Virtual Autism: What to Look For. What to Do.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi everyone! If you watch our videos and read thru the comments and think this is worthwhile, please subscribe to the Durable Human channel. We need 500+ kind folks to sign up so we can form an official community!! Thanks in advance for your help making it happen!

[@divyadasi1717]

I am having the same experience as said in the video and Every word in the video is worth listening to. I wish you make more videos regarding activities to do after screen removal and thing to do to take that progress going on.

[@LilianaPacheco-k7p]

Hi, hope all is well. How is your child doing now after screen removal?

[@chandra0107]

How is your little one doing after screen removal?

[@hmt2210]

My son used to speak a whole sentence and communicate verbally non-verbal. And then we saw the regression when he was around 2. It is all our fault as in this work from home culture handing over the mobile phone was the easiest way for us to manage. Feel like a sinister. Your video gives hope. Keep up the good work helping parents like us....

[@darlingfeudjio7664]

Similar case with my son. I have been blaming myself for so long. I pray God everyday fir him to forgive me. I thought giving him phone and tablet was the best thing to do to help but I was instead causing deeper problems

[@meep00t]

How is ur son now?

[@bellgomez5634]

My child will be 3 in a couple days . When he was an infant I would sing to him and he would babble back and look me in the eyes . He would say mama , papa , water and we would praise him . He loved outdoor activities, playground and would do good around other kids , but would not play with them . Fast forward I got a job and babysitter would let him have to much screen time and I myself would allow him to be on screen time while I got busy with chores . I then noticed he wouldn’t respond to his name , or even make eye contact as he would when he has an infant. We noticed he would flap his arms when he would get over excited as he would watch videos on KZbin and he would tap on me or object toys . I decided to be a stay home mom and work on helping him improve his language, so he’s learned alphabet, shapes objects animals and recognizes objects and point them out when I read to him . I’ve had him say ice cream and when he wants ice cream he will say ice cream , chicken nuggets and apple Juice and that’s it . If he wants water he will bring it up to me and I will Repeat water as I’m giving him water . He will look me in the eye and watch my mouth as I speak . But he’s still not talking or eating. January of this current year 2024 he stopped eating and started being selective with foods . Is it possible it’s virtual autism? I’m not very familiar with autism and trying to better understand this topic to help my child .

[@shanzayshanu2645]

Start speech therapy

[@LilianaPacheco-k7p]

It has been a month and half since we stopped screen time for my now 21 month old. My LO now has great eye contact and response to name. It has been a week since she started pointing to what she wants (I was really waiting for the pointing) as is a form of communication. She now has less meltdowns sense she can now point to what she wants. Still has no words although she started babbling more now. This journey has been a rollercoaster but replacing screen time with more face-to-face interaction has made such a difference in my little girl. I can’t believe how much progress she has made. Thank you for all the information you provide to help a little ones thrive.

[@glazelrabbon4574]

Hi, my daughter is the same age as your little one, what was her symptoms before you removed all screens? Thank you.

[@LilianaPacheco-k7p]

@@glazelrabbon4574 -not much eye contact or response to name -no joint attention -would not bring toys to me -no pointing -no waving -no receptive and expressive language -no babbling -would line up toys Now, 3 months later all those symptoms went away. She’s starting to understand simple commands like “throw it in the trash” “pick it up” etc. She still has no words but she babbles a lot now and has learn some sign language which she uses to communicate and that has helped a lot with the meltdowns which she used to have a lot of, now she has the normal toddler meltdowns/tantrums. She brings me toys to play with her she loves being around people now. Waves to say hi and bye.

[@LilianaPacheco-k7p]

Poor eye contact No response to name No pointing Did not like people Line up toys No talking not even babbling She’s is now the complete opposite of those things. She is like a different child. But it was not just taking the screens away, we started interacting with her a lot. A lot of play time everyday, going to parks almost everyday. She is not talking yet but she is imitating a lot of animal sounds and gestures. She had a lot meltdowns for the first 2 months of screen removal. Now she has normal toddler meltdowns/tantrums. It was the hardest 2 months but so worth it.

