Parent–child interaction effects on autism symptoms and EEG relative power in young children with excessive screen-time

Excessive exposure of young children to digital devices replaces their active relationships with parents and environmental experiences, and may be it causes children to be neglected and developed in a simple and repetitive environment with little social interaction that can lead to negative outcomes, such as Post-Digital Nanning Autism Symptom in young children. This study consisted of 12 children with autism symptoms (33,33 ± 9.95 months) and excessive screen time. Parents were trained for intensive interaction with their child for two months. The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist was administered (pre-, post- and follow-up) to the participating parents. 19-channel EEG data was recorded from children (pre- and post-test). Our result revealed that after the intervention, the severity of autism symptoms (F = 18.40, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.63) decreased and relative power of delta, theta and beta bands in some channels changed (p ≤ 0.05). These findings highlight the importance of a communicative and high-quality caregiving environment for young children.