Autistic Kids Obsess Over Screen Technology

Excerpt from Psych Central: (click for entire article)

A new study finds that autistic kids are fascinated by screen-based technology. In fact, adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) appear to spend a majority of their free time using or watching screen-based media.

“Even though parents and clinicians have often observed that children with ASD tend to be preoccupied with screen-based media, ours is the first large-scale study to explore this issue,” said Micah Mazurek, Ph.D., a University of Missouri assistant professor in the School of Health Professions.

“We found that 64 percent of adolescents with ASD spent most of their free time watching TV and playing video and computer games. These rates were much higher than among those with other types of disabilities. On the other hand, adolescents with ASD were less likely to spend time using email and social media.”