[@werejodelle]

Hi hows yoir baby now

[@LilianaPacheco-k7p]

@@werejodelleshe is improving everyday. She is not fully talking yet but has a few words now like “mama, papa, hi, Wawa (water), ball and wow. For us these few words mean a lot because I thought she would never talk. Tries to repeat some other words now but she is not very consistent with them so that’s why I didn’t mention them. She also Imitates some animal sounds. Likes to interact with other people and play with other kids. She no longer lines up toys. A big one for us was when she started pretend play. I don’t really see any autism trays anymore except for the speech delay. Although the progress ahas been slow is definitely there. It has been 8 months since we stopped screen time.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Here's the new one! Your thoughts welcome! Also - let us know if you'd be willing to share your story with DH viewers in an upcoming webinar!

[@gulfeshanrizwan9137]

Thank u lori frome for actually mentioning my son's problem that was me who wrote that crib and screen story on durable page. This is gull from duable human page . You made me more confident after mentioning me in ur webinar that its VA and i will revive my child soon thank u so much for all this information . I believe every word u say as it is happening with my child .

[@ScreenFree4ASD]

@@gulfeshanrizwan9137 we are so grateful that you are willing t share your story so openly. Thank you for being a help to so many on the Durable Human page about virtual autism through sharing and helping others with your experience.

[@esranurborekci5020]

@@ScreenFree4ASD Hello Lori. First of all ı want to thank you as a mother. My son is 31 months now. He was good till 2 years and has a huge vocabulary but he didnt make sentences. Then he had echolalia. We tought he started to speak but then ı realized that it isnt a functional speak. He was saying "i will give you water" when he wanted to water. He didnt respond his name sometimes, he didnt point with his finger but he had eye contact and he was aware of what is going on around hım. A month ago when he was 30 months we went to doctors. A doctor said he is mild autistic but the others said "he has eye contact, that is not autism." When ı did some researchs ı learn virtual autism thanks to you. My son was watching cartoons on mobile. We have turned all screens off a month ago. We are playing with hım, bring hım outside everyday and we start to speak with hım as he cannot understand anything. We can see some differences. He started make sentences when he want something or see something he knows.. But echolalia is still there. He loves parks, children and playing games. What do you think about my son. Can it be virtual autism? If it so is echolalia can dissapear? Have you ever worked with a child has echolalia like my son? I am so upset about whether his language turned into a real speach..

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hello viewers and readers! Here is a list of all the helpful resources Lori Frome pointed us to in "Virtual Autism: What to Look For. What to Do" and young child development in general. Thank you for all your guidance, Lori! durablehuman.com/LoriList2

[@ciscokidd3269]

I would really like to share my sons story . He was diagnosed over 10 years ago at about 1.5 years old. He’s now 12 and you would never think he was ever on the spectrum. I would like to share our experience and how my son was able to “overcome” autism and live a “normal” life . People probably think I’m crazy lol but I promise you’re going to want to hear what I have to say . My son is living proof ❤️ I can’t believe I came across this KZbin channel. So awesome knowing I’m not alone :)

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi @@ciscokidd3269. Sure, go ahead and share! Anxious to hear your story.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

@@ciscokidd3269 Checking back in. We are planning on doing a webinar featuring parents and their stories. Would you want to share in that setting?

[@thedurablehuman2814]

@@ciscokidd3269 Would definitely like to hear you son's story. Please DM to let us know how to contact you, or just reply here.

[@ashu_md_chem]

Thanks for such an informative session (youtube) and great applause for your efforts to spread the awareness. My son is recently diagnosed with the risk of autism spectrum disorder. He is 22 months old on May 15. I suspect that this is Virtual Autism and we have stopped TV and any screen for the last five weeks along with spending 3-4 hours in the park and outside locations daily. During this time he has stopped many behaviors. The main priorities we have is eating without distraction, receptive speech, and social aspects. My baby makes throws or falls off everything in his reach from his eye level to follow its speed and noise. Many times two similar objects with both hands. In fact the same with sand and soil too, he makes it slowly goes off his wrist full of soil/sand from both hands. So it seems a repetitive behavior aspect and how can I creatively turn it for him. Best, Ashu

[@PriyankaSingh-ob2vn]

How is ur baby now??

