THE INCREASE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER DIAGNOSES: PRIMARY NEUROBIOLOGICAL DISORDER OR BEHAVIORAL MIMICRY FROM EXCESSIVE SCREEN TIME?

Abstract

 The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) coincides with the rise in electronic device use among children. The potential consequences of screen time on neurodevelopment are associated with a behavioral mimicry of ASD, which acts as a confounding diagnostic factor. Thus, this study aims to analyze the signs suggestive of ASD in relation to screen exposure time, establishing clinical criteria that differentiate the primary disorder from behavioral mimicry. The methodology comprises a literature review conducted in the PubMed/MEDLINE database and the Virtual Health Library (SciELO and LILACS). Out of 85 retrieved articles, those published in the last 5 years, in English and Portuguese, and with free full text were selected. Duplicate studies and those that did not address the proposed topic were excluded. A total of 21 articles were selected for analysis. The results indicated that digital overexposure causes behaviors similar to the disorder and generates false-positives in screenings, making "digital detox" a strategy to ensure an accurate differential diagnosis. Conversely, methodological limitations and recall bias hinder a definitive cause-and-effect relationship. Therefore, longitudinal studies and variable standardization are required to establish the correlation between the effects of screen exposure on child development.