A book for parents of young children
A screen cannot take a turn.
Babies learn to talk by taking turns with a person who answers them. Virtual Autism explains what the research on screens and the youngest children really shows, where it falls short, and what families can do at home.
- 340pages, with charts, notes and an index
- 400+references, limits stated
- 40+countries and territories
Plain words first
What “virtual autism” means, and what it doesn’t
A phrase, not a diagnosis
Parents use it for autism-like signs some toddlers show after very heavy screen use. No diagnostic manual includes it.
Screens do not cause autism
Autism is a lifelong, highly heritable difference. No study has shown that screens cause it, and no parent is to blame.
The question is real
Large studies link heavy early screen time with later concerns. They cannot show cause, and the book says so plainly.
Inside the book
A family’s story, and what the research shows
The story
A toddler who stopped looking up
A television that went into hiding, and the afternoon she looked up again. The story names no one; every identifying detail has been changed or left out.
Read about the book
The evidence and the guidance
What the largest studies found, and what to do on Monday
- One study of more than 84,000 children, and where it falls short
- What health authorities in more than forty countries and territories advise
- A plan for the first week with the screens off
- How to ask for an evaluation, and why to keep it even when things improve
Get the book
Three formats. Same 340 pages.
All three formats are on Amazon now. Prices shown are US list prices; other Amazon stores show their local price.
Paperback
$18.996 × 9 in (15 × 23 cm), 340 pages, with charts, notes, references and an index.
Outside the US? Choose your Amazon store for the Kindle edition
UK · Canada · Australia · India · Germany · France · Spain · Italy · Netherlands · Japan · Brazil · Mexico
También en español: Autismo virtual: Qué pasa cuando se apagan las pantallas (Kindle y Apple Books, $9.99) · Amazon.com · Amazon.es · Amazon.com.mx · Apple Books
Four promises this book keeps
It names no one
Every identifying detail in the family story has been changed or left out.
It promises no miracle
Children change for many reasons. The book never claims a cure.
It blames no parent
Screens fill hard days in all kinds of homes. This is a book about what to add, not who to fault.
It shows its sources
More than four hundred references, with the studies’ limits stated alongside their findings.
For PTAs, parent groups and early-years teachers
Bring it to your PTA or parent group
Parents and teachers want the same thing: children who talk, play and pay attention. These pages are free, written to be shared, and short enough for one evening.
Reading it as a group? Each member can get a copy wherever the book is sold, and the discussion questions are free on this site.
The shop
Printables for home and school
Printable play sets and pages from the book. Every item is a PDF you download and print at home, in color and low-ink versions, US Letter and A4. Nothing ships.
See the shopCheckout, tax and receipts by Link, Stripe’s merchant of record service.
The author
Adam Linmore is a parent who went looking for this book and could not find it.
He noticed changes in a toddler at home, then spent a year reading the research. The book began late one night with a question typed into a search box. It names no one, promises no miracle and blames no parent.
About the authorQuestions parents ask
Before you order
Does the book say screens cause autism?
No. Autism is a lifelong, highly heritable difference, and no study has shown that screens cause it. The book is about language, attention and turn-taking in the youngest children, and it says where the research stops.
Is it a medical book?
It is a book for parents, written in plain language, with more than four hundred references. It is not medical advice. If you are concerned about your child’s development, talk to your child’s doctor, and the book shows how to ask for an evaluation.
Where can I buy it?
On Amazon, in all three formats: Kindle $9.99, paperback $18.99 and hardcover $27.99. The buttons above go straight to each listing.
Can our PTA or parents’ group read it together?
Yes. The book club questions and the pages for parents, child-care providers, schools and towns are free on this site, and each member can get a copy wherever the book is sold.