Wow..read this..TV and ADD

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TV_ATTENTION_PROBLEMS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

"needs to be followed up to confirm and better explain the mechanisms that may be involved." - To say the least!!
No diagnosis, no program information, no data accuracy - flat out bad science to me! I hate it when statistice like this get released to the press.
Just the one corelation - ADHD and television watching - but does ADHD make kids more prone to watching TV or does TV give kids ADHD?
This also feeds the "bad parenting" theory of ADD/ADHD - "if only you didn't let your kids watch too much TV and rot their brains".
Sorry if I'm venting

I always thought that the TeleTubbies were evil...lol

Speaking from someone who works in television, I think its just another story to make people think "gee television is evil." Well I hate to say this, theres some crazy things that are on television and parents do need to be aware of what thier kids watch and after the Janet Jackson "malfunction," the state of television, its content and its effects are being talked about in the news more then ever. I do believe there is no such thing as too much television. Now if a kid is watching it alot and emulating the things they see on television, ya I would say that is too much television. Is it the television set's fault? NO, should we spank our televisions. No. Should we spank the TV cable guy for bringing us crap on tv and blame it on them? Maybe. After all they jack our cable rates up!

Hmmm, well, maybe so, Crisgo. Did you ever see Cable Guy?

I agree that it's another one of those over-dramatized "bad science" stories. That said, I don't think TV can possibly help with a child's attention span. Everything is so frenetic and so fast that there's no need to focus at all. I've noticed that my older child will hyperfocus on the TV to an alarming extent. He winds up very irritable if we let him watch for very long. So I've been turning the TV off more and more and making the kids play instead. They think I'm Mommie Dearest. :D

Anybody got a link for the article? One that doesn't require paying a $12 fee?

I got to this link no problem.

Originally posted by livingwithadd
I got to this link no problem.
No, the actual journal article that's being reported.

I actually found a link to what is presumably the article in question—I'm curious about copywrite issues since the Pediatrics journal charges for access to the paper. I was going to post it but I forgot to....too much television, I guess.

I can't say that I was too impressed w/ the article. Hopefully, when I get home I'll remember to post the link.

I forgot that I put it on the SDMB last night. Here is the link:

http://www.mindfully.org/Health/2004/ADHD-TV-Ped4apr04.htm

The article says that there is a concordance of 50% to 80% in identical twins, and that is higher than it is in fraternal twins. Anybody know what the difference is, or how to interpret that?