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Videogames Used to Treat ADHD
deeptrace writes "USA today has an article about a videogame based treatment for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). It uses NASA derived technology to measure brainwave activity while playing videogames. Clinical psychologist Henry Owens says 'If they just play videogames on their own, they will zone out. When they play on this system, if they zone out [as detected by brainwave activity], the videogame doesn't respond any more' This is supposed to help the patient increase the ability to focus and concentrate."
Mabey this will shut up the videogame= hyperactive folks.
Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development.-- Frontinus, 1st cent. AD
How about encouraging the "patient" to go outside or do something constructive, instead of coercing him into repeating a mindless task for no real reward. Oh, right - because that's what he would have done ANYWAY if he weren't one of the majority who by about age six are infected with an affinity for pointless busywork, and an inability to learn except by rote.
I have no objection to psychotropic drugs and behavioral treatments when used judiciously to relieve real suffering or addiction. But using these tools to homogenize children to the societal norm is absolutely repugnant. How we can get through to these deranged teachers, parents, and psychiatrists?
... everytime the little bastard thinks he can misbehave and not pay attention.
The potential is huge for training in this field. Maybe good - maybe bad. stay alert, of course, but what singing instructor wouldn't be a little nervous about the new sing sing revolution game that's on X-Box, et al. I saw it 'cause a friends son was very excited to have it and asked if i'd like to play a round.
Anything once, right? (except uh, cyanide and hand-grenades, but i digress)
So what is really neat? As you sing, it shows you a little bar that reveals your fundamental tone (singing pitch) and updates in real-time to get you on key better. Now, i know that's a simple FFT thing (wanna do it your self? go look up csound!) But what is important is that it is an EXCELLENT device to train one to sing. This sort of neural feedback (hey - it's a game - it got crowds yelling approval when you're good, not if your not) is one of the most powerful available, and worthy of philosophical discussion (says I..)
How come not a single technological drop of education tech makes it in the schools. Okay - some parents still probably remember max headroom... but if we acknowledge that neuro feedback is extremely powerful for learning, then we can both use it when it is good for schools and training, and be able to recoginize the "bad stuff" that much better.
Like every single thing on the TV i don't have. Brainwashing is best when served slowly, don' cha' know.
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
There could be many reasons why it is "unknown". But before you explore that, perhaps you mgiht want to state your evidence that it is even unknown. Personally, if I have never heard of any Thailand music artists before, I am not necessarily going to assume that Thailand does not have music artists.
I find that although many people are liberal in beliefs, they are conservative in actions.
Has anyone asked themselves why ADHD and other disorders are unknown in the Arab or [black] African worlds?
Perhaps because they refer to not conforming to a social norm as not conforming to a social norm, and not as a disease?
This seems like an ok idea for helping children develop longer attention spans. It will probably be effective in those kids who are diagnosed ADHD for simply being normal children.
A lot of children are now being diagnosed ADHD simply for doing what children do. Namely running around, being active, jumping from one interest to another, etc. Children (under 10) do not have the same brain activity as an adult, and it is unreasonable to expect them to behave as adults do. Parents seem to not want their children to act like children, and are turning to chemicals to make them be what they want them to be. Children who are diagnosed ADHD, when if fact they are just normal kids, will eventually settle down as the brain develops.
For children who actually are ADD, the attention span problem does not go away with time. They will struggle their entire lives with tasks most adults have no problems with. For them, these excercizes will do nothing but frustrate, as their brains do not have the capacity for developing longer attention spans.
There are children who are put into classes now that are supposed to extend attention spans, and this is another example of that theory. It is useful, however, only in children who have the ability to develop normally, not in the true cases of ADD.
I have ADHD. You are wrong. Allow me to help you understand. The mistake you make, which is a common misconception, is that ADHD is actually a deficit of attention. That's not exactly correct. ADHD is more like an inability to control and regulate your attention. Most people with ADHD have the ability to hyperfocus. That is, when you will focus on something to the point of being unable to focus on anything else. Unfortunately, this isn't something ADHD can trigger at will. As I said, ADHD is the inability to control attention.
There is quite a bit more to ADHD than just short attention spans. It has many other far-reaching effects beyond the stereotypical loopy behavior most people think of, such as persistant problems with time management, task prioritization, motivation, and other executive brain functions.
