What about video games | ADHD Information

Hi Randy,

Jonathan doctors monitored him for a month using a portable EKG machine that he is suppose to press against his chest every time that he has chest pain(isn't technology great). He has had and ECG that show some abnormalties. Exactly to what extent I am not sure. On our last visit the Cardiologist did say that it would be okay for Jd to take his meds again since he is so impulsive. When I asked him if he could guarantee me that he would be safe, he said that he could not guarantee me anything, but that JD was a danger to himself since he cycles so much and his impulsivity could make him a more of a danger to himself than than the meds potentially where. My family and I did not like this answer so we decided to wait on the result of the months reading. We are suppose to see the cardio on this Friday to discuss the results. But his nurse called me and she wants me to bring him in tomorrow. The doctor said that his result showed too many fluctuations and that at times it appeared to be under too much stress. He said that during these attacks of pain his heart rate would increase. He wants him to start wearing a 24 hr ekg meter for a day or two. He aslo told me to go ahead and stop his meds. Ha, ha. Boy was I glad that I had not put him back on them yet. I was upset about that. I know that medicine is trail and error but I am glad that i decided to error on the side of safety instead. He is having a hard time managing his emotions right now, and can be very difficult at times but after reading some of the stories of parents who had not caught a defect in their child early enough to prevent death I am so happy that he is here to make things difficult. It is funny how life has a way of putting us in our place. Thanks for asking. I hope all is well with your family.


As for all the response, thank you. I am glad to see that my son is not the only kiddo that can hyperfocus on his video game. I guess I was concerned because he can sometimes be on the tip of a melt down if he cant finish the game that he is playing at the time.

My 8 y/o likes to play video games on his gameboy. We had a  Nintendo DS but the children were so nasty one day about sharing it in the car, that I took it and threw it in a lake. They couldn't believe it!

I, too, hate to see him so engrossed in the games on the gameboy but it seems he is getting bored with them and plays them less now. I will not get any other video games although he enjoys playing some games on my computer as a treat. Only games where he races cars or educational games.

I can't stand to play any video games. It fires up too many neurons in my brain and eyes and makes me very tense. So I can see that it would engage a child with adhd since they are misfiring some neurons and the games get more of the neurons involved. sort of like self medicating.

lethy proud mom : How is JD doing? How is his heart?

Randy

[QUOTE=lethy proud mom]What is everyones opionion on video games. Since Jd can not take any meds, he cycles very fast. More fast than I can even remember before the meds. The one thing that is constant with him is that he loves to play the x box machine. I normally only let him to play 30 minutes a day. But I find that when I need to get dinner ready or wash the dishes,or anything else that may take my attention away from him for a few minutes it easier and safer letting him play his game instead of getting in to something more dangerous. What I want to know is, is this being lazy, do others find that their kids like video games. I tell myself that it is not being lazy, (I let him play extra if I need to shower or do some household chores and need him to be safe because I cant keep my eye on him for that moment)but I still feel guilty because while it works, whenever he is done playing he is even more hyper than ever and turns into a chatter box. This also happens when he watches animal planet. lol. Are these games even a good idea for a kid like ours. Or does this happen because it is just too much stimulation. I guess I am just feeling guilty because I have started school again and do not get to spend every minute of my day with my kids anymore. But I still have my household obligations. I guess this is how working moms feel. Way to go working moms. Yall rock.[/QUOTE]

I could have written something similar to this.  I feel like this: since it is constantly changing, it keeps our kids attention. (That part is what his dr. said)
I feel like if he doesn't have time to do that, he is losing his mind.  He will chew on paper, bite his nails, harm himself, etc.  So, unless I want to keep him on some kind of cyber treadmill, it is ok to allow this for part of the day.  If it is a school day- less, if it is summer or the weekend- more.

Do I wish he was like us as kids and wanting to be outside all day playing? Yes.  But he isn't and since it has been 110 here--our options are limited.

One day when our kids are adults, they will have better answers and more activities.  Or, a cure--what a gift that would be!

My son gets addicted to video games - the quest types that go on forever.

There was a recent article in the paper on video game addiction - adults are addicted to them - like substance abuse.

Some kids can handle them; some can't.  My son can't - makes him nastier than usual (lol); he becomes obsessed.

I'm not going to tell you what to do because each child is different.  Just watch for any unusual behaviors and if you think the games are making things worse, find a substitute.

Don't feel guilty for using the games the way you do.  You seem to be on top of it.

