The reason literacy continues to plummet and learning disabilities rise is somewhat complex and multi-factorial, but is definitely something that WILL NOT “be fixed” with a computer! Literacy rates are falling largely due to the fact that teachers have “virtually” quit teaching printing, falling under the “virtual illusion” that technology will pick up where their teaching left off. If a child can’t print, they are illiterate and will perform poorly in every subject. The reason being is that the majority of an elementary child’s graded output is produced by printing (not by using a computer). Struggling, slow printers become very frustrated and angry because they constantly have to “think” about how to make their letters and numbers, problematic for spelling, math and sentence composition, but impacting on behavior as well! How many adults would go to work and perform a task they were not shown properly, but expected to do, day after day? By grade three, these children have often been diagnosed, labeled, possibly medicated, and handed a computer. If computers could possibly solve children’s printing problems, then why as a private practice pediatric occupational therapist, am I asked to service these children? 90% of the children I service can’t print because “yes” – they overuse technology (resulting in low tone and poor coordination – especially to the muscles of the eyes), but also because teachers have quit teaching it! Studies show teachers now spend an average 10 minutes per day in printing instruction in the primary grades (S. Graham 2008). Gone are the chalk boards that used to ensure good posture and motor coordination. If a child cannot “see” the teacher make letters and numbers, how are they supposed to learn how to do it? Teachers have no standardized way to teach printing, and it is no longer a curriculum based subject, so teachers are on their own when it comes to methodology. Compared to 60 minutes per day in the 70’s, insufficient instruction on behalf of the teacher is a large part of why children can’t print. Turning to computers for children who have learning difficulties is not only short sighted, but is negating the powerful connection a teacher can form with a child, which is really the most significant determinant of that child’s ability to learn.

Teachers have fallen under the spell of “virtual technology”, that technology can actually teach children, and worse, that computers can actually replace the magic of the unique teacher-student human connection. With Disney now offering refunds for Baby Einstein DVD’s because they CAUSE delays in development, and surmounting evidence showing the detrimental effects of technology on children, why is SD 46 is pushing more technology on our children in classroom-based settings?

Research references can be found on Zone’in Fact Sheet located at www.zonein.ca.

Cris Rowan, OT (Reg), BScOT, BScBi, SIPT, Approved Provider for ACTBC, AOTA and CAOT
CEO Zone’in Programs Inc. and Sunshine Coast Occupational Therapy Inc.
6840 Seaview Rd.  Sechelt  BC  V0N3A4
604-885-0986 O, 604-740-2264 C, 604-885-0389 F
crowan@zonein.ca
websites: www.zonein.ca, www.suncoastot.com

Schools of the New Millennium – Drugs and Seclusion, or Movement and Green Space?

Managing child behavior in school settings poses potential injury risk, to both staff and students, resulting in increased use of questionable practices.  In the past decade, schools have witnessed an unprecedented rise in the use of various forms of restraint to control child behavior: medication of children, use of seclusion rooms, and physical restraint.  To protect children with behavior problems and their staff, it is imperative that schools take proactive measures by establishing effective child behavior interventions and policies in an effort to avoid use of restraints.  This article profiles the increasing incidence of schools to diagnose and medicate child behavior, and use seclusion rooms and/or restraints, and contrasts the high risk and cost of this behavior management method to the low risk and cost of improved access to green space and movement.  A less discussed, but increasingly used type of restraint in school settings, is that of technology.  While many educators are under the assumption that children need unlimited access to computers to perform their school work, many of these children are actually spending the majority of their time involved in entertainment or social networking tasks – not academic-type work.  Technology used for the purpose of giving either teachers or students a “break”, is really a form of restraint, and should be prohibited.  When we know that adequate access to movement and green space is attention restorative and enhances learning, (as well as healthy!), there really is no reason for the use of any type of restraint.

15% of elementary aged children have been diagnosed with a mental illness (C. Waddell 2007) at a time when medical experts are actively debating whether these children really just have “bad behavior” (F. Baughman 2006).  15% of these children are on some form of psychotropic medication, prescribed for toddlers as young as age two (J. Zito 2002), and prescribed for foster children and children of low income families at significantly higher rates.  Almost half of the referrals for ADHD diagnosis are from teachers (L. Sax 2003) who now consider themselves as “disease spotters” (C. Phillips 2006).

While the incidence of seclusion rooms and use of physical restraints to manage child behaviour in school-based settings are increasing(M. Irwin 2009), evidence shows they are not only detrimental to child mental and physical health, but also result in an INCREASE in the behavior (S. Magee 2001).  Numerous studies point to the associated problems between seclusion and restraints, with lack of education; poor development of policy, guidelines, and regulations; and staff inconsistency, www.pent.ca.gov/beh/rst/restraintresources.pdf and www.pent.ca.gov/beh/rst/alternativestorestraint.pps.  Endemic problems with seclusion and restraints have prompted pediatric researcher and medical school professor Dr. Martin Irwin to actively advocate for the widespread elimination of their use in both child psychiatric and school-based settings.

Two of the ten healthy alternatives to use of seclusion and restraints listed in the Schools Operating Safely – Child Behavior Management Policy are daily access to “green space” and movement.  Schools planning student daily access to “green space” would effectively counteract the “overload” effects of technology use, promoting focused attention and learning.  Green space is defined as nature-based and alive, including plants, shrub, trees, grass, and flowers, and can be created either indoors, or accessed outdoors, and is further discussed in excerpted section from Zone’in February 2010 newsletter below.  Movement is defined as either cardiovascular or resistive/isometric, and should comprise approximately 3-4 hours of a child’s day, and is further discussed in excerpted section from Zone’in January 2010 newsletter below.

Excerpt from Schools of the New Millennium – Part 2 (February 2010 Zone’in Newsletter)

Indoor green space is already accessible to classrooms with a view of nature, which a number of studies have now shown to procure students with lower behavior problems and higher academic performance.  Fresh air breaks, either through opening the window or door to the outside, can prove to be essential techniques for afternoon sleepy and zoned out students.  Indoor green space can also be designed and achieved through use of greenhouse-type environments such as arboretums, conservatories and biospheres that contain aspects of nature e.g. plants, small trees, ponds with waterfall, patch of grass.  Funds might be accessed for creation of indoor green space through local community groups and organizations, or alternatively, through application to technology production corporations. One of the goals of the future Children of the New Millennium Foundation will be to promote the channeling of donations from technology production corporations to schools to reverse the negative effects of technology overuse on development and learning, through increasing access to green space.

Outdoor green space can be accessed during recess and lunch breaks, with strict adherence given to the policy of no technology use during these designated time periods.  Accessing outdoor space for a short time prior to tests or more difficult subjects such as math, can prove to be an effective strategy to ensure optimal learning. Starting a school gardening project with daily access to shoveling a bit of dirt would not only provide green space access, but also provide necessary proprioceptive input for calming an aggressive or anxious child.  Weekly field trips to a local park, woods, farm or beach, and/or yearly classroom or school camping trips would provide children with a more significant experience of the soothing aspects of nature.  Accessing Mother Nature feeds not only the body and mind, but also the soul, and is truly the best remedy for problems associated with technology overuse.

Excerpt from Schools of the New Millennium – Part 1 (January 2010 Zone’in Newsletter)

Dr. John Ratey, child psychiatrist and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain discovered that 45 min. of sustained aerobic activity at heart rate 65-75% of maximum sufficient to gain one grade level in only 4 months!  Dr. Ratey goes on to report the following correlations between exercise and learning, impulsivity and mental health.

