Ok, I admit my last reply was a little scattered because I wrote it over the course of half a day, so I’m going to attempt to deescalate things and do a better job of explaining my perspective without getting so lost in the weeds.

Feel free to disagree with me on this point but it sounds to me like we have a misunderstanding about what atypical sensory processing is. Atypical sensory processing is a symptom of autism and may be associated with ADHD, but they are not types, or examples of, atypical sensory processing. Atypical sensory processing is it’s own stand alone issue and is not always related to ADHD. Furthermore, it’s just one part of the spectrum of issues that need to be identified for a formal autism diagnosis, which is why I was adamant that insisting that one must mean the other is present, in my opinion, is inappropriate and misleading.

I would also like to argue that using the proper terminology is important in making sure that data isn’t misunderstood. I feel that it’s just fine to note what the studies findings are, which is that screentime can be damaging to young minds, without evoking ADHD and autism unnecessarily.

I do want to apologize for making an unnecessary call to authority and I can see how that may have come off douchey. The point I was attempting to make by doing that is that researchers can’t always be trusted not to put their thumbs on the scales in their research summaries knowing that people will jump on certain buzz words and run with it to make their study get more clicks. I know because that’s happened with studies I’ve been a part of (again, I realize you have no reason to believe me. Just explaining what I was attempting to convey.) Thankfully, they have to be more careful with the actual data documentation, but even then depending on the publication there’s wiggle room. Because of this fact, I think it’s important that we read less into these types of studies and not more. That’s why I suggested that even though autism is mentioned in the summary, I don’t feel it’s presence represents a direct relationship because the study data itself does not support this association. The summary even says so. I think the only reason the word is included is to encourage articles like the one you originally posted to make unverifiable claims for them.

Finally, I brought up the Wakefield thing because despite being discredited years ago, millions of people still believe that there’s a connection between vaccines and autism because of the fact that pop science magazines don’t get fact-checked the same way clinical research journals do. They can say a study says whatever they want, whether it does or not, and 99% of people are only going to read the headline and assume it’s the truth without looking any deeper.

I understand that in this particular instance, no one is being physically harmed because of what I see as a false equivalence, but I do think it can be harmful if someone were to read this article and then look down on a parent of an autistic child because they think they got that way from sitting in front of too much television. That’s clearly not how autism works but you wouldn’t know that by reading this article.

I hope you have a better understanding of where I’m coming from and for what it’s worth, I wish you well in life.