 

For my son it is definitely an addiction.  Doesn't make him more hyper, but he does get nasty.  I look at it this way.  I'd rather he be aware that it is an addiction for him and learn to control his addiction and learn balance from video games rather than alcohol or some other substance abuse.  This can be a real proving ground for your son and at the same time you ARE being a good parent by instilling boundaries.  Give in a little, but teach him to set limits for himself.  Why?  Because you want to control video games.  You don't want video games to control YOU.

What is everyones opionion on video games. Since Jd can not take any meds, he cycles very fast. More fast than I can even remember before the meds. The one thing that is constant with him is that he loves to play the x box machine. I normally only let him to play 30 minutes a day. But I find that when I need to get dinner ready or wash the dishes,or anything else that may take my attention away from him for a few minutes it easier and safer letting him play his game instead of getting in to something more dangerous. What I want to know is, is this being lazy, do others find that their kids like video games. I tell myself that it is not being lazy, (I let him play extra if I need to shower or do some household chores and need him to be safe because I cant keep my eye on him for that moment)but I still feel guilty because while it works, whenever he is done playing he is even more hyper than ever and turns into a chatter box. This also happens when he watches animal planet. lol. Are these games even a good idea for a kid like ours. Or does this happen because it is just too much stimulation. I guess I am just feeling guilty because I have started school again and do not get to spend every minute of my day with my kids anymore. But I still have my household obligations. I guess this is how working moms feel. Way to go working moms. Yall rock.My son (8 yrs old) is addicted to video games on his handheld Nintendo DS and our Wii. He does not get extra hyper after playing. He just loves to do it. We are trying to teach him balance in everything is more important. I don't think video games are bad, at least you interact more than watching TV. And, for my son I think it's been great for him to meet other kids. It's something that boys connect with and if they have hand held video games, they all start interacting with each other. I think that has been an important socializing thing that worked out quite well.

You're not a bad mother, don't worry! I figure my son will likely outgrow it as he has everything else he's become extremely attached through during his life.
My son cycles with video games.  He hyperfocuses on them - when he wants to play them.  Most of the time he can't be bothered with them.  I figure as long as he doesn't live on the games it's okay - he gets bored and does something else pretty soon.

I think video games are great for a child's mind.  My son has adhd and he has been playing video games since he was 3 or 4.  I'm not trying to brag, but he's awesome!!!!  He plays against my brother, his uncle, and my brother is really into video games as well.  He tells me he can't believe how good my son is.  He's better at it then most 12 year olds.  And there is just something about it that I think the more strategy there is in a game the more thinking is going on in his head.  And just like you I sometimes need a little break or a little extra time to do housecleaning or cooking and it's perfect.  I don't leave him alone, I check on him every once in a while and even try playing with him.  The way I see it.....this world's is moving so fast....I bet it's the kids with all the game experience that succeed in life later on.

So you're doing great!!!  You're not a bad mom.....you're doing good.

 

< =text/>_popupControl(); Both of my sons love video games. I encourage them to go out and do other things, but since we monitor the kinds of games they are allowed to have, I don't get too uptight about how long they play in the summer. They are pretty far apart in age, so the older one has to keep his games in his room so the younger one doesn't get at them. I feel like they have both learned great problem solving, strategizing, and have really increased their vocabularies with the games they play. I'm including computer games here,'cause aside from the hardware involved, they're pretty much the same thing. If I had to choose between a Sponge Bob marathon or video games, I'd choose the games because they require some mental action.Let them have cake... ummm video games.  Yes, you need to teach them to have balence with them and an outside life but video games are just something fun to most ADHD kids.  Now you can ask which came first the chicken or the egg (ADHD or the video games)... and I would have no clue... but if its something fun for them, let them use them :).My 5 year old DS LOVES to play the XBox too. I was playing a game one day (when he was 4), and he asked if he could play too, so I let him, but I was worried that he would get stuck, not know what to do or generally take a fit because something wasn't going his way. Turns out that he played spectacularly, and in the past 2 years, has independenlty mastered video games, and my computer. He does so well, that I hate to take it away from him. Now, I don't think he's addicted in any way, his psychiatrist simply said that children with ADHD require instant gratification and video games certainly provide that.. you hit a button and something happens, you don't have to wait. So, it's sort of a therapy for him in that he can do it, he doesn't get in trouble, he gets praise for doing well, and it's something that he likes when there isn't much that he does like.

