Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, pointing out the negative effects of uncontrolled technology use on child development, stated that this situation leads to learned autism. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, indicating that children who spend all day with computers, tablets, or television cannot communicate, said, “Learned autism is this: a child who spends all day with a computer cannot communicate. They can't immediately say 'How are you, uncle?' They play 'tap-tap' with the computer; that is learned autism. In adulthood, you might call them very intelligent, a genius, but everyone laughs, and they don't understand. They can't make sense of 'Why are they laughing?' because their emotional literacy skills have not developed. Learned autism is on the rise.”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, made evaluations regarding behavioral disorders in children.
What is a behavioral disorder in children?
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that children have a behavioral maturity appropriate for each age, and said, “If a child does not exhibit behavioral maturity appropriate for their age, those situations fall within the boundaries of a behavioral disorder. For example, a child wetting themselves can be given as an example. A child learns toilet training up to 1.5 - 2 years old. If a school-aged child still wets themselves, this becomes a behavioral disorder. If they bite their nails, it's a behavioral disorder. If they don't laugh where they should laugh, and don't cry where they should cry, meaning if they don't know how to behave when guests arrive, or when to sit and stand, a behavioral disorder can be mentioned. In other words, the child needs to exhibit mature behaviors appropriate for their age.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that a child not acting according to their age can also be considered a behavioral disorder, and said, “Shy, withdrawn behavior, being too introverted, not talking to anyone is also a behavioral disorder. For example, when guests come home, they might cut the edge of their coat. This is a behavioral disorder. They mess up things and leave them. These can be evaluated as behavioral disorders. Developing behavior is not something genetically inherited by a child. There is social learning involved in a child learning life, developing behavior, and distinguishing between positive and negative behavior. Some children have destructive behavioral disorders. For example, they start fires, oppose everything, never say the word 'yes', and enjoy breaking rules. All of these are behavioral disorders.”
Increase in autism
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that children need to learn to behave according to their age, and added: “For example, they need to know where to stop. How does a child learn this? It's not genetic. Globally, everyone was affected by the pandemic. Every age group was affected. The child age group was even more affected. It's not very obvious, but we started seeing serious cases in the child psychiatry outpatient clinic. There is an increase in autism. Why is autism increasing? There are two types of autism. There is genetically inherited autism and autism that develops later. All of these are called autism spectrum disorder. The brains of these children develop differently. For a child not to have a neurodevelopmental disorder, four or five skills need to be well-developed. Fine motor skills, gross motor skills. For example, fine motor skill is being able to button up, while gross motor skill is playing ball. Being able to walk without falling is a gross motor skill. There are mental intelligence skills. During the pandemic, these intelligence skills and logical intelligence skills developed very well, but conversely, fine motor and gross motor skills did not develop.”
Delayed speech is a symptom of autism
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that language development in children is also important, and said, “The development of language skills is also very important. If a child has reached the age of four but has not learned to form sentences, delayed speech is a sign of autism. When we check if they are autistic, we see that the child is in front of the television all day at home; this is called clip syndrome. The child constantly watches clips, does not feel the need to speak. When they don't feel it, they don't learn to speak, and because they haven't learned, they can't speak. Television and tablets are cheap babysitters. Parents give the child a tablet. They think the child spends time there and is nicely occupied. The child only develops visual skills there but cannot develop linguistic skills, nor fully develop auditory skills. They cannot develop fine and gross motor skills. The child learns all of these in a social environment, among friends.”
The child learns everything in the family
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the family is the first social environment for a child, making the family sacred, and said, “The family is institutionally sacred because it is the child's first school. Developed countries have started to see the negative consequences of family breakdown. They are crying out, 'What should we do?'”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that a new branch of science is emerging, stating, “Wisdom education has begun for children. Why is it being taught? It aims to teach them not to lie, to be sharing, and to empathize. Empathy is more developed impulsively in girls, and less so in boys. They observe kindergarten children. When someone falls, girls go and help, while boys continue to play. Male egocentrism is a result of their biological nature. Girls' empathy is a gift of their biological nature. We need a family environment to properly educate children in these matters. There needs to be a safe space; the home is actually a safe space. We call the home the last refuge of the family. The home is an area where the child feels safe. If a child is happy at home, that child has received the greatest gift. It is more valuable than expensive gifts. Therefore, a smile and a few kind words are enough.”
Positive behaviors should be reinforced
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that a child's positive behaviors should be reinforced, and said, “Instead of approaching a child negatively and criticizing them, it is important to approve of their good behavior. It is important to express emotions by saying, 'You've done so well, bravo!'”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that a child learns basic behavioral rules by the age of 10, and also gave warnings regarding punishment for children: “The most important punishment is for them to see their mother and father upset. If the parents are generous with love, when the child sees that their parents are down, the child immediately corrects their mistake by saying, 'I made a mistake.' During the pandemic, children spent more time with their parents. If there are educational errors in between, these will surface.”