Exercise and Learning

• Improved cognition: exercise enhances memory and learning through improved neurogenesis in hippocampus and frontal cortex.
• Decreases ADHD: increases dopamine transmitter, which improves focus and attention.
• Increases attention:  releases nerve growth factor to inhibit impulsivity, promoting focus.

Exercise and Impulsivity

• Impulsivity control is located in the frontal lobes.
• Overuse of technology “short circuits” access to frontal lobes.
• Exercise increases blood flow to frontal lobes, thereby decreasing damage caused by technology overuse.
• Exercise decreases impulsivity and increases attention.

Exercise and Mental Health

• Reduces anxiety: rewires response pathways.
• Decreases stress: improves blood flow to brain to enhance neural connections.
• Decreases depression: elevates endorphins and dopamine, regulates serotonin.
• Decreases addiction tendency: increases dopamine, enhances the brain’s own ability to satiate.

The following is a CBC film on the work of Dr. John Ratey.

http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/story/2009/10/06/national-braingains.html

In moving our children toward sustainable futures, and creating healthy environments that support attention and learning, it is imperative that schools embrace increased access to nature and movement based strategies. Children who act out are simply craving love and attention, and the only way they know how to get it is to be extreme in their behavior. Reaching out with a kind word and deep pressure touch techniques can not only calm an anxious child, but enable that child to pay attention and learn. Employing attention restorative strategies of access to nature and movement, will successfully take schools into the new millennium, creating sustainable futures for all children.

Schools of the New Millennium – Sitting Still or Moving to Learn?

Exercise and the Learning Zone

During in-classroom prototype testing of the Zone’in and Move’in Programs, we found that specific types of sensation and movement optimized children’s attention and learning, whereas other types either made no difference or were detrimental to children’s overall academic performance.  We also discovered through trials of numerous sensory and motor tools and techniques, that each child’s arousal system is unique, precluding use of whole-classroom type activities.  Some children whose energy was In the Zone prior to trialing a Zone’in tool or technique, actually were quite upset when they found their energy either too charged or too hyper, disabling their learning!  Each child should therefore have adequate information and opportunity to develop their own specific activities to regulate their sensory system (body energy).  Achieving optimal arousal state for attention and learning is best achieved through use of the widely popular Zone’in Program which comes with Zone-O-Meters to measure energy, as well as Zone’in DVD, Know Your Zone and Tone Your Zone posters and a variety of Zone’in sensory and motor tools and techniques to get your whole classroom Zone’in to Learn!

So what types of sensation and movement proved most effective in attaining an optimal arousal state for paying attention and learning?  Two types of movement – vestibular and proprioceptive, deep pressure touch, and connection with other human beings (not computers!).  Examples of activities that stimulate the vestibular system are anything that moves the child off their centre of gravity, thus requiring anti-gravity muscles to bring them back to stabilize their core e.g. suspended swings, slides, merry-go-rounds.  Core stability is essential for eventual coordination of both sides of the body, as well as coordination of eyes to hands.  Proprioceptive stimulation is necessary for fine and gross motor development, and is achieved with heavy work type activities involving push/pull/lift/carry such as tug of war, climbing on jungle gyms and using an exercise bike.  Tactile stimulation plays an integral role in the development of “praxis” or planned muscle movements required for sports or printing.  “Dyspraxia” is when a child has a poor sense of where their body is in space, and often bumps into things or overshoots when picking up objects.  Use of deep pressure touch to the tactile system can reduce anxiety, as well as help a child feel more comfortable in their own skin, thus leading to improved ability to plan  movements.  Supporting a child’s attachment to significant others can result in lowered anxiety and increased confidence, greatly enhancing learning, and can be achieved through “I see you….” and “I hear you…” statements followed by active listening e.g. “I see you are looking upset; can I help you with your math” or “I hear you don’t like to print; what are the hardest letters for you so we can practice together”.

Dr. John Ratey, child psychiatrist and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain discovered that 45 min. of sustained aerobic activity at heart rate 65-75% of maximum sufficient to gain one grade level in only 4 months!  Dr. Ratey goes on to report the following correlations between exercise and learning, impulsivity and mental health. 

Exercise and Learning

• Improved cognition: exercise enhances memory and learning through improved neurogenesis in hippocampus and frontal cortex.
• Decreases ADHD: increases dopamine transmitter, which improves focus and attention.
• Increases attention:  releases nerve growth factor to inhibit impulsivity, promoting focus.

Exercise and Impulsivity

• Impulsivity control is located in the frontal lobes.
• Overuse of technology “short circuits” access to frontal lobes.
• Exercise increases blood flow to frontal lobes, thereby decreasing damage caused by technology overuse.
• Exercise decreases impulsivity and increases attention.

Exercise and Mental Health

• Reduces anxiety: rewires response pathways.
• Decreases stress: improves blood flow to brain to enhance neural connections.
• Decreases depression: elevates endorphins and dopamine, regulates serotonin.
• Decreases addiction tendency: increases dopamine, enhances the brain’s own ability to satiate.

The following is a CBC film on the work of Dr. John Ratey.

http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/story/2009/10/06/national-braingains.html

While everyone agrees that recess is an essential part of a child’s day for physical activity, many children are allowed technology use during recess, gravely limiting opportunity for movement.  Another limitation to movement on t he playground is one in three children are obese, and don’t readily join in playground socializing and movement.  Dr. RM Barros found out the following information in his study.

Exercise and Recess

• Study looked at 11,000 third-graders ages 8-9 years.
• Those who had greater than 15 minutes per day of recess had teacher reports of better classroom behavior.
• 30% had little or no recess (< 15 minutes per day).
• 40% of schools surveyed had cut back at least one daily recess period.
• Since the 1970’s, children have lost 12 hours per week in free time.

If you would like to hear more about these great tools and techniques to promote attention and learning – attend our up and coming Foundation Series Workshop Webinar Sitting Still – The Science of Attention and Learning. this coming Wednesday February 3, 2010 at 8 AM Pacific Standard Time.

See you there!

Cris Rowan

This article is the first of a six part series on successful school-based strategies to optimize attention and enhance learning ability, and follows the Zone’in Child Development Series December 2009 newsletter advocating for school implementation of the School Operating Safely (SOS) – Child Behavior Management Policy and Procedures. This policy has recently been forwarded to all provincial Education Ministers, as well as members of the Council of Ministers of Education.

1) Schools of the New Millennium – Go Virtual or Go Green? will contrast the outcome on academic performance of two strategies: 1) allocating funds to technology vs. 2) ensuring children access “green space” on a daily basis.  Go Virtual or Go Green? will profile a variety of cost effective strategies for improving green space in school-based settings.

2) Schools of the New Millennium – Sitting Still or Moving to Learn? will review current research on how specific types of organized movement improve attention and learning ability, while sitting still stops children from learning.  Sitting Still or Moving to Learn? will emphasize classroom, gym and playground strategies for incorporating these types of movement into daily routines.

3) Schools of the New Millennium – Drugs and Seclusion or Green Space and Movement? profiles the increasing incidence of schools to diagnose and medicate child behavior, and use seclusion rooms and/or restraints, and contrasts the high risk and cost of this behavior management method to the low risk and cost of improved access to green space and movement.

