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*.

Comments

Raise your own damn kids!

[BOredAtWork]

Raise your own damn kids(tm). That's my new campaign. This is just one more (of the many) bullshit steps society is taking to shirk the responsibility of raising their OWN DAMN KIDS.

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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Re:The Treatment for ADD is Self Disciplin?

[tolldog]

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.

ADD and modern media

[MattLesko]

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.

"Langley Research Center"

[ceswiedler]

"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."

It works

[Nidhogg]

My nephew is slightly autistic with ADD. When he was much younger there was no communicating with the child. None whatsoever. It was very frustrating for his parents and him.

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.