Rabat - Children under five are being negatively affected by too much time spent in front of the television and other electronic screens, says Dr. Madeleine Portwood, one of the UK's top educational psychologists and spokesperson for the British Psychology Society on Child. Development.
According to Dr. Portwood, too much time spent in front of the television limits a child's ability to engage in imaginative play as well as limits their opportunities to develop social and physical skills. Further, by not developing these skills, children are more likely to engage in bad behavior.
Dr. Portwood will be speaking at a Dubai conference titled Help Children Reach Their Potential: Accelerating Child Development in the Early Years on 13 June. She will be discussing her Child Development Programme (CDP) in which she gives children the opportunity to appropriately develop their social and physical skills in spheres outside of the television and electronic games.
The CDP assists children in under five in developing critical motor skills as well as communication skills. Already, this programme has been evaluated by the UK's Department of Education and has shown success for children in just six months
"Young children develop differently but if we can optimise chances and learning, then all children can benefit. A child may have potential that isn't being realised, so it is important to provide opportunities that will enable that to develop," says Dr. Portwood.
She also says that children are having trouble comprehending their surroundings in such a visual world. They are unable to make a choice when they have too much to choose from, which results in tantrums. Though this is normal behavior for this age group, the CDP helps teach children negotiating skills, turn-taking skills, and learning to accept compromises.
At her conference, Dr. Portwood will share with health care specialists as well as teachers how best to track the development of children under five years old. The CDP will help parents and teachers measure the amount each child is developing.
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