4) Schools of the New Millennium – Computers or Printing? will cover current research on why children need to learn to print to achieve literacy, and how defaulting to computers is creating a generation of illiterate children.  Computers or Printing? profiles “whole school” based printing strategies to improve not only academic performance in every subject, but also improve student behavior of children who have not achieved printing fluency.

5) Schools of the New Millennium – “No Touch” – No Learning! will review the neurological benefits of touch and human connection on formation of praxis (planned movement patterns), and reduction of anxiety, and profiles the devastating consequences of “No Touch” policies on learning ability in school environments.  “No Touch” – No Learning! discusses how teachers can use Deep Pressure Touch techniques and strategies in school based settings to enhance attention and learning.

6) Schools of the New Millennium – Technology Overuse or Management? will review current research findings on the impact of technology overuse on academic performance, and profile how schools can begin to manage balance between activities children need to grow and succeed with technology use.

Schools of the New Millennium – Go Virtual or Go Green?

Upgrading technology is time consuming and costly, whether in a home, business or school –based setting.  Decisions to upgrade rapidly evolving technology in schools may not serve the best interests of students, nor advance their ability to learn.  Schools are quickly moving into the “age of technology” with limited empirical research to support technology initiatives, and subsequently limited long term planning.  Current research now indicates that the use of computers in school settings actually reduces a student’s ability to focus on task and pay attention, impacting on comprehension and memory, and also impairs student ability to think critically (Mangen 2008).  Long periods immersed in a sedentary, virtual world “overloads” the brain, resulting in energy that is way out of the Zone to Learn, and behaviors that are difficult to manage in classroom settings (Small 2008).  When substantial research now shows that as little as 20 minutes per day access to “green space” restores attention, significantly improving learning ability, why are schools continuing to invest resources and funds into computers and virtual classrooms (Kuo & Faber-Taylor 2004)?

Go Virtual?

Technology consultants, hardware, software, and internet security are just a few of the costs of technology upgrading, which often exceed school budgets, requiring transfer of funds from other areas.  Teachers attending the Foundation Series Workshops report that these technology upgrades frequently come at a cost to the once revered field trips, library services, art and music supplies, and gym and playground equipment.  Workshop participants report that they experience pressure from both school administrations and parents to provide students with the latest technology, or the student will “fall behind”.  Possibly schools might benefit from forming a Balanced Technology Management Committee consisting of not only the school technology consultant, but also teachers and administration who have current knowledge regarding the detrimental effects of technology overuse on academic performance http://www.zoneinworkshops.com/fact-sheet/zonein-fact-sheet/. This committee should also have an understanding of what type of activities children need to engage in to ensure adequate sensory and motor development to achieve eventual literacy skills.  The Balanced Technology Management Committee would subsequently develop a cost effective, long term technology plan that is reflective and consistent with recommendations from current research, and ensures that funds are still available to support healthy activities that optimize student growth and success.

Why Not Go Green?

Schools planning student daily access to “green space” would effectively counteract the “overload” effects of technology use, promoting focused attention and learning.  Green space is defined as nature-based and alive, including plants, shrub, trees, grass, and flowers, and can be created either indoors, or accessed outdoors.

Indoor green space is already accessible to classrooms with a view of nature, which a number of studies have now shown to procure students with lower behavior problems and higher academic performance.  Fresh air breaks either through opening the window or door to the outside, can prove to be essential techniques for afternoon sleepy and zoned out students.  Indoor green space can also be designed and achieved through use of greenhouse-type environments such as arboretums, conservatories and biospheres that contain aspects of nature e.g. plants, small trees, ponds with waterfall, patch of grass.  Funds might be accessed for creation of indoor green space through local community groups and organizations, or alternatively, through application to technology production corporations. One of the goals of the future Children of the New Millennium Foundation will be to promote the channeling of donations from technology production corporations to schools to reverse the negative effects of technology overuse on development and learning, through increasing access to green space.

Outdoor green space can be accessed during recess and lunch breaks, with strict adherence given to the policy of no technology use during these designated time periods.  Accessing outdoor space for a short time prior to tests or more difficult subjects such as math, can prove to be an effective strategy to ensure optimal learning. Starting a school gardening project with daily access to shoveling a bit of dirt would not only provide green space access, but also provide necessary proprioceptive input for calming an aggressive or anxious child.  Weekly field trips to a local park, woods, farm or beach, and/or yearly classroom or school camping trips would provide children with a more significant experience of the soothing aspects of nature.  Accessing Mother Nature feeds not only the body and mind, but also the soul, and is truly the best remedy for problems associated with technology overuse.

Support Weblinks

• Last Child in the Woods – www.richardlouv.com
• First Nations – www.articwintergames.com
• Children and Nature Network -www.childrenandnature.org
• Nature’s Classroom – www.naturesclassroom.net
• Forest Schools – www.forestschools.com
• Learning With Nature Idea Book – www.arborday.org

References

1. Mangen, A. Hypertext fiction reading: haptics and immersion. Journal of Research. 2008; 31(4):404-419.
2. Small G, Vorgan V. iBrain: Surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind.  2008: HarperCollins, New York, NY.
3. Kuo FE, Faber Taylor A.  A Potential Natural Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence from a National Study.  American Journal of Public Health. 2004; 94(9):1580-1586.

Problem

Managing child behavior in school settings poses potential injury risk, to both staff and students, resulting in increased use of questionable practices.  In the past decade, schools have witnessed an unprecedented rise in the medication of children, use of seclusion rooms, and the need of physical restraint.  To protect children with behavior problems and their staff, it is imperative that schools take proactive measures by establishing effective child behavior interventions and policies.

Rationale

20 years ago children played outside, walked or rode their bikes to school, and watched 1-2 hours television per day.  Today elementary-aged children are exposed to an average of 8 hours per day of combined technologies, resulting in an epidemic of physical, mental, social and academic disorders, often described as “behaviors” (Zone’in Fact Sheet).  As children connect more and more to technology, they are disconnecting from humanity at an alarming rate.  In Canada, 30% of children enter school developmentally delayed (Kershaw P. 2009), and 14.3% have a diagnosed mental illness (Waddell C. 2007).  With the majority of media content now containing violent images (Anderson, C. 2008), managing child aggression in schools, has put both students and staff at risk for significant injuries.

Policy

The following ten evidenced based interventions should be implemented by schools for a six month period, prior to any behavioral diagnosis, medication, or use of seclusion rooms or restraints.

Procedure

The attached “Schools Operating Safely (SOS) – Policy and Procedures” form can be used by school administrations as a guideline to determine proactive interventions to manage escalating child behaviors, thereby reducing risk of injury to students and staff.  Potential funding for SOS equipment can be obtained through applications to pharmaceutical and/or technology production corporations.

Evaluation

Implementation of the “Schools Operating Safely” policy should not only reduce risk of injury to students and staff, but also will serve to improve student’s physical, mental, social and academic performance.  Therefore, school measurement of the following outcomes are suggested, following an initial baseline data gathering period:  attention and learning ability, printing output speed, obesity, developmental delay, behavior, office referrals, school fights, suspensions and grades.

