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Wired Child - iPad report from a 4 year old child

  

By Cris Rowan.

 

Brain smooshed, body sick and lumpy, heart fast, eyes stuck open, fingers red and roughy, lap tired and sore....

When asked what she feels like when she is watching TV, 4 year old Bella reported "When I'm watching TV, my brain feels smooshed, and my body feels sick and lumpy. TV makes my heart go really fast. When I go outside and play on the swing, Mother Nature makes the sun come out, and then I lose the lumpy feeling out of my body...out of my ears, legs and hands". When asked about the iPad, Bella reportes "My food in my tummy goes lumpy and my heart goes really fast when I'm doing the iPad, and a slug goes in my throat. My fingers go red and roughy when I use the iPad, like when I'm in the bathtub.

  

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Cris in the News

 

 Newspapers

 

 

Huffington      Post has recorded over 2.2 million Facebook likes for Cris Rowan's article 10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12.

 

Click here to see the article.  

Foundation Series Workshop Schedule

 

June 13, 2015 - Los Angeles California

Workshop for OT, PT, SLP, Psych on impact of technology on children sponsored by Pediatric Therapy Network.

Contact: Chantelle Bernier bern9604@pacificu.edu  971-226-7065

 

July 20, 2015 - Guayaquil Ecuador

Workshop and performance art show on the impact of technology on children.

Contact: Carolina Baez cbaez@maidreams.com  + 593-99-968-0286

 

August 26-28, 2015 - Inuvik, NWT
Presentation for teachers on impact of technology on children.

Contact person: Theresa Hartley Theresa_Hartley@bdec.learnnet.nt.ca 867-777-7421

 

October 18 - November 8, 2015 - Istanbul, Italy, Danube

Workshops for professionals and parents on impact of technology on children sponsored by Young Presidents Organization.

Contact person: Denise Johnsen djohnsen@ypowpo.org + 49.176.878.27621

 

March 3 & 4, 2016 - Cross Currents Conference, Vancouver, BC
Workshop for special education teachers on impact of technology on children.
Contact person: Mary Speaker seaspeakers@gmail.com 

Research and News Review

 

Childhood Development

 

Screen Rules for Your Baby 

By Tim Baker March 22, 2015

Screen time is still a slippery slope among new parents because the debate still rages on, and the burden on parents to make the right decision about the controversial techniques induces a great deal of stress. 

 

Reading outside school is important for kids

By Brandpoint March 23, 2015

Reading is a fundamental skill people use throughout their lives, and in this digital age, reading is more important than ever. Reading at home will help your child do better at school and in the real world after graduation, too.

 

Tech Addictions & Psychotropic Meds

 

Former sailor: Candy Crush game led to surgery

Video published on YouTube April 15, 2015 
Dr Andrew Doan believe playing the game 'deadened' the pain.

  

New Mexico Lawmakers Join Growing List of States Protecting Children From Forced Psychiatric Drugging

By Kelly Patricia O'Meara April 13, 2015
New Mexico took a big step toward protecting children's and parents' rights when, last week, Governor Susana Martinez signed into law a bill ensuring that a parent's decision not to administer psychotropic drugs to a child is not grounds for a child being removed from parental custody by Child Protective Services (CPS).

 

A Review of Research on Problematic Internet Use and Well-Being

With Recommendations for the U.S. Air Force

By Joshua Breslau, Eyal Aharoni, Eric R. Pedersen, Laura L. Miller Published in 2015

This report reviews the scientific literature on the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of problematic Internet use (PIU) with the goal of informing Air Force policies aimed at mitigating PIU's negative impact on operations and the mental health of Airmen.

 

Social Media & Mobile Technology

  

Dear Kids - A Little Secret About What Electronics Is Stealing From You
By Renee Robinson April 15, 2015
Open letter to kids of ages approximately 9-14 growing up in a digital age.

 

Master's candidate studies relationship between autism and screen time 

Lori Frome knew exactly what her capstone research topic for her master's degree would be after seeing remarkable changes in a child with severe Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) when all screen time - TV, tablet, computer - was eliminated.

 

Here's What Happens to Your Unborn Baby When Your Cell Phone Rings
By Sarah C.P. Williams April 30, 2015

You're probably attached at the hip to your cellphone, and (unless you're watching a scary movie), don't blink an eye when it rings or vibrates. But what about your baby?

 

Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter Smart Cards
To help you better protect yourself and your families when using social media, the links to "Smart Cards" are provided. If used, the information contained on these cards will help reduce your risk for targeting and or information compromise. Google+ Smart CardFacebook Smart Card, LinkedIn Smart Card and Twitter Smart Cad

 

Video Games & Porn

 

Child pornography scandal erupts at Joplin High School

The Tuner Report April 14, 2015

It was a dirty little secret known to only a few Joplin High School students- a Dropbox server containing nude photos of JHS students, mostly girls, some as young as 14.

  

The children as young as ten who will do ANYTHING to feed their internet porn addiction 

By Jill Foster for the Daily Mail April 11, 2015

- Children are able to access pornography with alarming ease through mobiles
- NSPCC poll found one-in-ten 12 to 13-year-olds worried about porn addiction
- Another survey revealed Pornhub was among top sites for boys aged 11 to 16
- One boy used neighbour's wifi to access porn when parents took away iPad

 

Fighting Video Game Addiction At This King County Retreat 

By Jamala Henderson May 5, 2015

Thom Pasiecki, 24, says that after he lost his job in Connecticut and broke up with his girlfriend, he realized he needed help with an online gaming addiction.

