Games are very important to my son.
The brain of a child with ADHD is working at a rapid rate, our son describes his brain as whizzing around his head so he can't think straight or concentrate.
We were advised to limit his time on games consoles as these games also move at a very rapid pace and therefore feed the brain of a person with ADHD and do not help them to learn to slow it down.
However, there are literally 100's of games now termed 'brain training' and just doing a basic Internet search and using the search term ADHD and games and brain, will lead to many results, below are just a few that I have come across and reading these makes me wonder how games can be viewed as a bad thing, surely with correct use they could infact be very beneficial and teach some life-long skills. We certainly use games, more as a behavioural thing at the moment, they are important to our son and if he is mis-behaving he knows that he will lose 10 minutes of game time at a go, and as we limit it he understands the consequences.
NASA’s latest software technology transforms ordinary video game play into
highly effective treatment for attention deficit, hyperactivity, and autistic
spectrum disorders. Programming specific to your child trains flexibility of
focus and attention. Enhanced ability to learn occurs naturally while playing
favourite video games - XBox, PlayStation, and more, with S.M.A.R.T.
BrainGamesTM
Feel-Better Games
The games, which are available for download or free play online at selfesteemgames.mcgill.ca, rely on similar principles as other games used for AD/HD. With repetitive responses, players develop new connections in the brain that may enhance self-esteem.
The ADHD Brain
Games are a great way for kids with ADHD to practice following rules, anticipating results of their actions, and staying on task until completion. Many kids with ADHD enjoy spending time on the computer, consequently computer games can be a fun way to practice skills without feeling like they're spending extra time in therapy. There are multi-user games as well to allow kids to practice sharing and cooperating as well as social skills
Playing games on the computer, which can be viewed as a treat rather a chore, can be a great way to include stress-free unstructured activities that still help a child progress with skills they need to manage their disorder.
Skills that can help a child with ADHD include:
- Attention
- Impulse Control
- Organizational Skills
- Anger Management
- Social Skills
- Self Esteem
- Cooperation
All of these skills can be practiced with various computer games.
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