[@vignanigangadari9814]

Hi asu, how is your son doing now. Are you still maintaining zero screen time?

[@ashu_md_chem]

My son is 28 months now. So here are a few thoughts on my son's journey. After getting the diagnosis (21 months), I removed the screens completely in mid-April, 2022. Also all electronic toys by mid-May after reading the book Reset your Child's brain. At that time my son was the flat face and not responding anyway. Also, his sleep was really disturbed and less in hours (like 6-7 hours). It's been around 8 months and the progress is slow. I followed what Lori had suggested no/zero screen + no electronic toys + plenty of one-to-one, playtime, and nature time (3 to 4 hours daily on average, the more is better though). Fortunately, his smile is back and he is responding to name 60%. His hyperactivity is reduced and positive changes in eye contact. He doesn't play with kids but he tolerates/likes them now. He doesn't imitate/speak yet but asks for something by dragging us to the thing. Some of his behaviors are settled and some go and come again. We are maintaining zero screens and more one-to-one interaction. Hoping to update more positive changes next time.

[@vignanigangadari9814]

@@ashu_md_chem Thankyou for the reply. May god bless the little one.

[@vignanigangadari9814]

@@ashu_md_chem my son keeps almost everything in mouth and throws off everything from his reach.How did u stop this behavior? Andcalso do you recommend daycare for 2 hours ?

[@LilianaPacheco-k7p]

My daughter is 20 months old and I have removed screen time for about 3 weeks and have seen improvement in eye contact and when I call her name and more engagement. But she has so many meltdowns now.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hello! Sending you huge congratulations for realizing your daughter is being affected by screen viewing and for taking the huge and important step of removing screen time. Please, please have patience as you stay the course. Many parents have realized that it takes about as much time for troubling behavior to go away as it did for it to arrive. That means, if she was over-watching screens for 6 months, for instance, it will take about six months of non-screen living for symptoms to greatly improve. Make sure and watch all the Virtual Autism videos, including by mom Robin, for inspiration. You can also ask Robin questions by making a comment on the post durablehuman.com/VirtualAutism.

[@LilianaPacheco-k7p]

Thank you! I watched all the videos you suggested and they I have helped me so much. I will keep going and do what your videos suggest.

[@palisadessilver2258]

I developed autistic-like symptoms after developing a screen addiction in my teenage years, especially sensory issues. It was also around the same time that we got Wifi in the house and my parents put the router in my room (Yikes)... It is possible that I was somewhere on the spectrum before, but the symptoms were so mild that nobody picked up on it and it never caused me much of an issue before. I'm in my 20s now and I've long suspected that there was a relation between by symptoms and screen time/electronics. I've done a few strict 'screen fasts' which has helped profoundly and I'm basically recovered now. A lot of autistic people and parents are offended by the information in this video, but I find it tremendously encouraging! Thank you Lori for sharing your story.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi @Palisades Silver. Wow - thanks for writing in with your candid thoughts. Great to learn how you've made peace with technology through your fasts and overall introspection. I wish people weren't offended by the videos, which is certainly not our intent. The term "virtual autism" was coined by a Romanian specialist and has stuck to describe this emerging condition. It's really about how a screen-intensive environment (and the consequent lack of face-to-face IRL play and interaction) affects the very young brain. Not about "autism," per se. Just the display of "autistic-like symptoms." Another term used is "electronic screen syndrome" (ESS). See the book "Reset Your Child's Brain" by Victoria Dunckley, M.D. Thank you again for your time and kindness. Glad you are here.

