Wired for the Screen: How Early Digital Engagement Impacts Neural Development and Social Reciprocity in Children with Autism.

By: Nathaniel Priyakumar, Oxford Academy

This work did a bibliometric analysis to understand the connection between early digital engagement, emotional regulation, and neurodevelopment in young children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It involved a review of the 100 most-cited peer-reviewed papers from 434 research articles included in the Web of Science. Studies have uniformly reported that increased screen exposure at an early age has been linked to changes in neural development such as decrease in white matter integrity, changes in connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, greater likelihood of delay in communication skills, and emotional dysregulation. Really, digital media can be a valuable learning, communication, and therapeutic resource if it is used in a proper way. Though, excessive or unguided use of digital devices can cause dependency on the digital world that is predictable at the cost of real-life social interactions. A great deal of research work seems to have been carried out on these highly referenced papers. Overall, the results encourage the use of technology in a balanced, stage-appropriate way while stressing the necessity of ongoing exploration of how digital stimulation affects brain development and the development of social-emotional skills of children with ASD.