Tarhan reminded that various methods can be used if there are deficiencies in teaching skills to children, and said, “Children come to us in such situations, and we perform a sensory integration test. Then we see that some skills are underdeveloped, so we work on weak areas. Visual skills, balance skills, auditory skills are all worked on, and fine and gross motor skills are learned here. These methods are used to develop behavior in typical autism.”
Beware of learned autism!
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also touched upon the concept of learned autism, stating, “For example, this situation is often encountered in those who are interested in technical subjects like computers. Learned autism is this: a child who spends all day with a computer, tablet, smartphone, and television cannot communicate. They can't immediately say 'How are you, uncle?' They play 'tap-tap' with the computer; that is learned autism. Therefore, all of these are pathological conditions. In adulthood, you might call them very intelligent, a genius, but everyone laughs, and they don't understand. They can't make sense of 'Why are they laughing?' because their emotional literacy skills have not developed. Learned autism is on the rise. They play ball but can't adapt. They can't get into the right position. They need one-on-one training.”
Brain-based learning comes to the forefront
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the method in the education system is changing today, with brain-based learning coming to the forefront, and said, “Sitting a child at a desk and lecturing theoretically for hours is a thing of the past. There is active learning, learning by experience. Its foundation is neuroscience. There is brain-based learning. What does this learning involve? This learning model will teach physics and chemistry to children within a social environment. Children will learn in the streets and gardens; we will not teach them by confining them to rooms. Children raised this way are accustomed to being managed by fear. Development should not be expected in a society managed by fear.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the Google application emerged from two master's theses, and said, “All of these come from entrepreneurship and self-confidence. If we do not raise our children in such an environment and instead raise them with old traditions, expecting them to be like candles, we will lose the global race. We will become consumer objects. If we want to be a productive society, there must be a production-oriented life system. Currently, because hedonism, or pleasure-seeking, has become a global disease, we constantly think about consuming. However, children should be taught to be productive from a young age and to think in this direction. The idea of 'What can I produce?' should be taught to the child. This is behavior development.”
Responsibility should be taught before age six
Emphasizing the importance of giving children responsibility from a young age, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan pointed out the importance of instilling a sense of responsibility in children before the age of six, stating: “If you don't teach a child the responsibilities of that age, the child becomes egocentric. They become a narcissistic individual. This is common in our culture. They raise themselves to be dependent. When their morale is low, they cannot learn how to overcome distress. They cannot learn to entertain themselves. They cannot learn to calm themselves. When they are sad, they don't know how to alleviate their sadness. These are problem-solving skills. Parents need to teach these to their children. It is very difficult to teach these after school starts; it becomes too late. The period after six years old is also important, of course, but these need to be taught before the age of six. If a child doesn't learn, they become a dependent personality. They want to ask their mother or others for everything. They are forced to live dependently and cannot individuate.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also pointed out the necessity of developing a child's imagination skills, stating, “Parents unknowingly steal their children's dreams. The child will dream, then desire something; when the desire arises, a need will emerge; when the need arises, they will dream again and develop a goal. This revolves in a cycle of needs. If the parents of a child who doesn't dream fulfill every wish of the child, the child will no longer need to dream. This child should not be expected to be exploratory, enterprising, or productive.”
Points to consider when raising children
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that parents act incorrectly due to inconsistent discipline in child-rearing, and said: “We make significant mistakes when raising our children. This situation became more evident during the pandemic. Social environments like school also somewhat mitigated parental mistakes. Now, the sole source of teaching has become the parents. Here, a type of child will emerge who develops both love and anger. If a child performs bad actions, even if the parents do not lie, there is inconsistent discipline at home. In places with inconsistent discipline, one day a child lied, and the mother did not react and overlooked it. The child learned to get results with lies. For example, children have defensive lies. They tell defensive lies to alleviate feelings of guilt. If the mother, in this situation, scolds the child by saying, 'You both broke the vase and lied,' the child only learns to be afraid. However, if the mother says, 'You actually made a mistake. You said something that wasn't true. This is a bigger mistake than breaking the vase,' the child learns that honesty is valued in this home and that their mother values them. In this way, the child will no longer perform a reflex such as defending themselves by lying. 0-6 is a young age, but the brain will learn this at that age. Therefore, everything is learned better between the ages of 0-6. 50% of what we learn in our lives is learned between the ages of 0-6. Behavior development is also the same. It is necessary to develop a structured environment for a child who lies, where lying is not approved. It is important for parents to create a common language. We need to sow seeds in the child's developing soul with stories and words. If there is an unapproved environment at any age, and lying does not pay off, the child gives it up. It is very important for us to establish such a family environment for the child.”