MIAMI (OSV News) – Two key educators from Head Start of Miami-Dade County in South Florida and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami are concerned about a rise in the number of children with specific developmental disabilities and special needs.
The exact causes are still a matter of speculation, but it is believed that the main causes of this trend are the excessive time spent on electronic devices by very young people. The aftermath of the coronavirus-related lockdowns in 2020 and reduced in-person socialization may also be the main drivers.
Maria Riestra-Quintero, president of the Florida Head Start Association, who spoke at a conference in Miami on August 9, spoke to Florida Catholic, the news channel of the Archdiocese of Miami, about her concerns.
“We’ve seen an increase recently in children with developmental delays of all kinds – mainly in language and speech, and we believe this is related to the use of tablets in the early years of life,” she said, adding that 90 percent of the brain “develops in the first five years of life, and a child with an (electronic device) tablet has no feedback loop.”
“When we have a conversation, I ask you questions and you answer me. That’s what we call a feedback loop, and that’s how receptive and expressive language is developed,” says Riestra-Quintero, assistant director of early childhood programs in the Head Start/Early Head Start division of the Miami-Dade County Department of Community Action and Human Services.
She points to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s screen time guidelines, which provide detailed recommendations for managing a child’s screen time in an age-appropriate manner.
Screen time includes interaction with smartphones, tablets, game consoles, televisions and computers.
The Academy recommends:
— Limit screen use to video chats with an adult (e.g., an out-of-town parent) until age 18 months.
– Between 18 and 24 months, screen time should be limited to watching educational programmes accompanied by a caregiver.
– Limit non-educational screen time for children ages 2 to 5 to about one hour per weekday and three hours on weekends.
In the United States, children ages 8 to 12 spend an average of four to six hours a day watching TV or watching screens, and teenagers spend up to nine hours a day watching TV or watching screens. While screens can entertain, educate and keep children engaged, too much of them can cause problems, according to the academy.
The consequences of overuse can include sleep disturbances, poor school performance, poor reading habits, less time for socializing, reduced outdoor activities and physical activity, obesity, mood swings, and low self-esteem and body image issues.
“When you use a tablet, you have receptive language but not expressive language, so you can’t express yourself,” Riestra-Quintero said. “You listen, you absorb, but when it comes to expressing your feelings, your emotions, and being able to communicate, we see many students coming to school with a bigger gap since COVID,” she said.
Riestra-Quintero recommends that children under two years old avoid using tablets and spending time on screens. As they get older, screen use should be well monitored and limited.
Evelyn Molina, regional director of Head Start programs at Miami Catholic Charities, who was named Head Start Director of the Year for Miami-Dade County this year, told The Florida Catholic that about 10% of Head Start student spots are reserved for students with special needs.
“What’s new this past year – and we’re going to see it again this year – is that many children are coming out of the pandemic with behavioral issues, speech delays and occupational therapy needs, and many children with autism and behavioral issues,” Molina said. “That’s added another level of training that we need to provide teachers in dealing with these special needs,” she added.
“Some were probably young children who were often left home alone during the pandemic and didn’t have other children to socialize with. Now they have to adjust to the (in-person) routine,” she said. “We monitor our students for 30 to 45 days and if we see an identifiable need beyond that, we partner with outside agencies that come into the program to provide services on-site. That requires (community) partnerships.”
Moreover, education and cell phones in general are at odds with each other, according to a Pew Research Center analysis released as more public school districts consider smartphone bans.
According to USA Today, in 2023, Florida became the first state to require its public schools to ban students from using cell phones in class.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently called for a law banning smartphones in schools, saying they could be addictive. And USA Today reported that lawmakers in at least half a dozen other states are considering passing similar legislation this year.
One of the largest school districts in the country, the Los Angeles Unified School District, voted on June 18 to ban the use of cell phones and social media platforms during the school day.
These websites offer tips for developing healthy technology use: https://www.commonsensemedia.org; http://www.connectsafely.org; http://www.cyberwise.org; and https://cyberbullying.org.
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