I have already resigned myself to the fact that my son will likely have ADHD, and I especially think this after reading a recent article in the Toronto Star.
According to the article, exposing your child to television before the age of 2 can in all likelihood lead to them having ADHD.
I have read articles like this before, but haven't really given much thought, until I started my own little research project.
One of the article's sources, a pediatrician, noticed that his colicky baby developed a taste for CNN. He noticed that his baby would calm down once he got view of the television, even though his child had no idea what he was watching. This doctor discovered that its the bright colours and quick movements on the tube which attract those little eyes. I can't believe this guy spent how many years in school to become a doctor to just suddenly discover that babies are attracted to bright colours and quick movements. I guess the fact that all baby toys are brightly coloured didn't clue him in before, but that's not really here, nor there. Anyway the article states that this over-stimulation from watching television, be it CNN or Baby Einstein, is likely the cause of the drastic increase in children who suffer from ADHD.
Another article I read also said that even having the television on in the background can wreak havoc on your child's attention span. But I have to raise the question, is this also the case if you have the radio on all day?
Rob and I have known for a while that our little Quinny is attracted to television, and he has been for quite some time.
Usually in the morning when we get up we turn the television on to see what the weather is etc. As we go about our usual routine around the house, the television usually stays on, whether we are watching it or not.
After Quinn is fed, he plays for a little while with the various apparatus we have for him, while we make some coffee and grab a quite bite to eat. On a number of occasions his little coos have suddenly become quiet, so we go over and see what he is up to. And there he is, neck cranked around at an odd angle, watching the T.V. So now we strategically place his toys out of range of the T.V., or we move him around so he can't see it.
I have tried to be a little more conscious about our daily television watching habits, but it's hard. While I like to have peace and quiet, I also like some background noise. And let's face it, it is pretty boring just sitting on the floor all day playing with toys that are designed to entertain a 5 month old, so, while Quinny plays, I watch a show or two.
If there was more concrete evidence that TV and ADHD are linked, maybe I'd be more apt to take this a little more seriously. Don't get me wrong, we want to raise our child in the best environment possible, but I don't think we are about to give up television because Quinn on occasion catches a glimpse of the t.v., and why wouldn't he since we just brought home a new 46" LCD-HD television. I'm not sure how he can keep his eyes off it. In fact we've had to completely remove all of his toys from the viewing area.
See, we are not dismissing the article completely, and Rob and I would feel pretty horrible if Quinn was later diagnosed with ADHD (ADdiction to High Definition) television because of our irresponsibility.
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