TV Really Might Cause Autism
A Slate exclusive: findings from a new Cornell study.
By Gregg Easterbrook
Posted Monday, Oct. 16, 2006, at 6:52 AM ET
Last month, I speculated in Slate that the mounting incidence of childhood autism may be related to increased television viewing among the very young. The autism rise began around 1980, about the same time cable television and VCRs became common, allowing children to watch television aimed at them any time. Since the brain is organizing during the first years of life and since human beings evolved responding to three-dimensional stimuli, I wondered if exposing toddlers to lots of colorful two-dimensional stimulation could be harmful to brain development. This was sheer speculation, since I knew of no researchers pursuing the question.
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3 comments:
That's how i was raised, and i turned out TV.
I don't know how much tv i actually watched, and at what ages, but as i recall, my sister and i would watch 2 movies everyday before we started going to school. I would pick one, and she would pick one. As a result, i've probably seen the land before time well over a hundred times. That is one sweet movie.
LOL! I've seen the Big Lebowski over one hundred times, but that wasn't before I started going to school...it was after I stopped...
don't forget about waking up at the sweet hour of 6 am when we didn't have elementary school till 9 or 10 just to watch those conan the barbarian cartoons. we would set alarm clocks.
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