Book club questions

These questions are for groups reading Virtual Autism together: book clubs, parent groups, early-childhood classes and professional reading circles.

1. The book’s central idea is that a screen cannot take a turn. Where in your own days do you see turns being taken, and where are they missing?
2. The author was slow to see what was changing in his own child. Why can a child’s development be hard to see from close up, and who can help a parent look?
3. “Virtual autism” is a phrase, not a diagnosis. Why do many autistic adults and researchers object to it, and what does the book suggest using instead?
4. The book gives room to studies that complicate its story. Which finding surprised you most, and did it change your view?
5. Chapter 15’s first rule is “replace before you remove.” What would you put in the basket in your home or classroom?
6. Chapter 25 says a screen that holds a room still can hide a staffing problem. Do you agree? What would change if that problem were named?
7. The four commitments are meant to be held by many people at once. Which one would be easiest in your community, and which the hardest?
8. Chapter 26 sets the evidence for adult time with children beside the evidence for classroom devices. What do you think explains where the money goes?
9. The book names no one in its story and blames no parent. How did that choice affect the way you read it?
10. What is one thing you will do differently this week?