Research

Alphabetical – http://www.zoneinworkshops.com/research/foundation-series-workshops-2/

Topic Fact Sheet – http://www.zoneinworkshops.com/fact-sheet/zonein-fact-sheet/

© Zone’in Programs Inc. 2009

14.3% of Canadian children have a mental health diagnosis (Waddell 2007) and 30% are entering the school system developmentally delayed (Kershaw 2009).  Printing instruction at the primary level averages 14 minutes per day (Graham 2008) ensuring literacy failure.  Record levels of new child diagnoses have overwhelmed both the education and health care systems, burying professionals in a pile of referrals, wait lists, reports, and education plans.  Are Canadian children really “sick” and “learning disabled”, or have the education and health systems unwittingly created a self serving monster?   Is the prolific categorization of children actually helping the children, or is it instead serving an industry of health and education professionals, causing an eventual bankrupting of the governments and destruction of childhood as we once knew it?  What is wrong with the New Millennium Child, and how can society help get them back on track toward a more healthy and sustainable future?

A systematic review of evidenced based research is imperative in order for health and education systems to establish polices that will protect children, and answer some of the questionable child care practices performed by health and education professionals.

• When we know that Canadian children use 8 hours per day of combined technology impacting physical, mental, social and academic health (Active Healthy Kids Canada 2009, Nielsen 2009, Zone’in Fact Sheet www.zonein.ca), why are health and education professionals not teaching parents how to reduce the use?
• When we know that every hour of television and video game use by children per day increases ADHD risk by 10% (Christakis 2004), why are the education and health care professionals choosing ADHD diagnosis and use of stimulant medication as a first line intervention?
• When we know that child access to “green space” for 20 minutes a day eradicates ADHD (Kuo 2002), and 20 minutes of cardio exercise per day significantly increases attention (Ratey 2008), why are 15% of the elementary population in Canada and 32% of the elementary population in the US taking psychotropic medication (Zito 2002, Stein 2009)? Why not just recommend increased outdoor play?
• When current research shows psychotropic medications are no more effective than a placebo, disrupt growth hormone causing brain atrophy and a 10% reduction in height and weight, and result in cardiac sudden death in 1-2% of children (Breggin 2009), why are professionals increasing use of psychotropic medication with society’s most vulnerable children?
• When psychotropic medication has proven to be neurotoxic to children’s brains, causing serious side effects that are often misinterpreted, resulting in increasing the dosage, change the drug, or adding an additional medication, why is psychotropic medication use becoming the norm rather than the exception?
• When research also indicates 50% children on ADHD medication get depressed and are prescribed antidepressants (Ravenel 2009), and 50% develop obsessive compulsive disorder, which looks like a manic phase of bipolar disorder, and are often prescribed lithium (Breggin 2009), why are some schools telling parents their child needs to be on psychotropic medication at risk of expulsion or placement in special education (Foundation Series Workshop participants)?
• When “polymedication” is not approved for children by the Federal Drug Administration, or by Health Canada, and is extremely dangerous for children (Baughman 2009), why do education and health professionals participate in this practice that is highly unethical, unprofessional and ultimately could kill children?
• When there is no evidence that locking children in “safe rooms” improves behavior in the long term, and may actually be harmful to children, why are schools increasing their use?

When simply reducing technology use, teaching printing, and increasing outdoor play will improve child attention, behavior and ability to learn, why are the education and health professionals increasingly turning to mental heath diagnosis and use of dangerous psychotropic medication to manage child behavior?

I recently attended the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology (ICSPP) conference held in New York “Difficult Children and Their Families – Alternatives to Medication” which raised a number of interesting questions about the increasing role the medical profession now plays in the education system. As a medically trained occupational therapist working in the school system for over a decade, I observed first hand the increasing propensity to diagnose and medicate young children.  While initially this increasing diagnostic trend served the need of the child, as I could provide one to one treatment, soon my caseload began to swell allowing only a consultation service model.  I became a cog in the ever growing wheel of diagnostic categorization for the purpose of much needed educational funding to try to “manage” children.  One disastrous side effect of this “labeling” process was that the health and education professionals somehow became convinced that these children were actually ”sick”, and had a disease or a chemical imbalance that could only be “fixed” with drugs.  What was often a discipline or behavioral problem now became a medical condition best managed by chemical “restraints”.  With more children being diagnosed, the education system needed more specialist referrals, therapists, special educators, learning assistance personal, and specialized equipment.  When the educational lens for viewing childhood problems switched to a medical lens, the stage was set for how this problem would be interpreted and treated.  Diagnosis and medication of children became the norm.

When analyzing trends, it’s often informative to use a global lens to gain an accurate perspective.  Child mental and physical diagnoses, as well as prescriptions for a variety of medications, have sky rocketed in the past decade, but North America uses 95% of  the world’s Ritalin, and England recently banned the use of all psychotropic medication with children due to the health risk outweighed the benefits (Stein 2009).  Does North America really have an epidemic of “sick” children, or might there be another explanation?  One proposed theory receiving increasing publicity is that illegal practices of the pharmaceutical industry have misinformed the medical establishment, resulting in prolific sales of medication that instead of “curing” child behavior, are quite literally making children permanently mentally and physically disabled, thus ensuring life long use of psychotropic medication.  Pharmaceutical corporations have literally “cornered the market” so to speak in the treatment of child mental and physical disorders, effectively convincing health and education professionals that children need to be medicated to be managed effectively.  Even though drug research is rife with controversy, showing poor validity, reliability and failure to replicate studies, and is now being successfully sued for illegal off label marketing and failure to disclose negative research results, the medical profession continues to increase prescriptions of psychotropic medication (Joseph 2009).  As drug trials are generally only 4-8 weeks in duration, side effects are largely undocumented and when they occur, are often misinterpreted as the “need” for more or for a different type of medication (Breggin 2009).

“It’s really the medication side effects that are causing the surge in mental illness, not the other way around,” states Dr. Fred Baughman, neurologist and presenter at the ICSPP conference.  Dr. Baughman went on to report “Medication is causing irreversible mental illness in many children, and is prescribed for behaviors that have no known physical cause.” Dr. Baughman presented his correspondence with Health Canada and the Federal Drug Administration where these two regulatory organizations concurred on the following statement “For mental/psychiatric disorders in general, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and ADHD, there are no confirmatory gross, microscopic or clinical abnormalities that have been validated for objective physical diagnosis.  Rather, diagnoses of possible mental conditions are described strictly in terms of patterns of symptoms that tend to cluster together; the symptoms can be observed by the clinician or reported by the patient or family members.”

When North American drug regulatory agencies concur that mental/psychiatric disorders are not “physical” in origin, but are rather “observed patterns of symptoms”, why do the health and education professionals insist on pursuing diagnosis and medication of what could simply be termed “child behavior?”

Dr. Joe Joseph, PhD psychologist and author of “The Gene Illusion” goes on to report there are no known genes for any mental illness (although researchers continue to look), and that previous genetic research is actually based on flawed twin studies which have never been reproduced.  How many parents are wrongly told by well meaning health and education professionals that their child’s behavior is genetic in origin and requires medication?  If lawyers in the US are successfully litigating against the pharmaceutical industry for fraudulent advertising and withholding negative research findings, how long will it be before the health and education professionals are implicated as well in this rapidly escalating fiasco?  Dr. Peter Breggin, author and child psychiatrist states that drugging children makes them apathetic and able to sustain attention for long periods on mundane tasks, both traits which continue to be wrongfully interpreted by the health and education establishments as “improvement”.

