Balancing Screen Time Use With Young Clients and Their Parents

As my husband and I sat in a local restaurant, I took note of all the little heads dozing into screens and exclaimed, “My child will never do that!” Sound familiar? I not only swallowed my pride time and time again as a parent, but I’ve also done it as a speech-language pathologist. I once found it easy to instruct parents on the dangers of digital media and the never-appropriate use for it at the dinner table. Now with two children of my own, both younger than 5, I know first-hand about the allure of digital media. Digital media is part of our world. SLPs can’t ignore the role devices, screens, apps, and other digital forms of entertainment and education play as today’s children learn language. In the Age of Technology, Who Better to Educate on Safe Use Than You? Tots as Young as 2 Use Tablets, and Parents Are Worried, ASHA Survey Finds Handheld Screen Time Linked to Delayed Speech Development According to a technology mini-survey ASHA conducted in late 2017, 97 percent of audiologists and SLPs noted concern about effects of screen time (excluding AAC devices) on children’s communication development. Common Sense Media reports kids ages 0 to 8 spend 48 minutes a day on mobile devices. This number tripled from the reported 15 minutes a day in 2013. The report also states 67 percent of parents whose children use digital media believe it “helps their learning.” Now more than ever, SLPs need to advocate for language learning—even with the use of digital medi...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Academia & Research Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Language Disorders Source Type: blogs