[@pawandeepkaur5826]

Hii dear my 2.4 year old daughter have autism like symptoms I’m sure she have virtual autism because her screen time was 9 to 10 hours now . I noticed when she was 20 months old then i started reducing it now is completely stopped. I see lots of changes in her like she interact with father,brother and uncle now before she wants only me .sometimes she like to play with my son running or jumping. But I see lots of new symptoms related to autism after stopping screen like uneven laughing. Corner eyes.much hyperactive.forget words that she spoke before is it possible in virtual autism or it’s classical.and ecololia also after stopped screen please answer

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hello! Thank you for your questions. The following answer comes from Robin, a mom who has been in your same position: "Hello, I have been through the screen removal process with my own son who was showing autism symptoms. He is now fine. It is great that your daughter has shown improvement since removing screens. That is a sign that this is the right path for her. It is very common for autistic symptoms to seem to worsen at first when removing screens. This is called stimming, and is a self-soothing behavior these kids use when they're feeling stressed. The eye corner, the laughing, all of it you mentioned are stims. My name is Robin and my son's story is also under this channel on a video titled A Mother Speaks. Please also join us on the Durable Human website. There is a blog post with lots of collected information on virtual autism titled: Virtual Autism: A New Threat to Toddlers. There you can read lots of information on virtual autism as well as join in the comments section where parents support each other."

[@YellowheadHomestead]

Thank you for making this video! We have a 20 month old who was showing many red flags for autism after watching about 2 hours of repeative television per day since age 1. Two months ago we cut out all screen time, removed electronic toys and stopped playing all music/radio in the house. After greatly increasing her social engagement, we have seen some significant improvements. I'm wondering if/when we can start introducing recorded music back into her environment? She loves music and dances anytime she hears it at church or out in the community. Thanks!

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi, Audrey. It's so wonderful to hear about your daughter's great progress! This is what Lori Frome has said regarding your question: "We find best outcomes and more rapid improvements for children affected by virtual autism when the radio or synthetic music that doesn’t match up with the environmental events is removed. Live music and playing instruments is a wonderful activity but our recommendation based on client treatment is to keep things like the radio off." Generally, it takes more than a couple of months for children to fully respond to screen removal, so giving her a few more months would seem to be the best approach before introducing recorded music. Do you play an instrument? She would probably be delighted if you played and sang with her. Even a little toy xylophone could be fun!

[@YellowheadHomestead]

@@thedurablehuman2814 thanks for the response!

[@glazelrabbon4574]

@@YellowheadHomesteadhi! how is your daughter doing now?

[@yangiblon5587]

How can I know my 3 year old boy is virtual autism or class autism. My son start watching mobile at the age of 6 month

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi, @Yangi Blon and thanks for your interest. I would encourage you to watch both of Lori Frome's videos on this channel and download the materials she recommends. You will see that she doesn't want parents to focus on a particular term, but to be guided by the child's behavior. By following her suggestions (which are based on research by other early childhood behavioral specialists) you will see how your child responds when stopped from exposure to any screen media and electronic toys in the household and elsewhere while greatly increasing face-to-face interaction with people such as yourself, through talking, play, reading, and involvement in everyday routines. Feel free to stay in touch and be sure to read through the comments of other parents following this issue here at The Durable Human.

[@tabassumfatima8392]

Hi....can removal of screen time will be effective after five years??

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi @Tabassum Fatima. This is a very new area of study and observation, but Lori Frome son's Max does indicate that the screen removal/high social interaction protocol does stick!!

[@thedurablehuman2814]

That said, she has made sure that Max has continued to be as screen-free as possible, even in school.

[@maryamali3347]

What about teenagers with autism?im special educator and teach young adults 14-25 autistic teens. Many parents informed me that their children are using a lot of the iPad. If they were to remove do you think there will be improvement? Can you touch upon the teens as well pls thanks

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi, thanks for writing in. Jenifer here. While we wait for Lori to give her opinion, take a look at this video by Dr. Temple Grandin, autistic adult and award-winning professor and inventor. She has strong opinions about autistic people and technology use. Grateful nod to Hilary Wilkinson of @HealthyScreenHabitsPodcast for inviting Dr. Grandin on: www.healthyscreenhabits.org/episode-6-technology-autism-the-outdoor-scientist-dr-temple-grandin

[@ScreenFree4ASD]

Hi Maryam- I am not specialized in the area of teenager with autism and screen removal although I do work with autistic teens and educational behavioral outcomes using an ABA approach. The two resources I just posted in the comments may be able to advise you on your questions. Thanks you so much for your interest and your service with your students, their families, and this population of wonderful people.