So how can the education and health care systems reverse this maelstrom of professionals convinced that children are “sick” or “learning disabled”, and need to be diagnosed and medicated?  First and foremost Canadian Health and Education governments need to step up to the plate to work with child health researchers to develop policies that protect Canadian children.  Prohibiting use of psychotropic medications and “safe” rooms would challenge the health and education professionals to adopt more humane methods of managing child behavior.  Implementing minimum standards for recess and playground structures would optimize socialization and development.  Adding printing back into the curriculum would ensure improved literacy.  In the meantime, health and education professionals in the school setting can recommend proven effective alternatives to medication (daily access to “green space”, treadmills or stationary bikes for exercise), prohibit personal electronic use, increase printing instruction, and divert funds from computer upgrades into building “sensational” playgrounds and supervision staff for organized sports.

Something can be done, but only if you decide to do it.

Cris Rowan, BScOT, BScBi, SIPT, Approved Provider AOTA, CAOT ACTBC

CEO Zone’in Programs Inc. and Sunshine Coast OT Inc.

6840 Seaview Rd. Sechelt, BC  V0N3A4

604-885-0986 (O), 604-885-0389 (F)

crowan@zonein.ca

websites: www.zonein.ca, www.suncoastot.com

Supporting Research

Research referenced in this article can be viewed on the Fact Sheet or in the Research section at www.zonein.ca. Copies of correspondence between Dr. Fred Baughman and the FDA and Health Canada can be obtained upon request from Cris Rowan, crowan@zonein.ca.

Additional Reading

Dr. Peter Breggin, child psychiatrist and consultant to National Institute of Mental Health, www.breggin.com.

• Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry: Drugs, electroshock and the psychopharmaceutical complex.
• Toxic Psychiatry: Why therapy, empathy, and love must replace the drugs, electroshock, and biochemical theories of the “new psychiatry.”
• The Ritalin Fact Book: What your doctor won’t tell you about ADHD and stimulant drugs.

Dr. Bose Ravenel, pediatrician and clinical professor of pediatrics at University of North Carolina, www.drbose.com.

• The Diseasing of America’s Children: Exposing the ADHD fiasco and empowering parents to take back control.

Dr. David Stein, PhD psychologist and professor of psychology at Virginia State University, www.drdavestein.com.

• Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco: Successful parenting without drugs.

Helpful Weblinks

www.ssristories.com This website is a collection of 3400 plus news stories, articles and FDA testimony regarding incidents involving either violence or suicide by children, youth and adults related to use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, commonly referred to as anti-depressants.

www.generationrxfilm.com This website has an informative and provocative film trailer of the Generation Rx film showing the proliferation of use of psychotropic medication with children.

www.thewaronkids.com This website profiles a “must see” film that recently won the Best Educational Documentary by the New York Film Festival which reports on the propensity of the education system toward “zero tolerance” policies, pharmaceutical restraints, and use of police and surveillance camera’s in American schools.

www.cmch.tv The Center on Media and Child Health is a research organization based out of Harvard’s Children’s Hospital, and offers information to parents, education and health professionals on the impact of media on child health.

Further Information

Zone’in Programs Inc. www.zonein.ca offers products, workshops, training and consultation services to assist parents, education and health professionals in planning for sustainable futures for all children.  Monthly newsletters, webinars, articles, and free downloads help to create a team of informed professionals to address this growing child health concern.  Check out the slide show Balanced Technology Management to find out more what you can do to help ensure the safety of all children.

Disney refunds Baby Einstein DVD’s.  Canadian Pediatric Society warns no TV for children under 2, and only 1-2 hours per day over age two.  What are the ramifications of unrestricted technology use by children?

Bio, contact info, and pic at the end of Fact Sheet.  Media kit and quotes on website www.zonein.ca.

Zone’in Fact Sheet

Reviewing the impact of technology on child development, behavior, and academic performance.

• 30% of children will enter kindergarten developmentally delayed
• 14.3% of Canadian, and 20% of US children, have been diagnosed with a mental illness
• 15% of children are obese
• 20% of children require special education assistance

Impact Statement

The past decade has seen an increase in personal electronic technology, with childhood TV, internet, video game, cell phone and iPod use similarly increasing.  Critical milestones for child motor and sensory development are not being met, impacting on foundation skills for literacy and academic performance.  Simultaneously there is an increasing incidence of childhood physical, psychological and behavior disorders, often accompanied by the prescription of psychotropic medication.  Media violence is now been classed as a public health risk due to causal links to child aggression.  Research regarding technology’s detrimental effects on critical milestones for child development, behavior, and academic performance are reviewed. Considerations for parents, teachers, health professionals, government, researchers and technology production corporations related to these trends are outlined.  Suggestions are made for health and education professionals regarding implementation of school based technology management programs, and an Unplug – Don’t Drug policy.

Technology Use Overview

• Throughout most of human history child engagement in rough and tumble outdoor play and imaginary games resulted in the achievement of adequate sensory, motor and attachment development required for attention and learning (1-3).
• Today’s average household media environment includes three TV’s, three DVD players, two videogame consoles, three iPods, two cell phones and one computer, and children now average 8 hours per day TV and videogame use, with over 65% of children using TV’s in their bedrooms (4).
• ‘Baby TV’ now occupies 2.2 hours per day for the 0-2 year old population, and television occupies 4.5 hours per day for 3-5 year olds, and 6.5 hours per day for elementary aged children and is causally linked to developmental delays (5).  This situation has prompted France to ban its broadcasters from airing TV shows aimed at children under three years of age (6).
• 173 research efforts going back to 1980 were analyzed and rated, showing 80% of the studies showed a link between the following negative health outcomes and media hours or content: obesity, smoking, sexual behavior, drug use, alcohol use, low academic achievement and ADHD (8-12).
• Each hour of TV watched daily between the ages of 0 and 7 years equated to a 10% chance of attention problems by age seven years (13).
• Passive and active TV watching results in irregular sleep patterns and sleep/wake transition disorders (14).
• Canadian children were granted a “D” grade for inactivity in 2008 by Active Healthy Kids Canada, citing TV and videogames as the primary cause (15).
• TV and videogame use accounts for 60% of childhood obesity, and is now considered a North American ‘epidemic’ (16,17).
• American Physician, Pediatrician, Psychiatrist and Psychologist Associations in 2001 declared media violence a Public Health Risk, stating violence is the leading cause of death in children (18).

Developmental Delays and Obesity

• A joint study was recently released by the BC Business Council, and University of BC researchers with Human Early Learning Partnership showing that just under 30% of BC children entering kindergarten are “developmentally vulnerable” – lacking in those basic skills they need to thrive in school and in the future.  This study, entitled A Comprehensive Policy Framework for Early Human Capital Investment in BC states “Economic analyses reveal this depletion (in human capital) will cause BC to forgo 20% GDP growth over the next 60 years, costing the provincial economy a sum of money that is 10 times the total provincial debt load.” (19)
• American Physiotherapy Association reports two-thirds of over 400 members surveyed report they’ve seen an increase in early motor delays in infants over the past six years (20).
• A 2006 Canadian study reported one in six children have a developmental disability with only 55-65% of developmental disabilities are detected prior to school age entry (21).
• Data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey reported 17% of U.S. children had a developmental disability with 6% of child population having language impairment, 8% a learning disability, 7% ADHD and 0.5% Autism with 13.2% accessing special education assistance, resulting in 1.5 times more physician visits, 3.5 times more hospital days, twice the number of lost school days and a 2.5 fold increase in the likelihood of repeating a school grade compared to a non-developmentally disabled child (22).
• 9% of US children age 8-15 years meet criteria for ADHD (23).
• Sensory Processing Disorder affects 1 in 20 children www.SPDFoundation.net.
• A 2006 US study reported 32% of children admitted to inpatient pediatric ward demonstrated a developmental disability (24).
• In 1996, 10% of Canadian children ages 7-13 years were obese, with estimated economic costs of 1.8 billion (25).  In 2004, just eight years later, this number is 50% higher with a prevalence of obesity at fully 15% of Canadian children (26).
• US study reports obesity incidence in 2 to 5 year old toddlers increased from 2.1% to 5.0% in boys and 4.8% to 10.8% in girls over a 6 year period (27).

