Positively Squared (Positive Use of Technology)

We can’t deny that technology has evolved to the point where it has become intertwined in multiple ways in our daily lives. It’s in our cars, our workplaces; we have phones in our pockets constantly and it can have an extremely positive impact on our lives. It also cannot…

Technology is a wonderful engagement tool to educate people. It’s an effective therapeutic tool to develop a person’s capacity to live and prosper in their lives across the lifespan. It’s a vital tool for some people’s communication allowing equality and access. For children, it is commonly used as a way to increase participation and make learning and play fun. The challenge is though, how do you ensure you are using it positively…? Overusing technology can have negative effects on a person’s life. It can cause in-activeness, musculoskeletal pain and stiffness, reduce social interactions and impact overall development.

It offers so many uses for Therapy: It can simply be used as a tool to remind and prompt a functional task, like an alarm, to develop a toilet routine, or more complexly, with virtual reality assisting in rehabilitation settings. Technology offers a diverse range of apps and games that can make learning about emotions and facial expressions more fun and interactive.

It can help people talk: Technology has allowed those individuals that are not able to verbally communicate to do just this, using an application that speaks for them such as Proloquo2Go.

It’s motivating: Technology is highly motivating for most of the population these days. It can be powerful way to motivate and reinforce kids for positive behaviour – such as completing their chore or routine charts.

It’s accessible: Technology allows for children and adults who live remotely to access essential education and therapy. It also allows for connection between relatives, family and friends in geographically isolated areas which affords them the same opportunity as those living in metropolitan areas.

It creates a sedentary lifestyle: Too much technology may mean that kids spend less time outside moving and playing which can lead to long term issues such as poor endurance, strength, balance and weight gain.

It is isolating: Technology takes away the need for face to face communication and means people, most importantly children, do not get to practice those essential skills of non-verbal and verbal communication through play/conversation/interaction.

Effects on development: Technology reduces interaction with the world around a person causing poorly developed social skills and executive functioning, such as problem-solving, risk-taking, emotional regulation, fine motor and gross motor skills.

It’s a ‘hook’: Technology can ‘hook’ children, it gives instant gratification and a continued sense of control. This can create issues around only wanting to work for immediate results rather than putting in the effort for a longer term benefit, appreciating and understanding delayed gratification and being demanding.

Tip 1: Set boundaries and be consistent so your child knows what is and isn’t acceptable. It is important to remain as consistent with the guidelines as possible so that the child knows exactly what is expected of them.
Tip 2: Use it as a reinforcer for positive behaviour. Provide a certain amount of time as a reward for wanted behaviours like finishing their morning routine.
Tip 3: Set up parental controls to monitor what the child is accessing online and ensuring it is appropriate.
Tip 4: Limit use before bed. Stop screen time around 2 hours before bedtimes as this allows for the child’s natural melatonin levels to regulate and allow for calmer sleep. In turn, this affects their mood and engagement in their day to day activities.
Tip 5: Keep neck upright to prevent development of poor posture. Try using technology laying on the belly, which helps develop the muscles in the back, core, shoulder girdle and upper arm for better strength and take regular breaks.
Tip 6: Ensure you are getting regular exercise and move your body through a variety of positions and range of motions to continue altering the body and mind.
Tip 7: Regularly look away from the screen by looking into the distance away from the screen regularly to prevent digital eyestrain (fatigued and dry eyes).
Tip 8: Always use other fine motor tasks to ensure that young children are able to develop their fine motor skills.

Deborah J. Jones, Rex Forehand, Jessica Cuellar, Justin Parent, Amanda Honeycutt, Olga Khavjou, Michelle Gonzalez, Margaret Anton & Greg A. Newey (2014) Technology-Enhanced Program for Child Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Development and Pilot Randomized Control Trial, Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 43:1, 88-101, DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2013.822308

Loghran, D. (2018) How screen time effects rest, [online] KidsMatter The Department of Health, Available at: https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/families/enewsletter/screen-time-and-sleep