which evidence is quickly growing, that early childhood viewing of television and other electronic screens is an environmental trigger for autism and that eliminating such viewing improves treatment outcomes.
People to Contact
Related Studies
1. Waldman, M., S. Nicholson, and N. Adilov, “Does Television Cause Autism?,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No, 12632, Revised December 2006.
- The most recent version is available here and the original version is available here (NBER)
2. Waldman, M., S. Nicholson, N. Adilov, and J. Williams, “Autism Prevalence and Precipitation Rates in California, Oregon, and Washington Counties,” Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 162, November 2008, pp. 1026-1034.
- The paper is available here
3. Chonchaiya, W., P. Nuntnaraumit, and C. Pruksananonda, “Comparison of Television Viewing Between Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Controls,” Acta Paediatrica, 100, 2011, pp. 1033-1037.
- The paper is available here
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4. Heffler, K. F. and L.M. Oestreicher, “Causation Model of Autism: Audiovisual Brain Specialization in Infancy Competes with Social Brain Network,” Medical Hypotheses, 91, 2016, pp. 114-122.
- The paper is available here
5. Waldman, M., S. Nicholson, and N. Adilov, “Positive and Negative Mental Health Consequences of Early Childhood Television Watching,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 17786, revised February 2017.
- The most recent version is available here, and the original version is available here
6. Marius-Teodor Zamfir, "Stunning STUDY: Kidnapping the Child through the TV"
Ortodox INFO, February 2017
- The article is available here
Selected Videos
Professor Michael Waldman on his Autism Research
Published on Dec 10, 2008
Professor Michael Waldman discusses his research, recently published by the American Medical Association, on possible environmental triggers for childhood autism-spectrum disorders.
Video Virtual Autism
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Published on Jun 27, 2017
Romanian television coverage of the work of Dr. Marius-Teodor Zamfir concerning how screen exposure can trigger “virtual autism” and how screen removal can improve treatment outcomes.
Screens: danger for the 0 to 4-year-olds
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Published on Mar 1, 2017
Dr. Anne-Lise Ducanda discusses the role of screen removal in treating autism which is based on many years treating autistic children.
Autism and Digital Screens
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Published on Apr 6, 2016
Lori Frome, M. Ed., discusses her personal experiences, her experiences as an autism therapist, and theory related to the role of screen removal in the treatment of autism.
Selected Media Coverage and Blog Entries
1. In Search of the Cause of Autism: How About Television?
By Gregg Easterbrook
2. TV Really Might Cause Autism
By Gregg Easterbrook
3. Is an Economist Qualified to Solve Puzzle of Autism?
Wall Street Journal, February 27, 2007
By Mark Whitehouse
(subscription-free version available here)
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4. Does Infant Video Dependence Cause Autism?
Psychology Today, October 24, 2009
By Stanton Peele
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5. Master’s Candidate Studies Relationship Between Autism and Screen Time
6. Autistic Light – A New Neurological Illness in Children Who Watch More than One Hour on Television
7. An Ophthalmologist’s View: Early TV Viewing May be Linked to Autism
Drexel University News Blog, June 9, 2016
By Lauren Ingeno
8. Is there Really a Link Between Autism and Screen Time?
HARKLA Blog, December 23, 2016
By Casey Ames
9. Autism and Screen Time: Special Brains, Special Risks
Psychology Today, December 31, 2016
By Victoria L. Dunckley, M.D.
10. A Romanian Doctor Says He’s Found a Link Between Screen-Time and Autism
By Richard E. Cytowic
11.“Virtual Autism” May Explain Explosive Rise in ASD Diagnoses
Mad in American, August 18, 2017
By Marilyn Wedge, Ph.D.
12. Virtual Autism
13. Addiction to Screens, Serious Illness in Children 0 to 4 Years
By Jean-Yves Nau
14. Alert to Screens for Children
By Sandrine Cabut and Pascale Santi
15. Alert to Nanny Screens
By Tara Schlegel
Michael Waldman, Ph.D.
Charles H. Dyson Professor of Management and Professor of Economics
Johnson Graduate School of Management
Editor, Journal of Labor Economics
Cornell University, Sage Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Tel: (607) 255-8631
Faculty web page here
Sean Nicholson, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of the Sloan Program in Health Administration
Weiss Presidential Fellow
Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University
Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research
2307 MVR Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Tel: 607-254-6498
Email: sn243@cornell.edu
Faculty web page here
Karen F. Heffler, MD
Researcher, Autism Spectrum Disorder
Associate Professor and Director of Research, Ophthalmology
Drexel University College of Medicine
219 N Broad Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
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Lori Frome, M.Ed.
Early Interventionist/Special Instructor
South Central Pennsylvania
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Marius-Teodor Zamfir, M.D.
Expert psychologist- Clinical psychology and judicial psychology Member of the Panel of Expert Psychologists Psychologist & Coordinator Saint Michael's Center for Children with Autism Children in Distress Foundation - Romania
Tel: +40216676433, Mobile +40762818124
Email: sf.mihail@cid.org.ro
Web sites: www.cid.org.ro
Zamfir Ana-Maria, M.D.
Principal Psychologist- Clinical psychology and judicial psychology Member of the Panel of Expert Psychologists Executive Director and Vice-President Association for Child Mental Health
Tel: +40728643414
Email: contact@asmc.ro
Mrs. Anne-Lise Ducanda, M.D.
Physician expert of Child’s Health and Development, French
Médecin de PMI (Essone)
Email: ​aldk@hotmail.fr
Bruno Harlé, M.D.
Child and adolescent psychiatrist and family therapist, French
Pédopsychiatre (centre MGEN pour adolescents Chanay 01420)
Sabine Duflo, M.D.
Clinical psychologist and family therapist, French
Psychologue et thérapeute familial (centre médico psychologique enfants/ados EPS Ville-Evrard)