Video games and son with ADHD | ADHD Information

has anyone taken video games away.. what happened to the       behaviour... i know they say they can be good for them and its not that i have a problem with them per say.... but its all he seems   to want to do.... even told me he was addicted and cant stop.. now i dont know he is as good as gold when he can play but if we say no.... behavour isnt as good.Sharm, if I want to get the point across immediately with one swift gesture I remove the game controller.  He becomes instaneously compliant.  On the other hand, in order to promote and reinforce positive behavior, my son can cash in coins(see marble system) during the week for limited usage.  No doubt about it it can be your most useful and powerful tool as a parent( short of monetary bribes) so use it.  Sounds like your son is very mature to realize his addiction and that should be commended and at the same time control the addiction.  My son hasn't gotten that far so I've bought a system that allows parents to control the time they are playing.  It requires him to shut it down unless a parent enters the password to change or suspend the time.Video games are designed to be addictive. As a result, they can be a great tool for teaching self-control. If your ds is aware that he's addicted to certain games, with your help he can start to learn how to deal with his compulsivity toward them.

I suggest giving him a specific time each day when he's allow to play. And, how long he's allowed to play, and what needs to be done in order to earn the privledge of playing. Make sure he's totally aware of the "rules" you make concerning gameplay, and make sure he's in agreement with the rules.

When he's earned his time to play, and he's obeying all the rules you've made, then make sure he gets his playtime. Do not take the playtime away, or reduce the time he's allowed, unless he breaks the rules. Try to avoid taking the game away while he's being good, playing nice, and obeying the rules. If you do something that seems unfair to him, then be prepared for a battle. And be prepared to show some leniency if he says you're not being fair. Sometimes if you want to take the game away, it's better to not take it away until the next day.

One more thing, make sure he plays games that are age appropriate. Try to avoid games of that introduce violence, bad language, or sexuality.

We limit "screen time" and it has to be earned. DD can earn 2 hours of screen time only on weekends, this includes TV, Computer, video games. It works for us, and although she has to choose, she isn't sitting in front a game system all day. SHe can also get extra screen time on holidays, during the summer etc. I don't ban the games, but their availability is limited. 

The hardest choice for DD is does she play the Wii, the PS3, the Xbox, or watch that movie all the kids are takling about?

I have an issue with video games.  I don't allow them - my son can't control them.  He's 14 now but when he was younger and before I knew what was going on with him, he'd get addicted, play all the time, and his personality would change - for the worse - nasty - mean - he'd act like an drug addict if he didn't play - he'd become obsessed - 24/7 - all he'd talk about was the game.

This is on-line stuff. Now, he is allowed to play the games at his friends house, but the game ends when he comes home.

There are differing opinions on this board but mine is that if you notice these games - especially the ones that never end - quests - ban them.  My son can handle arcade style - games that end. 

I have tried to use the games as rewards but it's always the same.

You just have to know your kid - mine can't handle them at all.

 

Video games can be a great reward for good behaviour. A limited amount of time and arcade  type games (ones that have start and stop point) are the best.

We have battles and have taken the computer or the PS2 away for bad behavior. Set up rules that are fair and don't change them midstream.

 

We got my dd, 10 yrs. old, a ds for christmas. she loves playing it and it seems to calm her down and keep her occupied. We let her watch TV every day, limmited to about 2 hrs. max. On weekends she will watch it also but turns it off herself, to our surprise. It seems to recharge her batteries sometimes so to speak. At time we almost "make her watch it to calm her down and it works. We do warn her in advance if it's going to be time to  turn of go somewhere or close to meal time. I know limmiting screen time is important but we would be a mess without it. She also will go for monthes with more interest in web sites then switch back to television or nintendo ds.
  Video & TV are known to increase ADHD symptoms. And they gravitate to it. It match's their brain activity level. I have not taken videos away. I have made them a reward that he has to earn. I have also put a weekday limit of 30 minutes and a weekend limit of 1 hour. I have also signed him up for lots of extracurricular activities so that he really doesn't have time. I think it just turns the brain to hamburger.