Psychological Disorders and Psychotropic Medication

• Recent studies document a rise in psychological disorders in children reporting increasing incidence of ADHD, autism, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety (28-31).
• 2007 mental illness statistics for children in Canada show that 14.3% of children have a diagnosed mental health disorder with anxiety disorders 6.4%, ADD or ADHD 4.8%, conduct disorders 4.2%, depressive disorders 3.5%, substance abuse 0.8%, autism spectrum disorders 0.3%, obsessive compulsive disorders 0.2%, eating disorders 0.1%, schizophrenia 0.1%, bipolar disorder <0.1% (32).
• There are no reliable, valid, or replicable studies showing genetic evidence for any psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, Autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression or anxiety. (33)
• People who report they are not happy watch over 30% more TV hours per day than people who report they are happy (34).
• Television exposure and total media exposure in adolescence are associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms in young adulthood, especially in young men (35).
• Behaviors associated to technology overuse may be confusing for parents, teachers and physicians, and could be easily misunderstood, possibly resulting in psychiatric diagnosis and prescription of psychotropic medication (36-39).
• Dr. David Stein reported at the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology conference in October 2009 that 32% of children ages 0-18 years covered by Blue Cross insurance are currently on psychotropic medication.
• Between 1991 and 1995, prescriptions for psychotropic medications in the 2 – 4 year old toddler population, as well as in children and youth tripled (40-42).  80% of this medication was prescribed by family physicians and pediatricians (43).
• 28-30% of children receiving psychotropic medication are on multiple medications, with minimal knowledge regarding drug interactions or long term toxicity (44).
• Limited high quality evidence guiding appropriate dosing and inexperience in documentation of long term effects of these prescriptions in children may mean that these children undergo unquantified risks (45-48).
• Dr. Peter Breggin reported at the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology conference in October 2009 that ADHD medication causes permanent neurotransmitter changes due to receptor down regulation, resulting in depletion of the transmitter the drug was originally designed to increase.  New psychotropic medication molecular structure has added fluoride and chloride ions to improve long acting ability, which are proven to be toxic with long term (> 4 months) administration to cell mitochondria causing eventual cell death.  ADHD medication results in growth retardation and 20% brain shrinkage, appetite loss, 50% depression, 50% Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Tardive Dyskinesthesia, and alcohol and cocaine abuse. Psychotropic medication decreases spontaneity and increases obsessive compulsive disorder, two traits which are ALWAYS interpreted as “improvement” by the educational system.
• Research regarding stimulant medication with children is rife with conflict.  Studies have low validity and reliability ratings, and findings can rarely be replicated.  Clinical trials are generally small in sample size (30-40 children), and on children older than FDA approved regulations, resulting in prevalent “off label” prescribing.  Clinical trials are conducted for no longer than 4-8 week periods, which is insufficient to document any toxicological side effects, and authors state “Neither the long-term effectiveness nor the long-term safety of stimulant medications has ever been demonstrated”. (49)
• Three year follow-up of treated ADHD subjects showed increases in heart rate, and/or systolic and diastolic blood pressure in 20% of children taking stimulants for ADHD (50).

• Health Canada warns that Atomoxetine (Strattera), a drug commonly used to treat ADHD disorder in children, has been linked to 189 reported adverse reactions as of December 31, 2007, including 55 suicide attempts of which 43 were among children between the ages of 6 and 17 (51).
• Two world-renowned Harvard child psychiatrists Dr. Joseph Biederman and Dr. Thomas Spencer, whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of powerful antipsychotic medicines in children, found in a 2006 study increased prevalence of adult ADHD and call for increased detection and treatment (52).  Senator Charles E. Grassley implicated these same researchers in payments of $1.6 million of unreported income from pharmaceutical corporations over a 6 year period (53).
• Although “off label” marketing of psychotropic medication and suppression of negative results of drug trials are illegal, they are widely accepted practices by pharmaceutical companies (54).
• Studies have shown that access to “green space” for 20 minutes per day significantly reduced ADHD symptoms, yet drug use continues to climb.  Inner city children suffer from ADHD at three times the rate of children in rural areas (55).

Missing Critical Factors for Child Development

• In primitive times, human beings engaged in physical labor, and sensory stimulation was natural and simple.  Rapid advances in technology and transportation have resulted in a physically sedentary society with high frequency, duration and intensity of sensory stimuli (56).
• These environmental changes are faster than human being’s ability to adapt and evolve.  Children who immerse themselves in virtual reality may exhibit signs of sensory deprivation, as they become disconnected from the world of physical play and meaningful interactions (57).
• Canadian parents spend an average 3.5 minutes per week participating in meaningful conversation with their children (58).
• Overuse of TV and video games may result in children lacking essential connection with themselves, others and nature.  Child now fear nature, limiting outdoor play which is essential for achieving sensory and motor development (59).
• Three critical factors for healthy physical and psychological child development are movement, touch and connection to other humans (60,61).
• Developing children require 3-4 hours per day of active rough and tumble play to achieve adequate stimulation to the vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile sensory systems (57).  This type of sensory input ensures normal development of posture, bilateral coordination and optimal arousal states (62,63).
• Scottish study reports toddlers aged 3 years engaged in only 20 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, which correlated with a decline in total energy expenditure and sedentary behavior.  Study identifies TV, video games, strollers as “culprits” (64).
• Infants with low tone, toddlers failing to reach motor milestones, and children who are unable to pay attention or achieve basic foundation skills for literacy, are frequent visitors to pediatric physiotherapy and occupational therapy clinics (65).
• The use of safety restraint devices such as infant bucket seats and toddler carrying packs and strollers, have further limited movement, touch and connection, as have TV and videogames.
• Many of today’s parents perceive outdoor play is ‘unsafe’, even though most crimes against children are instigated by family members (66), limiting essential developmental components usually attained in outdoor rough and tumble play.
• Dr. Montagu reports that when children lack touch and human connection, they may respond by ‘turning in’ (anxiety, depression) or ‘turning out’ (aggression) (67).

Academic Performance

• Students with greater than 15 minutes per day of recess had teacher reports of better classroom behavior.  30% of 3^rd graders had little or no recess (< 15 minutes per day) and 40% of schools surveyed had cut back at least one daily recess period. Since the 1970’s, children have lost 12 hours per week in free time (68).
• There is a positive correlation between physical activity and seven categories of cognitive performance: perceptual skills, intelligence quotient, achievement, verbal tests, math tests, developmental level, and academic readiness.  Studies show that a reduction of 240 minutes per week of academic class time, replaced with increased time for PE, led to higher math scores.  Adding PE time alone does not improve grades, it’s vigorous exercise that improves cognition e.g. climbing walls, exercise bikes, tread mills, dancing (69).
• In 1994 and 2003, comparative literacy studies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States were completed covering four literacy domains – prose (reading and  understanding text information e.g. stories, editorials), document (locating text information e.g. maps, schedules), and numeracy (understanding math embedded in text e.g. weather and loan interest charts) and problem solving. Participants were ranked on five levels, with level one being the lowest.  15% of Canadians scored in level one, and only 50% reached level three.  Canadians scored in the middle of the pack, and results were the same for 1994 and 2003 (70).