[@maryamali3347]

Thank you very much Ms Jenifer. I have just purchased the outdoor scientist book. I have also shared with my students parents. One parent informed me today that she never heard before virtual autism and she stated that she will implement outdoor programs for her ASD 17 years old son and instead of using his IPad 5 hours a day she will give him during the weekend. She also stated that she will keep journal and let me know if there is any small changes in him and progress. I am really happy to share your valuable knowledge sharing with my young adults parents. Thank you

[@maryamali3347]

Thank you very much Ms Lori for the knowledge sharing.

[@manishasood2316]

Amazing session. Thank-you so much for this information. My son is 2.10 years old and I started noticing something was wrong when he was 2.6 and not communicating (just singing his rhymes and continuously speaking A-Z) I eliminated his screen time 100% and started interacting with him and I have seen a major difference within 2 months. Just wanted to know when should I stop worrying that he is on a right path or not because after 4 months he has changed but now it is stagnant. Some days are good but some days are just hopeless. Sometimes I just think I failed as a mother.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hey, it's Jenifer. I just have to send you all sorts of virtual hugs as a way to say keep on and feel PROUD you have discovered this path to helping your son. Please remember it *takes time* for screen removal and increased interaction to take root and really begin to flower! 💐As Lori recommends, keep a journal that you add to every month or so and you will probably be surprised by your son's progress. You can also use the assessment tool to keep track of specific areas for improvement: www.childbrain.com/patient-education/the-asd-assessment-scale-screening-questionnaire/ But please take heart - and stay in touch! There are lots of lovely parents just like you with us on this channel.

[@reena7856]

How is your baby now??

[@reena7856]

How is ur baby now

[@___Anakin.Skywalker]

Is TV playing KZbin considered a screen, or is it just tablets and smartphones?

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi! Yes, TV playing on KZbin is definitely considered a screen. In fact, watching KZbin videos over and over is what can lead some babies and toddlers to develop the autistic-like symptoms that characterize Virtual Autism. Their brains are developing at a tremendously fast rate and are very influenced by their environment (what they do and are surrounded by). It's very important that they have back-and-forth interactions with loving people so they can watch real faces to learn how to talk and build heart-to-heart loving attachments. They don't get that from screens. Watching repetitive content can really slow and/or interfere with their brain and their social-emotional development.

[@___Anakin.Skywalker]

@@thedurablehuman2814 hi thank you for responding. I'm really frustrated with what happened to my only son. He's 3 and 6 months now, and was diagnosed with ASD. I'm suspecting it not really real ASD, but virtual autism because of excessively and constant screen time we introduced to him at a very young age. We thought we'd KZbin would accelerate his learning and make him intelligent, but we were so regretfully wrong. We caused him terrible harm and stunted his development. He's into Occupational Therapy right now and he's barely making improvements after one month. actually I enrolled him to 2 occupational therapist, 5x a week but he's slow to catch up. I'm very angry and extremely frustrated with what happened. I'm sorry for ranting...

[@thedurablehuman2814]

@@___Anakin.Skywalker Thank you for writing back, which takes courage. Have you tried full screen removal yet? Including TV on in the background and no electronic toys? He will also need lots of play and interaction every day with you and others, such as siblings or relatives. Your therapists may not have suggested this.

[@chandra0107]

@@___Anakin.Skywalkerhow is your son doing now? How is the progress? Your response will be greatly appreciated and hope to parents in similar situation.

[@nardosgizawe5512]

How long it takes to recover from virtual autism??

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi. Thanks for writing in. It usually takes at least as long to undo screen-related autistic-like symptoms as it did for them to form. For example, if a child has excess screen exposure for 9 months, it will take at least 9 months to unwind the symptoms. Patience and diligence is needed, but other parents like you report the effort is incredibly worth it! Please view all the videos available here and read everything at durablehuman.com/ToddlerScreenSyndrome. Wishing you the BEST - and feel free to keep in touch!

