DVD addict and delayed speech? link?

Hi,

My DD is absolutely addicted to The Wiggles and Elmo DVDs, She is 16months old and knows how to press "AV" on the tv and "play" on the DVD player, she brings the dvd covers over and points and motions towards the tv .It got to the point where she was watching them upto 3 times a day (coz she'd whinge and cry so much we would give in!). Anyway, this has been going on for several weeks and I finally cracked coz I am worried about a) the amount of time she spends watching tv (about 1-1.5 hrs a day - but not all in one hit - she watches small bursts - but I'm kind of adding up the small bursts) and b) her expressive language development.

So this week we went cold turkey - no dvds for a whole week (using method of distraction). She's been ok so far but my question is - is DVD addiction common in toddlers and if so why? is it the repetition they like? and when do I worry about speech development? - she only says "mama" and "papa" and that's it - she understands commands - bring me the yellow hat, give grandma the doll - she nods and shakes her heads when we ask her questions but no words - not even simple words like "up". Can't help but worry if there is a correlation between delayed speech and watching too dvds.

No I don't think there is a correlation between the two but I can understand why your worried. Both my kids probably watch too much tv but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to get through the day. My son has autism and he watches DVD repeatedly and had a speech delay but we were told not to worry until he was at least 2 by the CHN we went to see when he was younger. Having said that my DD loves watching DVD's over and over again too and she shows no signs of autism. There have been studies done that show that kids who watch good quality childrens repeatively show develop a good moral understanding and that it can in fact assist in their intellectual and other development.

If she is handling the DVD's withdrawl well then I wouldn't worry too much and there is a great book called baby speech I think which has lots of ideas for encouraging language develpment. As I said the CHN told us it's not considered a delay until after 2yrs

In terms of speech development, my DD is the same age and she's not saying much either in terms of fully comprehensible words though she does try to say lots of things, it's just that they don't sound like proper words yet to us though I'm sure they do to her LOL. So I wouldn't be too concerned - the toddlers at my Mothers Group are similar too so I don't think it's related to the DVD watching at all. As long as you're talking to her a lot during the day and naming stuff for her over and over again, I think that's all you can do at this stage.

Dont think so, DD has fantastic speech and she will watch a DVD everyday (when I was sick when PG with DS sometimes a few times a day). We have been told her speech is well above what it should be for her age so...

Also I think DVD's/ TV sometimes help them learn..DD can do the actions and sing nursery ryhmes thanks to play school dvd's.

My DS has a degree in Pixar videos - he has a serious problem - but his speech is at normal levels, if not a bit advanced. He certainly has no problems communicating with us at all. He is just turned two and speaks in 5 or 6 word sentences...watching Shrek, Cars, Monsters Inc and Toy Story all the while :redface:

I do understand your concern because I'm wary of it as well, but DS will just as happily sit down and colour in or do a jigsaw puzzle with his sister so I just make sure he has opportunities to do that and not sit in front of the box all day which he would if it were his choice!

DD1 loves TV and DVD's and her speech is very advanced and never stops talking, she has said words from an early age and amazes me how far she has come, alot of her words have been learnt from tv!

Yup I agree with the others. DS is an excellent speaker (sometimes can't shut him up) and he is learning new words every day - also a tv addict.

You know what he said when my mum was visiting about a month ago - she was in the kitchen making a cup of tea so he turned to me and said (clearly) - "nanny making a cup of tea..." (oh, and he turns 2 next month too)

The amount of tv this kid watches is amazing - its on all day - and the things that he comes out with is amazing for his age...

So I think personally, tv helps to develop their speech - not hinder it.

JMO of course

Studies so far indicate that screen-time CAN damage speech development, but to be honest the differences, though measurable, between tv and non-tv groups are small enough that in interaction one probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the groups.

The reason littlies love tv is because it FEELS like interaction - it is stimulating, fast-moving and holds the attention. The tv is never busy and never tired and is there whenever you want it. The problem with tv is that before the age of 3 children learn BEST and the most NEEDFUL things to learn (social cues, interative and communicative skills, compassion and emotional stability) from interaction with others and you CANNOT interact with a tv. Even if Dora asks a question on-screen and leaves a gap, she cannot hear your child if it answers and her inaane "that's right it's a...." is meaningless.

From all i've seen and read so far, dvd's are only a problem if they are INSTEAD of this much-needed social interaction - a child who is talked to and involved in a variety of activities which involve communication between both other individuals and themself and others will not suffer significantly from watching a dvd every now and then.

If i were you i'd go with my gut feeling - you're worried about her viewing so you cut it out or down until it's at a level you're comfortable with. My DD used to have no tv, she's had plenty the last few weeks! Kids grow and change so quickly, you might find the level of viewing that makes you a bit uncomfortable at 16 months feels absolutely fine at 26 months.

FWIW her speech sounds bang on normal for expressive and above-average for receptive.

Bx

My DS1 is obsessed with DVDs and has been for a few years.
He's an excellent speaker aswell.

thanks for the feedback. Michaela gets lots of social interaction - we read to her and play games, sing songs, go for walks, play in the park - it's just days when we are stuck indoors all day and when she is eating or when she wants to "chill" that she wants to watch dvds.

I'll see how she goes with her speech - because she doesn't say many words, I worry that watching dvds may be harmful - I know there are benefits to watching the educational dvds but I'll try to limit their use, rather than ban them altogether.

It's good to hear (huge relief actually!)that many of your toddlers are watching dvds/tv and still have no problems developing speech :)

I don't think there is a connection between the two my ds2 is nearly 2 and has a few words only aswell!

As Saram said you gotta do what you gotta do to get through the day!

OK, DS got his first TV at about 2w old (Dr Who). He got his first kids TV at about 6m (I needed to do chores). At 11-12m he would have up to an hour - plus 2-3 DVDs a week. Now he sometimes has none, sometimes a few hours.

You can't shut him up. Ever. He's 22 months and speaks in short sentences as well as non-stop babble when he can't think of what to say in English. Although he doesn't know how to operate the TV beyond "on" and "off"! Which I'm quite grateful for.

I don't think it's that linked. OK, so with TV/DVDs we do watch together and I'll talk to DS about it, we also chatter and read a lot. Some children who have 24/7 TV and no parental input (ok, most children with this) have speech problems. But you're not doing this. Some children are just slow to talk. But you don't notice a difference when they're 6-7 (unless it's neglect or a medical problem).