Screen Time

NeuroWild comic title panel. A cartoon orange cat-like animal smiles while rowing a small brown boat on a bright blue sea under a pale sky with clouds. Text in a cloud: 'Let's talk about SCREENTIME for Autistic Folk'. The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel. Text in a cloud at top: 'Every person experiences the world differently. It can be hard to imagine another person's experience, especially when others have different brains & sensory processing systems to you.' The orange cat-like animal rows a small brown boat on a calm blue sea. Caption: 'Your experience might be like this...' The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel. A small gray mouse floats just below the surface of blue water with one arm reaching up. Text: 'And another person's might be like this.' 'Autistic people often experience the world differently.' 'Sensory input is often too intense, emotions can be all-consuming, societal expectations feel impossible, and the world often seems uncaring & ableist.' Tentacles of unseen jellyfish curl at the bottom and right edges. The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel. A gray mouse treads water at the surface, tangled by the tentacles of seven pale purple jellyfish labeled 'Emotional Dysregulation', 'Mental Exhaustion', 'Trauma', 'Masking', 'Social Pressure', 'Sensory Overload' and 'Neurotypical Expectations'. Text at left: 'Some of us are able to keep swimming.' 'Many are too tired from treading water.' 'Some of us sink.' The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel on a bright blue watery background with small bubbles. Text in the center: 'Where does SCREENTIME come into it?' The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel. A small brown mouse sits inside a glowing bubble holding and looking at a phone, surrounded by pale purple jellyfish labeled 'Trauma', 'Emotional Dysregulation', 'Neurotypical expectations', 'Masking' and 'Sensory overload', on a blue watery background. Text at top left: 'For many of us, screentime is a break from treading water. It's a chance to breathe.' The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel. Blue water background with white cloud-shaped text boxes. A brown mouse sits in a glowing bubble at top left holding a phone. Title: 'Screentime'. Text boxes: 'Gives us control in a world that is often chaotic'; 'Lets us explore new worlds, roles, & power dynamics that are otherwise unavailable to us.'; 'Lets us connect with likeminded people who share our interests.'; 'Lets us explore our deep interests and develop new skills.'; 'Can bring us comfort & deep joy.'; 'Gives us access to communities where we feel like we belong.'; 'Lets us learn, create, & socialise without the expectation for eye contact or verbal speech'. The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel. Blue water background with white cloud-shaped text boxes. Heading: 'Let's examine common parent concerns through a different lens.' Three pairs with arrows. 'My kid is addicted to screens.' leads to 'My kid finds screens to be a really effective way of taking a break & regulating.' 'My kid has a meltdown when I make them turn it off.' leads to 'My kid finds it really distressing when their regulation tool is removed suddenly, or before they're ready.' 'You can't just waste all your time on screens, & miss out on real life.' leads to 'My kid finds the world overwhelming. Screens are a powerful regulation tool that we can utilise. We also do our best to remove the jellyfish from their ocean.' Closing text: 'Regulation tools are essential. We can't tread water forever.' The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

NeuroWild comic panel with a blue bubbly background. Title: 'Tips for screen time'. Text: 'Give warning about upcoming transitions, e.g. 'Dinner in 10 minutes. Screens will be turned off.' 'Turning off in 5 minutes. How many minutes?' 'Time for dinner. Are you able to save it/pause it there?'' Between two stars: 'At this point, adult flexibility & empathy is encouraged.' Then: 'Your child may be a few minutes away from a save point/ end of level/ song/ video. Having their screen turned off at this moment is likely to be very distressing. Asking them how much longer they need can be a good way to teach time management & planning skills (i.e. learning to choose a short video at the 5-min warning)' Then: 'Giving those extra few minutes makes the transition easier, and reinforces the message that the child's feelings are important to their adult.' The NeuroWild logo is at the bottom right.

About The Artist

NeuroWild is a comic strip series created by Emily Hammond. Emily is a speech pathologist with ADHD and Autism herself and a proud mother to neurodivergent children. Click here to learn more about the artists we promote and how to support their work.