Warning: Do not raise a cybertot, The National Post, Aug. 9, 03
'Lasting Negative Effects'
A trio of studies to be presented today and Sunday at the American Psychological Association's conference in Toronto argues not only that there is little benefit to pre-school children who use computers, but that prolonged use of computers in place of old-fashioned play can lead to social withdrawal, attention problems, loss of creativity and even depression and anxiety.
"We introduce complex concepts long before they are ready to master them, deny their need for play, subject them to uniform curricula and assessment, and transform their world from one that is three-dimensional and experiential to one that is dominated by two-dimensional virtual reality. Then we label and drug the children who do not fit in," writes Sharna Olfman, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Pittsburgh's Point Park College, and author of Pathogenic trends in early childhood education.
[. . . .]
. . . Yale researchers write"Decades of compelling research has documented that imaginative play is an essential building block for the academic challenges that lay in wait for the pre-school child.
Children learn to become flexible when they play," they write,. "If they do not have a toy airplane, a wooden clothespin can easily become one. Controlling impulsive behaviour and delaying gratification are still other benefits."
My Commentary:
There are some excellent recommendations for parents in the article -- if you can find it. Maybe it will be posted on The National Post site later.
Note that a child can have rewarding, imaginative play without expensive toys, just by using whatever is at hand and pretending. Isn't that nice to know when you, as a parent, are being bombarded with advertisements at this time of year--advertisements that induce guilt if you don't buy the latest educational item to help your child succeed? Don't buy it -- nor the message; get out and play with the child. Look at what nature has to offer in the way of wonders instead -- or play a game. Do anything together.
Additionally, if you pull the plug on your television and place it in the basement, your child will get out and play, be healthier and happier -- and so will you. The best parents--in the sense of raising well-rounded children who become superb students--have done this. (I have been watching for a long time what the best parents do.) Also, the children do NOT get sent to their bedrooms to do homework; they do it in front of a parent or the parent is at least in the room, keeping an eye out to make sure that the child spends time on task, not being distracted by listening to the radio or with eyes cocked to the TV. The most successful parents read to their pre-school children, then listen to the child reading in his first few years of school so as to note any problem areas; then the parent can get help immediately. It all becomes part of the time together as a family. The child knows the parent cares enough to do this--to forego some of his own free time--and the parent, having chosen to produce a child, has embraced this--and other--responsibilities for the good of the child.