[@esranurborekci5020]

Please response. I feel guilty and very upset. Does screen exposure cause delayed echolalia? My 2,6 boy has both immadiate and delayed echolalia. After ı watched your video we removed all electronic devices and toys. We realized that he cannot understand what we say and ask he just echoing them. Today is 4. week without screen and more social interaction he still has echolalia but uses his own sentences too. What do you think about it may be virtual or classical autism? Could his delayed echolalia dissapear completely?

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi Esranur - hope your son is progressing. Just wrote this at durablehuman.com/VirtualAutism in answer to a reader's question about Echolalia. Echolalia -- the repeating back of words, noises and phrases -- often occurs among children as they learn to talk. According to the website Healthline: "Repetitive speech is an extremely common part of language development and is commonly seen in young toddlers who are learning to communicate. By the age of 2, most children will start mixing in their own utterances along with repetitions of what they hear. By age 3, most children’s echolalia will be minimal at most." Because it is very common in kids learning to talk, yes, echolalia may happen during recovery. Please watch this video for tips about reducing echolalia in your little one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKWVp4h4pNp3ZsU Have hope - and hope this helps!

[@satenderdrall1031]

Hlo mam I am Satender from India. My son was normal upto the age of 20 months. He watch mobile n tv more than 3 hrs from 15 months of age mostly cartoon show and other language catoon too. But, he start regression after that, lost his speech slowly, play alone, no eye contact n responding to his name. He is now 2 years n 10 months old. Screen time is zero from last 2 weeks. I saw some improvement like eye contact is improved, sometimes responding his name, less hyper, play in park (mostly running n play on swings). Will he became normal? How much time it will take to improvement in his language skiIls it classical or virtual autism? Plz reply mam. His score is 32.5 on autism test. Doctors prescribed occupational therapy.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi Satender. Wonderful to hear your son is making improvements! Please listen to both of Lori Frome's videos. She makes it clear it will take time for improvements to continue. She asks you to please have patience and stick with screen removal as you greatly increase your face to face, reading and play interaction with him. She doesn't want you to worry about labels, but to keep moving forward. His behavior will give you your answer over time. Thanks for writing in. Good luck and feel free to keep in touch!

[@merry4042]

How is your son doing?

[@ferishtaganga8920]

@Satender Drall, how is your son now. Anymore improvements. My daughter has been off screens for over 6 weeks. Has more eye contact, but still little interaction and no words.

[@apoorvgiri1548]

How to identify it's virtual or classic? My son was developing normal till 14-15 months , his eye contact, name response was very good and started speaking some words but then screen time increased and he regressed.But after screen removal and intervention in last two months he is showing improvements in all areas but speak meaningless & do self talk and do not point index figer but shows anything using his hand. Please advise it's virtual or classic? He is 2.6 now

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi, you are doing exactly what you need to do to help your son, so keep it up! Lori often says we can't get hung up on labels, but we need to spend our energy and time on play, talking and other interaction with your son and keeping him away from screens. The process took a while to happen so will take time and patience for him to improve. Hope you listened to the webinar all the way through. There are lots of resources in there that can help.

[@satenderdrall1031]

How is your son now... Is he progressing?

[@apoorvgiri1548]

@@satenderdrall1031 yes he is progressing.His understanding & imitation has improved a lot now started picking & speaking some words.

[@reena7856]

@@apoorvgiri1548 how long its take time improve?

[@___Anakin.Skywalker]

@@reena7856 30-45 days , but she said that you can see improvements after 1 week

[@stephyrebello9922]

My son is also having same problem. During 1.5 years old he is normal but during corona time he use Mobile for 4-6 hours in a day and he completely lost his eye contact. He is not at all response to his name and showed some autistic symptoms so at the age of 3.5 I've completely stopped his screen time and consulted a therapist they told that he doesn't have autism but shows some symptoms related to autism. Within 2 months of training itself we can see some visible improvements in his behaviour and now after 6 months he got his eye contact he speaks his needs in a sentence and respond to all the commands.I make him to sit in preschool and he started to play and sit with others.But some time he use bla bla language and give reply without rethinking. How much time will it take to become completely normal

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi, Stephy. Thanks very much for writing! It's wonderful to hear you have discovered how to help your son. Have you had a chance to watch the entire webinar, "Virtual Autism: What to Look For. What to Do"? Please take a look through and Lori will assure you that (1) you are on the right track! and (2) improvement does take months. It is a gradual process. Developmental Specialist Lori Frome mentions a number of resources that can help you keep track of his development and areas where he may need special attention. Wishing you lots of patience and success!

