Virtual Autism & Screens with Dr. Andrew Doan (#54)

In this episode, Melanie introduces our ScreenStrong Families to Dr. Andrew Doan, who shares his expertise on gaming addiction and how it impacts development in children. Dr. Doan is a neuroscientist, physician, author & speaker. With a doctoral degree in neuroscience, his background in molecular neuroscience adds in depth knowledge into the areas of internet, video game, and technology addictions. Dr. Doan is the author of Hooked on Games. 

Today, Dr. Doan discusses the increase in Autism diagnoses and how it has become an epidemic in our society. He identifies digital media as the "elephant in the room" and the unrecognized toxin that has been playing an integral role in the continued rise of Autism in children. He shares his collaboration with other experts, both internationally and nationally, in observing the impact of screens on eye disorders and believes that Opthamologists have an important role in recognizing and providing intervention in addressing brain developmental delays due to overuse of screen media. Dr. Doan introduces his theory of when we expose the child to excessive screen time, this causes an overdevelopment of the frontal lobe in one area and underdevelopment in areas of nonverbal communication, speech, behaviors, and social skills resulting in autistic behaviors. This is a fascinating and educational episode you won't want to miss.