   

Detoxing & Unplugging

 

Getting over the myth of productivity 

By James Kwak

For years I've had the typical love-hate relationship with my phone. It's an incredibly powerful tool. But I know that its enormous powers of distraction also make me lose focus on work, tune out in meetings, stay up too late at night, and, worst of all, ignore people in the same room with me. 

 

Check out two apps for attempting to monitor and control smartphone use, they are BreakFree and OFFTIME. They both give stats on use and enable you to set unplugged periods where you can customise what is blocked. With breakfree you can even set it so that everytime you unlock your phone it'll ask you if you really want to be using it right then, and it'll tell you how many times you've unlocked your phone. 

 

Education Technology

 

Technology Distracting Children From Reading, Educators Say 

By Mary Achkhanian April 1, 2015

Educators say parents play huge role in teaching their children the love of reading.

 

Tech Radiation

 

Centre nod to mega research on mobile radiation 

By Somit Sen, for TNN April 3, 2015
Sixteen leading scientific institutions across India have been allowed to conduct research on the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF), particularly radiating from cell phone towers, on human health.  

 

Miscellaneous

 

Keep your fears and hang-ups to yourself!: Active Parenting Part 5

By Melanie Hempe March 13, 2015
So many words that come out of a parent's mouth are words of worry and reminders to be safe, or words that limit or stifle action. I'd like to put in a word for words that encourage! Keep in mind the end goal is to raise independent children who are successful and productive adults. What good comes from hovering, limiting and instilling your fears on your child?.
 
 

Brene Brown on Empathy

Video published on Dec 10, 203

What is the best way to ease someone's pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities..

 

The best kindergarten you've ever seen 

TED Talk by Takaharu Tezuka filmed on September 2014

At this school in Tokyo, five-year-olds cause traffic jams and windows are for Santa to climb into. Meet: the world's cutest kindergarten, designed by architect Takaharu Tezuka. In this charming talk, he walks us through a design process that really lets kids be kids.
 

Colorado bill allowing lawsuits against school districts moves forward

By Yesenia Robles The Denver Post April 13, 2015
One bill would allow victims of school violence to sue districts for information, and the other would create a committee to study mental health in schools.

 

The NYTimes and the ADHD Epidemic

By Jonathan Leo & Jeffrey R. Lacasse January 10, 2015

There is now almost universal acknowledgement that too many children in the United States have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD).

 

The impending globalization of ADHD: Notes on the expansion and growth of a medicalized disorder 

By Peter Conrad, Meredith R. Bergey October 8, 2014

After documenting the expansion of ADHD in a global context, this paper presents five brief international examples examining ADHD usage and expansion: the United Kingdom,

Germany, France, Italy and Brazil.

 

Resources

 

Books

 

Navigating the Cyberscape: Evaluating and Improving our Relationship with Smartphones, Social Media, Video Games, and the Internet
By Ryan J. Anderson Ph.D.
'Navigating the Cyberscape: Evaluating and Improving Our Relationship with Smartphones, Social Media, Video Games, and the Internet' explores the various dimensions of the cyber-world, how it interacts with our lives in the real world, and the way we as people tend to interact with it. It sheds light on the myths and misunderstandings that so easily lead us into an excessive, obsessive, or addictive relationship with electronics. It also explores what we can do to balance and harmonize our relationships with the cyber-world.

Epigenetics in Psychiatry
By Peedicayil, Jacob; Grayson, Dennis R.; Avramopoulos, Dimitri
Epigenetics in Psychiatry covers all major areas of psychiatry in which extensive epigenetic research has been performed, fully encompassing a diverse and maturing field, including drug addiction, bipolar disorder, epidemiology, cognitive disorders, and the uses of putative epigenetic-based psychotropic drugs. Uniquely, each chapter correlates epigenetics with relevant advances across genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.
Zone'in Products

Sedentary, neglected, isolated, and overstimulated, the new millennium child can no longer pay attention and learn. Zone'in Products are designed by an occupational therapist to enhance child development and learning, ensuring successful futures.

 

Zone'in - enhancing attention, learning and self-regulation.

Move'in - teaches children to print, the foundation for literacy.

Unplug'in - builds skill and confidence in activities other than technology.

Live'in - media literacy guide for home, school and community.

 

Product Preview  

 

Virtual Child - The terrifying truth about what technology is doing to children

Virtual Child

By Cris Rowan, pediatric occupational therapist.

 
Virtual Child documents the impact technology has had on the developing child, and proposes tools and techniques to manage balance between activities children need for growth and success with technology use. 

Need more info? Visit www.virtualchild.ca

BUY NOW ON Amazon.com 
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About the Author
Cris Rowan is a pediatric occupational therapist committed to enhancing child health and academic performance. Well known activist, speaker, sensory specialist and author, Cris is the "Go To" expert on child learning, development and technology overuse. Cris has provided over 200 workshops for health and education professionals, and is currently developing the Creating Sustainable Futures Program for a First Nations Community.
  
Training & Consultation
 
Training

Instructor training for Foundation Series Workshops places pediatric occupational therapists on the cutting edge as experts in the field of technology's impact on child development.

Zone'in Training


Consultation
Innovative team-based approach to manage balance between activities children need to grow and succeed with technology use.

Cris Rowan is now offering private phone/Skype consultations. 

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Zone'in Programs Inc. and Cris Rowan are seeking your support and assistance to ensure sustainable and productive futures for our children. Find out more about how you can help us!
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