[@stephyrebello9922]

@@thedurablehuman2814 I would like to watch the entire webinar

[@reena7856]

How is ur baby now...what therapy u did for ur baby... pls give me ideas for eye contact

[@stephyrebello9922]

@@reena7856 hi ..he is improving day by day, I've consulted speech therapist only because during that time he was not at all able to communicate with us in a word.For eye contact therapist gave some tips ie, 1) when they approach us for any need we won't give that object unless they look in to our eyes 2) still if they are not looking at you.before giving those objects you have to keep those object near to your eyes and try to communicate/ or ask whether you need this like that. Always when you are trying to communicate with your child at any kind make him to attract your eyes by showing any actions or by using these two method. I and family tried these methods and got good results.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

@@stephyrebello9922 Thank you for your excellent tips! Getting down to their level to talk also makes it easier to have them look directly into your eyes. Love, love, love your questions @sfz and answers, Stephy! And how wonderful for your babies that you are so thoughtful!

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Highly recommend everyone here to watch the excellent expert panel discussion on early screen viewing on KZbin @Children and Screens channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3a6eoGNlL6WjNE

[@zuhahussain5606]

Ma'am can you please send me your email id or any other contact detail where you are active

[@mukhabbatosman8937]

I have 18 months old having same symptoms no eye contact no reaction to his name:(( pls tell me what should i do??? I can not teach him anything since he doesnt look at me :((((((

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi Mukhabbat Osman. Thank you for writing in. I understand that you feel terrified at this point. On this channel and on the post durablehuman.com/VirtualAutism you can find lots of information and resources to help. The protocol you may want to try is to make sure your child has lots of social interaction with you and others and that you stop all of your child's exposure to screens, electronic toys, even TV on in the background that the child doesn't appear to be watching. If you look through the comments here, other parents have gone through the same thing you are going through. You'll see that they think that protocol is worth a try! In Lori's webinar "What to Look For. What to Do," she has some ways you can get your child to look at you. Give them a try - and best of luck to you!!

[@azamatesenkulov8050]

Remove everything that taking his attention, be with him 24/7, comment everything you or he does, will be very hard at the beginning but you gotta deal with it

[@sharwarink]

My child achieved all his milestones at right age till the age of 20 months - walking, talking, eye contact, bilateral communication, pointing, clapping, imitating etc. He had advanced vocabulary like crocodile, butterfly, hedgehog etc. But then gradually his language regressed. Now at 2.6 years he is not responding to name, not following any commands, stimming (runs around in circles, flapping hands), has only handful of vocabulary. What worries me is that he has stopped imitating. But he still has reasonable eye contact, good motor skills, is not ritualistic, and is open to new experiences. How do I know if it is virtual or classic autism? He had lot of screen time from age of 11 months.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi Sharwari angal, thank you for writing and for realizing what may be causing your son's change in behavior. You didn't mention if you have stopped all his exposure to screens and electronic toys at this point and substituted lots of face to face talking and play time with you and other loved ones. Have you tried that yet?

[@sharwarink]

@@thedurablehuman2814 thank you for your reply. We are working on reducing his screen time. We have cut it down quite a lot but it is still not zero yet which is our goal. But with increased interaction we noticed that his attention span has increased. We are struggling to get his attention to play. Even though he does not play with his toys inappropriately, getting him to play with them is a tough task.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

@@sharwarink Thank you for writing back. Great to hear you are increasing your face-to-face interaction with him and working to reduce screen time. I encourage you to listen to Lori's 2nd webinar especially. It will take time (months) for your son's behavior to improve, just as it took time to change in the first place. Is the problem with cutting back on screen time because of his reluctance to stop or the family's use of screens in the household, such as having the TV on?