• More than eight million students in grades 4-12 read below grade level, and while they can decode, they cannot comprehend what they read.   Between 1971 and 2004, the reading level of America’s 17 year olds showed not improvement at all.  40% of high school graduates lack the literacy skills employers seek.  Early exposure to print is largest predictor of reading ability (71).
• Comparative study of digital (screen) reading vs. print reading reports the following problems with screen reading:
  • Attention: clicking and scrolling disrupt attention and disturb mental appreciation
  • Comprehension: reader lacks both completeness and constituent parts
  • Memory: change in physical surroundings has a negative effect on memory
  • Learning: doesn’t allow required time and mental exertion
  • Meaning:  isn’t a physical dimension, loss of totality

Mangen Quote: “The digital hypertext technology and its use of multimedia are not open      to the experience of a fictional universe where the experience consists of creating you           own mental images.  The reader gets distracted by the opportunities for doing something      else” (72).

• Literacy is defined as competency in handwriting, reading and communication skill. A foundation in spoken language competence in the early years, is important for the successful achievement of literacy, academic and social competence (73).
• Printing is a precursor to reading and speech fluency, and poor handwriting skill is related to language disorders.  Motor planning required for automatic letter production when printing “maps” the sensorimotor cortex for eventual visual letter recognition for reading, and word finding for oral sentence production (74).
• Rowan, C. 2007. Children who cannot print are essentially illiterate.  Teacher misperception that the computer will replace the need to print, is unfounded and shortsighted.  Slow printing speed resulting from inadequate teaching of letter and number formation, impacts on every subject and is the leading cause of illiteracy.
• ADHD should be re-termed “attention inconsistency”, as these children have episodic attention ability.  Attention Restorative Theory has three tenants: 1) attention ability is subject to fatigue and restoration 2) voluntary and interesting tasks are less fatiguing than involuntary and uninteresting tasks 3) attention ability is subject to environment modifications (75).
• Dyslexia can be artificially induced by teaching whole word method reading, and cured by teaching phonic reading. (76)
• Exposure to “green space” results in a significant reduction in ADHD, in both areas of impulse control and attention ability.  Nature not only has attention restorative benefits, but also activates all the senses to enhance multi-sensory learning ability (77,78).

Media Violence

• Violent media is a public health threat. A review of 50 years of research on the impact of violence in TV, movies, videogames and internet concludes that watching media violence significantly increases the risk that a viewer or videogame player will behave aggressively in both the short and the long term. 60% of TV programs contain violence and 40% contain heavy violence.  Most videogames contain violence.  Video game ratings are a poor indicator of content and constitute conflict of interest, as the rating process is performed by the video game industry.  Authors state the impact of violent electronic media on public health is second only to the impact of cigarette smoking on lung cancer (79).
• In the short term, media violence can increase aggression by priming aggressive thoughts and decision processes increasing physiological arousal, and triggering a tendency to imitate observed behaviors.  In the long-term, repeated exposure can produce lasting increases in aggressive thought patterns and aggression-supporting beliefs about social behaviors, and can reduce individuals normal negative emotional responses to violence (80).
• Studies regarding the effects of violent video games on children found even violent cartoons increased aggression in 9-12 year old children.  Violence is defined as doing intentional harm to another, not how graphic or gory the game is.  Increased exposure to violent videogames results in more pro-violent attitudes, hostile personalities, less forgiveness, belief that violence is typical, and causes children to behave more aggressively in their every day life (81).
• Young children are most vulnerable to media violence as they are more impressionable, can’t distinguish between fantasy and reality, cannot discern motives for violence, and learn by observing and imitating (82).

Cyberbullying

• Survey of 3,767 grade 6, 7, 8 students who attended six schools in the US found 11% had been electronically bullied and 4% indicated they had bullied a victim in the past month.  Half of the electronic bully victims reported not knowing the perpetrator’s identity (83).
• Youth who reported being harasses online were 8 times more likely to carry a weapon to school in the past 30 days (84).
• While online cyberbullying occurs off campus, resulting altercations happen on site (85).
• Internet bullying is correlated with school behavior problems, and media literacy programs may mitigate the negative effects of electronic media on youth (86).

Technology Addiction Prevalence

• A Harris Interactive Poll in the US release in April 2007 found that 8.5% of youth gamers could be classified as “pathological” or “clinically addicted” to playing video games.  A British survey of gamers indicated 12% reported being “addicted”. 2.4 % of South Korea from ages 9 – 39 have video game addiction according to a government funded survey.  Another 10.2% were found to be borderline cases at risk of addiction.  Addiction was defined as an obsession with playing electronic games to the point of sleep deprivation, disruption of daily life and a loosening grip on reality, depression and with drawl when not playing.  10 South Koreans died in 2005 from disruption in blood circulation caused by prolonged use.  S. Korea has government funded counseling and clinics for gamers. Most addictive video games are the MMORPG’s massively multiplayer online role playing games (87).
• Difficulty identifying feelings, higher dissociative experiences, lower self esteem, and higher impulse dysregulation were associated with higher incidence of internet addiction (88).
• ADHD was the most associated symptom of Internet Addiction, followed by impulsivity (89).
• Internet addicts are lonelier and have lower self-esteem and poorer social skills than moderate users (90).
• Video game addiction can be statistically predicted on measures of hostility and poor academic achievement (91).  12% of boys and 8% of girl video game players exhibit pathological patterns of play, and fit the DSM IV category of addiction.  Study also showed that pathological gamers are twice as likely to have ADD or ADHD (92).

Costs of Technology Overuse to the Health and Education Sectors

• Extrapolation from previously cited research indicates estimated annual costs to the health care system to support children with developmental disabilities, psychiatric and behavioral disorders are $9.3 billion, obesity are $3 billion and medication costs are $0.3 billion, totaling $12.5 billion. 
• Estimated annual costs to the education system for failing literacy are $10 billion, and educational support of children with developmental disabilities are $13 billion, totaling $23 billion. 
• In summary, the total annual costs to the health and education sectors to address problems that strongly correlate with child technology addictions are $35.5 billion.

Considerations and Recommendations

• In 2001 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement recommending that children less than two years of age should not watch any TV or videogames (93), and further recommended that children older than two should restrict usage to one hour per day if they have any physical, mental or social problems, and two hours per day maximum if they don’t (94).
• Further evidence suggests some parents may have technology addictions (95), and Adult Internet Addiction has been proposed for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition (96).
• Mounting research evidence suggests that childhood is the optimal time to influence determinants of social and emotional wellbeing (97), with recent research demonstrating that prevention programs in childhood can reduce the prevalence of mental disorders, while also addressing causal factors.  For example targeted parent training within disadvantaged families can significantly reduce subsequent prevalence of behavior disorders in children, while also improving educational and social outcomes (98).
• These facts support implementation of school based technology management programs, teaching children how to balance activities they need to grow and succeed, with technology use.  A randomized controlled trial of a 6-month classroom curriculum to reduce TV and video game use resulted in not only statistically significant reduction in technology use, but also showed relative decreases in obesity (99).
• With researchers advocating for increased services for children to address increasing prevalence of child mental health disorders (100), and solid evidence that many of these disorders may be related to technology overuse, it seems warranted that the medical profession may want to consider an Unplug – Don’t Drug policy where prior to costly diagnosis and medication of child behavior, the child and family undergo a three month technology unplug trial.  Alternatively, the medical profession may consider routine technology usage histories for all their clients.