He gets to play for 45 minutes a day, and if he completes his daily tasks on time and without much cajolling, then he can earn another 15 minutes if that's what he choses from the list of rewards, and it usually is. It gives me 45 minutes of time to do.. something.. the dishes, read a book.. anything.. because it's the only thing that can keep his attention for longer than 12 seconds. lol

I see nothing wrong with video games. It doesn't interfere with anything else, and there could be worse things he could want.

Our DS is the type to become super-addicted to video games, so we've been very careful about avoiding them.  We bought them leapsters and they are only permitted in the car and on planes (as a result, I am guaranteed that he tunes the world out and sits still at those times).  In the past year we decided to get him a Wii, but we do not get any `gaming' games - only the physically active ones.  We just got the Wii Fit and he loves it!  With the Wii games that we get, there are no flashing lights, fast movement, etc.  And, he uses up his enery in a positive way.  Used in this way, I have absolutely no objection to video games with ADHD.  But, I do think it depends on which games are played.

My brother has ADHD and he played video games as a kid.  For him, it was not positive in any way.

We have found that video games are a great distraction.  Our daughter has a DS, XBox 360, and computer.  She'll play them for awhile and then go and play with her other toys but she does hyperfocus when she is on them.  We used to use them a lot when she was not on meds, they were the only thing that kept her attention.

Don't feel bad about using them.  They also have a lot of educational games that you can get that they don't realize are educational.  That's how we got our daughter to read.  Just a thought.

You're doing great, keep it up.

Man it is so nice to see that we are not the only ones that deal with the game issues. My son is addicted to the games. We have rules on how he will lose privliages, but man that is the one thing we know we can let him do and he wont be getting hurt, or starting a fight with his brother (who by the way is 6 yrs older than him)haha
Hey if it works and it helps you, I say it isnt hurting any one...Us parents need to find some sorta comon ground to help us deal with our special sweet ones cause lord knows there are many times threw the day you need that break and if it wasnt for the game I dont know how I would get a few minutes here and there :)The only bad thing that I can see so far is that when he wants to play but is not allowed he has a very hard time dealing with no. He will ask me 50 million times and every time I will say no but it is like he doesn't hear me say no, seriously. lol. He sometimes gets mad when I ask him to get off. His dad reminds him that if he doesnt behave when he cant play or is asked to get off then he cant play tomorrow. That helps some.

My son (10,adhd) sometimes has a hard time when told to stop playing too, but I think it just comes with the territory.  The up-side is that video games can be a great motivator.  My son is much more willing to do his chores if he knows that he'll get to play afterward.

As for letting him play more when you have stuff to do- I've felt the same way.  All the messages we receive from society tell us that "babysitting" our kids with electronics is bad.  But I've come to a few conclusions.  First is the safety issue you brought up.  An extra 30 min. of screen time is better than a trip to the ER.  Another is that if you have something pressing that needs to be done (dinner prep, showering, tending to a baby) it benefits everyone if you get a few minutes to focus on the task rather than the constant interruptions that come with trying to supervise/entertain a hyper/impulsive child at the same time.  You'll be less stressed and frustrated which means your interactions with him will be more positive. 

One of the main concerns with video games is that the kids are not active while playing.  I don't know about everyone else, but making sure my kid is active has never been something I had to be concerned about.   

jaderock54........I think you said it all!!!

the video game debate kind of makes me laugh, it's like the junk food debate, the tv debate, the late bedtime debate, every child rearing debate there is..............

MODERATION...................everything in moderation.............obviously if your child only plays video games, or only watches tv, or drinks only soda or stays up until all hours every night or WHATEVER all the time, it's not good, but is restricting these things 100 % the right answer??? WHY??? So what if he plays video games while you cook dinner? There will ALWAYS be some one who says you shouldn't................you know what they do something you would never do..........

Sorry Lethy proud mom I wouldnt know you if I tripped over you, but know FOR SURE you do not neglect your kids....................you have so many REAL worries, please let this one go right out of your head.........................

I think video games are fine in moderation. 1 hour is definatly appropriate I let my son earn more by doing chores or his LIST of things to do without complaining.Thanks everybody for your responses. Jd plays way better than anyone I have seen. My 6 year old is also starting to want to play, and this can be a problem because he likes to show jd that he can be a big boy and play too. However jd can not just watch him play he gets very anxious waiting for his turn. It is kinda quite I must say. lol