Improving Research on Screen Media, Autism, and Families of Young Children

To the Editor I read with great interest the article by Heffler et al.¹ The authors reported that children with greater exposure to audiovisual media at age 12 months were more likely to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD)–like¹ symptoms at 2 years. The topic of screens, autism, and parenting is of tremendous importance, reflected in the accompanying editorial by Christakis.² However, it is important to draw attention to the study’s limitations as well as problems with its stated implications.