This is an explanation for the diagram I posted above.
The JB Diagram charts the correlation between the amount of hours children under the age of six watch television and ADHD diagnoses of children under eighteen. My postulations addressing the relevance of diagnoses to mindfulness is ruthless and holds little scientific water because I did not have time to collect data. This graph represents the beginnings of a hypothesis. I repeat, I did not perform any scientific polling or data collection method! Therefore, the generalized plot points in my graph, represented my the shaded shapes, are not supported by actual data. I skimmed charts and graphs on the internet for about two hours. Then, created this generalized and hypothetical diagram.
The intent of this diagram is not that of a thoroughly conducted scientific study. Instead, it proposes my hypothesis that television viewing in babies and toddlers is a major factor in the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. The brain does not stop developing after the age of six, but the years before six are some of the most formative in cognitive and social cranial development. Sticking a baby or toddler in front of the big screen is a short term solution, maybe to reduce parents’ stress, but it has dangerous implications as the child ages. Watching television is a mindless activity, unless you are analyzing a show for dramatic qualities or taking notes on a PBS special. Certainly, no child under the age of six engages in these analytic activities, making this activity completely mindless. The child becomes complicit to constant stimulation, resulting in lethargic development of crucial thinking skills.
I believe that our curiosity for understanding and interaction almost completely forms by the time we are six (or at least when we are very young). In these formative years, it is imperative to engage children in the world around them. This does not mean paying excessive attention to make sure they are learning multiplication or Portuguese. Simply, turn the television off. Let them explore the world around. Give them the opportunity to discover. If this is done, a lot of people will be saving themselves future medical bills, for ADHD prescriptions (medical meth) and more importantly ensuring complete cognitive development in their children.
