Getting rid of all electronics

OK, don't panic at this one. If you have an autistic child chances are very high they will be obsessed with electronics. They delight in making things light up over and over and over and over and over and over again. You get the idea. The simple reason is it makes their brains light up. It is addictive for them. When you let your child play with those battery operated toys, iPods, iPhones, iPads, gameboys, videos, TV etc. you are not doing them any favors. Their brain chemistry is set up in such a way that they will be addicted to it, and will throw huge tantrums when you try to remove them from it. The problem is that these type of things don't teach them anything new. They can obsess over them for hours to the exclusion of everything else. That is BAD. They are already in their own world. The last thing they need is less brain stimulation. This is where the son-rise idea comes in. You go in to a playroom that is low on distraction and you use enthusiasm, excitement and energy to give them reaction they are looking for. Their brains need to be lit up with stimulus, so when you make yourself the most interesting thing in the room, guess who they will eventually want to start playing with?
Picture this scenario.
Scenario number 1: Child sits in front of TV. It avoids eye contact with you, watches the same show over and over. It's safe, it's predictable. It makes his/her brain feel happy. He/she wants to watch only the one episode. Pretty soon he/she just wants to push the DVD in and out so he/she can say repetitively "Coming soon to Disney DVD and video". And then he/she wants to watch another video. When you try to turn off the TV, melts down follow and the child acts like a kid on drug withdrawals.  You try to engage him/her otherwise, but you have just become the person who took his/her drug away and are forcing them to interact in a way they don't feel like doing.

Scenario number 2: You are in a non-distracting room with your child. Toys are out of reach. He has to interact with you to get a toy. So he avoids contact for a while and just spins in a circle. You start spinning with him in the same rhythm. He continues and ignores you. You are having a great time, just enjoying his repetitive game. He looks over at you amazed and you become super animated and fun to look at and thank him for looking at you. His brain just registered...if I look this person becomes interesting and fun, and looks at me with love and excitement. Love and excitement generate a hormonal response in his body which helps the brain cells grow (according to Dr. Daniel Amen). After a while he works up the courage to indicate wanting something from the shelf. You jump at his slightest effort and show him that you are there to help get him what he wants. You celebrate any effort he makes to communicate with you. Then you organize a volunteer group and keep your child in the special non-distractive environment and train the volunteers to become his facilitators and "toys". You teach them to light up when he connects, and be really slow, calm and lovingly dumb when he whines or tantrums. The brain learns...aha communicating with another person gets me what I want, and it is fun. Tantruming doesn't get me anything.

Basically by removing the electronics...YES it will be more work for you, and heaven knows I was so scared to remove that all important TV downtime at 4-5:00 when I was so tired I didn't think I could make it. But after a while all of us got used to it. And now, my kids ask to go ride their bikes or play outside instead of watch TV. I was able to introduce a system where they can earn fuzzies for exercising or playing outside, doing chores, playing with each other, so when their fuzzy jar is full they can watch a show on Saturday. When your child is very young (before age 10) really limit electronics time. This is the time to explore in the sand, because there will always be time to watch TV, work on the computers, etc. Childhood is where the sensory system is wired and developed through playing outside, learning about balance and textures. The most important thing however you can teach your child is that people are fun to be around. So become his toy! It might mean more work up front, but it will pay off over a life time.