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Video Games and ADD
narratorDan writes "Cure your child with videogames!
This is an interesting story about how video games and bio feedback can help children with attention deficit disorder (ADD).
The academics at the Langley Research Centre in Virginia say the treatment helps the children train their brains to
concentrate more and focus their attention." Don't look at me, I have a hard time concentrating on anything longer then a one paragraph Slashdot story *grin*.
Most interactive audio/visual activities increase concentration. That's why pilots don't just read about how to fly a plane, they go into flight simulators.
What's that saying about you tell me, I remember 10%, you show me, I remember 30%, etc?
love,
br4dh4x0r
So, now we are supposed to believe that video games can both cure a child's Attention Deficit Disorder AND turn them into Uzi-toting terrorist mass-murderers?
...I guess parent's just can't win.
Brought to you by Frobozz Magic Penguin Fodder.
It's simple, really. The responsibility of raising kids is the PARENT'S. We've tried to pawn it off on day care centers. We've tried to pawn it off on the schools. We've tried to pawn it off on TV. Music. Movies. Government. Anything except ourselves.
Here's the story folks; we can't suddenly plot Johnny down in front of the nintendo and pat ourselves on the back saying "well, he's learning to focus." This is such bullshit. I'm sorry to point out the obvious here, but if you want a "normal" kid, you've got to participate in their lives, and possibly rethink your definition of "normal". In this respect, I've gotta agree with the above post.
Ok, offtopic rant time! (yay)
I'm sick and tired of reading all these articles about saving the children from the evils of the world, and having every last one be a steaming pile of shit. Come on. "Write your congressman, save the children from Ozzy Osbourne!" "Support library filtering software, save the children from porn!" "Support drug prison terms, save the children from evil plants!"
People, it's a very simple idea you have to grasp: a parent should be the biggest influence in a child's life. End of story. If you're concerned about music/drugs/porn/crime/gangs/whatever, you've not talked to your kids enough. Same thing with this ADD stuff; if your child has a genuine medical condition, spend enough time with them to notice it, and get it treated. If your child is just crying out for attention (my theory on the majority of ADD cases), it's YOUR FAULT. How dare parents today hand their kids off to day care centers and schools, and sign happily on the line when some overstressed undertrained teacher says "ridalin would help". This article is just MORE fuel on the fire; one more parent is gonna buy his kid a nintendo, and say "well, they're learning... now I can work an hour later!". People are pawning their kids upbringing off on anything EXCEPT themselves. This just provides one MORE thing for 'em to use.
Here's the basics folks: If you don't want your child to act out, teach them respect. If you don't want your child to commit crimes, teach them why it's wrong. If you don't want them smoking pot, teach them it's dangerous. If you don't want them having sex early, teach them it's wrong. Don't sit your kids in front of a nintendo to learn to focus, and then complain that video games are sending the wrong messages. Don't sit them in front of the TV to learn moral values and then complain that TVs are immoral. Raise your own damn kids. Don't expect me, the government, the schools or the media to do it for you.
If my parents would have listened to counselors/teachers, I'd have been in the learning disabled program by 3rd grade. My mother got a letter suggesting that I be placed in that program, and went to the principal insisting I be IQ tested. She still breaks out the "your son has special needs; he's blessed with special talents" letter now and then. And the "your son has special needs; he's not showing satisfactory progress" one that had preceeded it. Which one do you want for YOUR kids?
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Just lurking, thanks!
Hmmm. I once spent three hours riding with a woman who had a child diagnosed with ADHD (H is for Hyperactivity - this is more extreme than ADD). She and her child tried many things but she really wanted to avoid drugs. Eventually, she did what should be obvious to any parent who loves their children and actually spends time trying to help them be real human beings (instead of vidiots): she started to look at his attention deficit and his hyperactivity as a _good_ thing. She just basically called them something different: intense curiosity and enormous energy. She and her child talked a lot about things and eventually they came up with a really simple solution for the times when his "disability" became difficult for others around him: he would run around the block as many times as it took to burn off some of that energy. Aparently this worked marvels. His school work improved etc. etc. <miracle story continues...>.
So what's the point? Well, as other posters are sure to mention this seems to me to be another case of parents and society prefering technological solutions to solutions based on responsibility. I have recently been reading a book called How To Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence which basically talks about how the nature vs. nurture issue is a moot point until we actually figure out how to take full advantage of the nuture side of the equation. The book goes on to describe so-called miraculous accomplishments by brain injured children as well as normal children such as: reading, high speed math, learning multiple languages, etc. all before the age of 3!!! I have used some of the techniques with my own son who is now 26 months old. He was able to read about 40 words at age 14 months. We (my wife and I) dropped the ball and didn't continue with his learning up till now. Hopefully we are not to late.
Ever since I was a child, I have always felt that adults seriously underestimate the abilities of children. I am concerned that our diagnoses such as ADD and ADHD are really a reflection of our impatience and intollerance of children's natural abilities.
Helping with organizational effectiveness is our job.
