This one just in: Merced doctor’s theory links autism to flood of electronic devices
But Oestreicher thinks the experiences infants have with electronic devices in their first year of life lead to one-way communication. Babies are then not able to develop social communication skills, leading to autism and related disorders, he said.
“During their first year of life, babies should be able to see the lips from the voices they hear, and that’s been a recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics for the last 20 years,” he said.
An infant’s first year of life is critical for them to develop social communication skills, he said.
If they don’t acquire those skills during that critical time period, children could end up developing an autism spectrum disorder, he added. “They will develop difficulties with social skills and become autistic,” he said. “They never learn how to socially communicate.”
Need I point out exactly why this is a pile of absolute rubbish? Tickle-me-Elmo makes kids autistic? Refrigerator-Mother-by-Proxy?
“My hope is that parents around the world will stop exposing their kids to these devices during infancy,” he said. “And that kids will no longer become autistic.”
He’s giving away the first 5,000 copies of his e-book. He’s overcharging.
The Merced Sun-Star (thankfully a small paper) really blew it on this one.