Sugar and caffine are not the causes of ADHD. (In fact, before methyphenidate, caffine was used as a treatment for ADHD). Dietary treatments for ADHD have had mixed results at best. Medication for ADHD is not a cure, by any stretch of the mind, but it can dramaticaly help. Please do not dismiss something just because of what you have heard on TV. Just a little bit of research would teach you a lot, I think.
ADD / ADHD is not just limited to lack of attention. It also involves periods of long and extreme bouts of intense concentration. So just because a person has ADHD does not mean that he will zone out. I was diagnosed with ADD. And my parents were smart enough to not let me know about it and also to not pump me full of chemicals. I am now 22 and frankly if you can say I am 'cured' it is only because of good parenting and pure discipline. I am doubtful about the success of this project for one main reason: Parents will rely on everything besides themselves to help their kids, when the most important and successful madication to the best of my knowledge - is parenting.
all i have to say is no, the 'drugs' they offer are little more then sedatives. treating them like they're a 'cure' is not looking at the problem, or the cause of the difficulty. so just passing out these drugs to 35% of US schoolaged children is NOT the answer to the problem (parents who aren't taking an active role in their child's progress, etc)
I agree that drugs should not be the first attempt at a solution, and agree completely that any approach must include parental involvement and non-medication support and training. I'm also glad that you found something that works for you.
But one drug not working for you in the three weeks you tried it means very little about what one of the half-dozen drugs prescribed for ADD might do for somebody else. I found them interesting and useful, and if I had to lead a "normal" life, I might be taking one of them still. Instead I picked a life that suits my unusual attention span, but I don't know that everybody can or should do that.
I too was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. My parents had the same knee-jerk reaction as yours: it's the drug companies cooking up a "disorder" that describes normal childhood behavior, then selling the "cure".
However, it turns out that there actually WAS something different about the way my brain was working. So my academic life was a nonstop trail of failure all the way through 5th grade, when my mom (the voice of reason) convinced my father to stop expecting me to "buckle down" and let me actually get the ritalin prescription.
Well what the hell do you know? The next grading period I was on the damn honor roll. The ritalin didn't make me smart, it gave me the tool I needed so that all my other efforts would be fruitful: the ability to really concentrate.
I had a good doctor and over a period of years she reduced the dosage gradually, so that I was able to "train my brain" to concentrate on it's own without the artificial chemical.
ADD Medications are not "mere sedatives", and you sir are full of the rottenest kind of horse malarkey to suggest that they aren't doing anyone any real good.
They call it "science", sir, because it's based on facts.
the 'drugs' they offer are little more then sedatives
Quite the opposite: They're stimulants, not sedatives.
so just passing out these drugs to 35% of US schoolaged children is NOT the answer to the problem (parents who aren't taking an active role in their child's progress, etc)
Even parents who do take a *very* active role in their children's progress can have kids with ADHD. No matter how much time you spend working with your AD(H)D child, they still have a hard time focusing on what they're doing. I know from experience with my son that the drugs can make a huge difference. It's the difference between him being able to get his homework done in a focused hour or two, or having him struggle with it four five hours and ending with both him and his Mom in tears because he just CAN'T focus sufficiently to get it done. In both cases (with and without meds), he has to have someone sit with him and keep him on task, but the level of difficulty and frustration all around is much lower with the meds. Most importantly *he* doesn't hate school quite so much when he has the meds to help him focus.
yeah, i'm sure some people might find the meds useful, but the're really not solving anything.
Wrong. At least in our case, the pills are a significant factor in enabling my son to get through school and learn something. We (well, my wife) still spend hours every day working with him and following up (daily!) with his teacher to make sure he's getting everything done. We're not looking forward to him starting Junior High next year, BTW... rather than one teacher we'll have seven to deal with. We'll do what we have to, though.
They never have nor will they ever sell a magic pill that makes all the problems in life go away.
Don't be an idiot. Who ever claimed they did?
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"POT" contains many harmful substances, but it's effects can help some people cope with their day-to-day lives. I know several highly intelligent people who benefit from regular usage of "POT". While self-medication is a bad idea POT is about as dangerous as drinking alcohol or smoking.
It has a bad name but its effects vary greatly from person to person. Individual body chemistry plays a huge role in the body's response to drugs. I have seen POT severely damage a close friend of mine, but I also know 30+year users who make ~200k/year, are wonderful parents, and great friends. The idea that POT can't have any medical benefit is just as silly as the idea as the idea that it's safe for anyone to use.