The pandemic has created a lot of change and hardship for families with a loved one who has autism. Screen time and coronavirus seem to go hand-in-hand. Your child may be engaging in a lot more time on their tablets or smartphones, leading to increased access to social media and the internet in general. Is it too much? What can you do? At Discover Camp Worth in Texas, we can offer suggestions and tools to help improve your needs.
Why Screen Time and Coronavirus Have Become So Linked
Parents need to work from home. The kids are at home, unable to go into their therapy programs or school. When there are periods of isolation like this, it can be hard to create a new routine for everyone. Sometimes, this leads to instances where you need to give your child something to do, even though they want to find something to do on social media. However, there are limited choices for beneficial activities during this global pandemic. This leads to a link between increased screen time and coronavirus.
There are both positive and negative aspects to screen time. Used properly, technology can help to teach your child and support his or her ability to communicate. It can also be unhealthy if they are engaging in it too much, or they are tapping into the wrong types of places on the internet, such as unregulated use of social media.
For those with autism, increasing amounts of screen time and coronavirus isolation seem impossible to overcome. The fact is, you know your child needs to remain engaged, and their screen time may seem to keep them that way. Yet, it is important to know when you’ve crossed the border into too much screen time.
Here are some signs that your child has too much screen time:
- Are you struggling to limit their use? Do they always want access to it?
- Is their use of the internet or screen time contributing to negative behaviors?
- Do they rely on the internet as a way to deal with negative moods?
- Is the quality of their education suffering due to overuse of screen time?
- Are they using screen time so much so that they are not engaging with the world around them?
How to Create Limitations for Social Media and Internet Use
As with all children, placing some limits on internet access can help families to make better decisions about screen time. Consider how much time your child uses these devices. What are they doing otherwise? Could they benefit from time outside or engaging in play? It may be important for older teens to incorporate more educational components into their screen time rather than take away their access fully. To create limits for your child, be sure you consider safety online, too, especially when it comes to social media.
Improving Your Child’s Performance Through Our Help
There will always be a need to work to push your child to the next level, so he or she can achieve more. Sometimes, that means reaching out to a professional to get help. Our team at Discover Camp Worth can help you to do that. We work with children who need a bit more support and guidance to reach their full potential through our autism treatment programs:
- Individual therapy program
- Autism education program
- Functional skills training program
- Family counseling program
Get Support for Your Child with Autism at Discover Camp Worth
While screen time and coronavirus may have made some changes in your routine, there are tools to help children with autism engage more fully. From using apps to social media, it is important to know what to expect from your teen with autism. When you need some help and support, reach out to Discover Camp Worth in Texas. Call us at 855.915.2545 or reach out to us online now.