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Biography – Cris Rowan

Cris Rowan is an impassioned occupational therapist who has first-hand understanding and knowledge of how technology can cause profound changes in a child’s development, behavior and their ability to learn.

Cris received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1989 from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and is a SIPT certified sensory integration specialist.  Cris is a member in good standing with the BC College of Occupational Therapists, and an approved provider with the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, and Autism Community Training. For the past fifteen years, Cris has specialized in pediatric rehabilitation, working for over a decade in the Sunshine Coast School District in British Columbia.

Cris is CEO of Zone’in Programs Inc. offering products, workshops and training to improve child health and enhance academic performance. Cris designed Zone’in, Move’in, Unplug’in and Live’in educational products for elementary children to address the rise in developmental delays, behavior disorders, and technology overuse.  Cris has performed over 200 Foundation Series Workshops on topics such as sensory integration, attention and learning, fine motor development, printing and the impact of technology on child development for teachers, parents and health professionals throughout North America.  Cris has recently created Zone’in Training Programs to train other pediatric occupational therapists to deliver these integral workshops in their own community.  Cris is an expert reviewer for the Canadian Family Physician Journal, authors the monthly Zone’in Development Series Newsletter and is author of the following initiatives: Unplug – Don’t Drug, Creating Sustainable Futures Program, and Linking Corporations to Community. Cris is author of a forthcoming book Disconnect to Reconnect – How to counteract the negative effects of technology to improve child performance at school and home.

Cris is a proud mom of Canadian Navy Submariner Officer Matt, and resides in Sechelt, British Columbia on the Sunshine Coast with her equestrian daughter Katie, husband Ian, as well as two dogs, three cats, a bird and a horse. Cris loves the outdoors and spends a great deal of time with her family exploring the natural beauty of her community.

Cris Rowan, OT (Reg), BScOT, BScBi, SIPT, Approved Provider for ACTBC, AOTA and CAOT
CEO Zone’in Programs Inc. and Sunshine Coast Occupational Therapy Inc.
6840 Seaview Rd.  Sechelt  BC  V0N3A4
604-885-0986 O, 604-740-2264 C, 604-885-0389 F
crowan@zonein.ca
websites: www.zonein.ca, www.suncoastot.com

Oct. 12, 2009

What Do Today’s Kids Need to Grow and Succeed?: An Interview with Cris Rowan, Canadian Occupational Therapist
By Kelli Arnone

Disney refunds Baby Einstein DVD’s – false advertising!

Accusations from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) citing false advertising, and pressure from the American Academy of Pediatrics that ‘baby TV’ is not educational and is detrimental to development, has forced Disney to agree to refund $15.99 for up to four Baby Einstein DVD’s purchased between the dates June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009.

http://www.babyeinstein.com/parentsguide/satisfaction/upgrade_us.html

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) was instrumental in lobbying the FTC to address false advertising of Baby Einstein DVD’s, and below letter from FTC to Baby Einstein lawyer clearly delineates FTC’s concerns.

http://commercialfreechildhood.org/actions/babyeinstein.pdf

Possibly a next step would be for the technology production corporations to place ‘child risk’ warnings on products informing parents of detrimental effects of overuse of their products?

One of the authors, Professor Paul Kershaw, said those children identified as being developmentally vulnerable as they enter kindergarten are less likely to go on and pass their foundation skills assessment test in Grades 4 and 7, and more likely to not show up to even write their tests. “We know from statistical linking, “ Kershaw said, “that people who do badly in these tests more often than not don’t go on to university. The more that children are less school-ready, the more they are less job-ready.” Kershaw went on to state “The most effective use of educational funds to stimulate the economy would be to invest in the early years, even before kindergarten, when children’s work and study habits are most malleable.” Among its recommendations the report calls for extended parental leave, a redefinition of full-time work to accommodate shorter annual working hour norms, and increased affordable daycare.

In short, this study concludes that if parents were home more, children would get whatever it is they need to not be “developmentally vulnerable,” and would pass their tests and go on to become productive members of society. What Dr. Kershaw and his colleges failed to consider is that while stay at home parents might be in the home, this does not mean they are available to interact with nor teach their children necessary school entry skills. With children now using an average 8 hours per day of technology (75% of children have TV’s in their bedrooms), and when child health experts (AAP) recommend no more than 2 hours per day, one has to wonder where are the parents? “Plugged in” and “tuned out”, internet addiction is now the fastest growing adult mental health disorder, wreaking havoc on any semblance of traditional family life. Connected to TV, movies, internet, video games, cell phones and iPods, 21st century parents are disconnected from what society should value most – its children. And Canadian children are suffering. 30% are developmentally delayed, 15% obese, and 15% diagnosed with mental health disorders – all causally related to over use of technology. Parents perceptions regarding outdoor safety keep children indoors, further limiting access to necessary movement required to achieve optimal growth and academic success. When studies show access to “green space” virtually eliminates ADHD, why are children instead being medicated and kept inside? Let’s take another look at “children as a commodity” down the road – fat, sluggish, drooling, dense, and stoned – the children of the new millennium will certainly not be contributing to improved GDP growth!

Another consideration regarding contributions to child “developmental vulnerability” is full day kindergarten. The job of the infant, toddler and preschooler is to move, a lot, experts state 3-4 hours per day of unrestricted rough and tumble play. This constant movement provides essential sensory and motor stimulation needed to meet critical milestones for development, a precursor for attention ability and literacy. Putting children in desks and expecting them to hold a crayon is developmentally too advanced (we now know for at least 30% of children), and will only result in that child feeling performance anxiety and failure as they struggle to keep up in a world that is too difficult for them. Anytime a child spends at a desk is adversely affecting their sensory and motor development. Look at education policies in countries such as Iceland and Finland, which have the highest literacy rates in the world. Iceland and Finland have outdoor schools (roof, no walls) where children PLAY on a variety of suspended equipment designed to enhance sensory and motor development. Only when children are developmentally ready, at the end of grade one, do the schools introduce sitting in desks and teaching of printing and reading. Progressive school across North America are jumping on the “move to learn” bandwagon and switching to standing desks, daily treadmill use, and enforced outdoor recess.

We need to learn that exposing children to more structured education, does not necessarily equate to improved literacy and learning skill, and we do know from Dr. Kershaw’s study that children who enter the school delayed, do not “catch up”. Where governments should focus early intervention is at the daycare and pre-school settings, where environments could be re-structured to include some of the Iceland and Finland sensory and motor enhancing components.

We are raising children, not little adults, and every child has the right to literacy.

Cris Rowan
Pediatric Occupational Therapist and CEO Zone’in Programs Inc.
crowan@zonein.ca

For supporting research, please go to http://www.zoneinworkshops.com/fact-sheet/zonein-fact-sheet/