[@sharwarink]

@@thedurablehuman2814 thank you for your reply. The reason we have not achieved zero screen time so far is because we don’t know how to fill his time when we are unable to provide rich social interactions like when we are working by ourselves, working with his brother on his homework etc. If we let him be without any screen he spends his time running around in circles ( stimming). How do others manage this?

[@thedurablehuman2814]

@@sharwarink I hear you about your situation. Let me check in with Lori about this and we'll get back to you. In the meantime, you might try to give him a set of blocks to play with, or fill a low drawer with fun items he can pull out and examine.

[@vandanasingh-kn9lp]

My child is always talking about Avengers ,how to distract him.

[@thedurablehuman2814]

Hi Vandana! Some ideas here for doing something else besides screens (which includes providing distractions!): durablehuman.com/BabyBloomers

[@neeluthakur718]

Does child keep singing rhymes and mostly in his own world also experienced by any

[@chikooandkinoovlogs5863]

Yes...It is considered as verbal stimming

[@neeluthakur718]

any idea how long does it take to go.any tips to stop the same for 3 year toddler

[@chikooandkinoovlogs5863]

@@neeluthakur718 whenever he does verbal stimming distract his mind..Like start talking to him in some other topic or if he sings you also sing along.. Swinging is also good for verbal stimming..Daily 45 mins

[@ScreenFree4ASD]

I recommend after removing all screen time a technique called joining. I have had much success with my own son and other children joining the child in this singing at there level…meaning trying to make eye contact, smile, see this experience that they look at as “fun” in their eyes and join them for a social connection. Thank you to everyone else who commented that is sharing there methods and ideas for support!

[@chikooandkinoovlogs5863]

@@ScreenFree4ASD My son was totally non-verbal,no eye contact and 0 receptive language till 17th November 2021.I totally stopped his screen time and within 3 months..He has good eye contact, Response to name,listen commands.

[@foreverandever261]

I was adamant about my twins not having any screen time before the age of two after reading about babies development during my pregnancy. I read and sang to them even before they were born and were very engaging with me after birth. By 6 months they would babble and say the usual words like dada, mama, baba and would even call out for me saying mama.. By the time they were 7 months though, I was burnt out and exhausted and turned on something for them to watch. I thought an hour wouldn't hurt just so I could have a break, but then an hr turned into 2 while doing chores and cooking, eventually the TV would be on in the background and I only turned it off during reading time. A couple of months later I noticed my twins behavior changed and they went through regression. My youngest twin would not look anyone in the eyes and showed other autism signs. Before I stumbled on you guys, I asked her to be evaluated, but doctors told me it was too early and they could start looking into evaluating her at 18 months. They're 14 months now and I switched off all screens 2 weeks ago. I played more intently with them and spent more 1 on 1 time with each of them. About 3 days later my youngest suddenly looked up at me and stared at me as if she saw me for the time, while reading to her. This made me so emotional and I couldn't stop sobbing, blaming myself for letting watch TV in the first place. She then started saying mama and baba again, but only twice in the last two weeks. Her sister has been babbling more and improved on her motor skills. The hardest thing is family opinions and trying to tune them out and staying positive for my little girls. I'm hopeful that a few months down the line it will have only been virtual autism and nothing more. I will get them evaluated, just in case, but I'm hopeful nonetheless. Thank you so much ❤️

[@thedurablehuman2814]

What beautiful, brave testimony, Yasmin! We are so glad you stumbled upon us! To help you with your journey, make sure to see durablehuman.com/VirtualAutism and download durablehuman.com/BabyBloomers and durablehuman.com/LoriList2 You can track your daughters' progress with the Assessment Tool in LoriList 2. We are with you!

[@lovelylanicee1549]

@Keith workshop what kind of herbs? I’m interested to know for my 2 year old

[@geelishis]

@@lovelylanicee1549 it s a scam

[@lovelylanicee1549]

@@geelishis damn. Thanks for that

[@ferishtaganga8920]

@Yasmin A. How are your twins doing now?

[@fixitright9709]

All parents listen closely! If you believe your child exhibiting symptoms of Autism go see a professional! In person! A psychiatrist or psychologist who specialize and as well-versed in autism spectrum disorders...

[@dianahussain5066]

Yay!!