I know that there are several people that have ADD and don't know it... there are also people that have been diagnosed with it and don't have it.
With that being said, I do agree... self disciplin can help some with ADD. The problem is that ADD stems from a lack of a certain chemical in the brain... which is interesting... because that means that the drugs that we do take are stimulants...
I know that with the proper mixture of self disciplin and medicine, some people that have ADD never appear to have the problem. On the flip side, I know that I have problems remembering to take my medicine. Sort of a catch 22.
I came from a household where self disciplin and being responsible for what you are doing was important. I feel the same way. I still have problems with it. Is it because I have no self disciplin... I don't think so.
I think that the core of the problem comes from the fact that those with ADD strugle with self disciplin. That is why that alone can't help people. I am supprised that prolonged concentration can help counteract ADD.
I would like to see more conclusive data than brain waves and the like.... does this study help the brain produce more of this chemical? That would make sense. I know that if a person takes more medicine than they are supposed to, the brain will lower its natural creation of the chemicals.
-I just work here... how am I supposed to know?
The article says that the contols become responsive when the subject raises the high frequency brainwaves. The way this is done is by being calm.
It is possible to learn to be calm under high pressure situations. I spent a semester at the US Air Force Academy (found out that not everyone in the Air Force flew fighter planes 24/7, and I had no chance of being one of those that did). I am still amazed at how much calmer I was under nearly all situations when I came home. I was rather high strung before that stint. The video games are the same as the upperclassmen yelling contradictory orders in our face. There is a high-stress situation that must be handled calmly (any sign of being flustered was a sure ticket of more 'treatment').
Currently, video games offer the stress, but there is nothing to force it to be handled with serenity. My youngest son is border ADD (he ain't touching Ridlin), and I think this would help him. But I'd like to get one of these devices to use myself. I'm a little to high strung (USAFA was 15yrs ago), and I think this would be better than meditation.
Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
when you can use drugs? If you just give little Jonny some Ritalin you can lock in him the closet, and he won't be stopping the parents from watching Survivor by using his gaming console.
Although, when you mix the two, there's trouble... at least, that's the story at my local Baldur's Gate Anonymous group...
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while ( !universe->perfect() ) {
hack (reality);
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while ( !universe->perfect() ) {
hack (reality);
}
I don't think that the value of this lies in 'fixing' ADD (although I won't deny that it's probably what some people do have in mind, sadly..).
My experience/outlook on it is this. ADD and ADHD kids, by definition, have problems with attention spans. Having previously worked in a computer lab for children who are disabled/handicapped/ADD + ADHD/other various distresses, I can say with confidence that computers in general are of -huge- benefit in these cases, especially with ADD/ADHD. Kids who would normally be off the wall could come in to the lab, sit down in front of a computer for hours upon hours, and play educational games, draw, have fun, etc...without hardly ever losing their attention. Because of computers, whole worlds of education and fun are being opened up for kids who would, 15 years ago, be merely chastised and termed "stupid" (I know this as well, because it happened to someone close to me. It wasn't until he was in his 2nd year of college that he finally got the recognition of his disorder that he needed to successfully learn. Previously, he had merely been thought to be of a lower level of intelligence; now, because he was recognized to have ADHD, and in addition took a liking to computers, he's making 6 digits and is quite a reputable employee.)...
My point is, the mainstream realization of this can have profoundly positive affects on the ADD/ADHD community, and I'm all for it.
While the careful calibration of video-game feedback devices may be useful in 'fixing' ADD, it still gives the impression that 'hyperactive' kids are somehow bad and need to be cured. Some of the best and brightest people I know have ADD and to think of their curiosity and their mind being 'cured' is disconcerting, to say the least. This country is quickly sliding down into a carefully controlled society, with very little deviation from the 'standard' allotted.
Perhaps if our society had less influences from corporate behemonths selling soundbites to our children, we could see some real improvement.
You are more than the sum of what you consume.
You are more than the sum of what you consume.
Desire is not an occupation.
If only this article came out in 1982 when my parents didn't want me to play Atari...
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Give me liberty or give me something of equal or lesser value from your glossy 32-page catalog.
"Langley Research Center"... does anyone else find this suspicious?
"We're just testing to see how children playing video games helps ADD. What are the games? Well, for one, the kids pretend to fly little robotic cameras around the Chinese embassy. Another is called "Cracking the Keys of the Evil Doctor P. G. P." Really fun stuff. Oh, and yeah, it helps their ADD."
Luckily though, my brother (his father), like me, is a big computer/console game junkie. He discovered early on that my nephew not only would play the games but actually excelled at them in a savant kind of way. God knows he kicked MY ass enough times on N64.
But what this did was provide the child with an avenue for communication. Some of these games were fairly difficult and he needed to ask someone how to get past a part. Now I'm not sure that's what they mean here but ANY avenue in that situation is really a blessing in disguise.
He gets better daily. I still remember the day he initiated a conversation and called me "Uncle". It gave me that warm, gushy feeling.
I've always scoffed at the supposed evil of video games. It's nice to see some scientific evidence saying the same.