D'oh! Videogames and AS/ADHD study

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http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/07 ... n=20130729

I'm very, very glad that the report stated up front that it is equally possible that the videogames are just more attractive to non-NT kids, rather than leaping directly to games-cause-neurological-disorders (though I'm sad that they are suggesting it is a possibility.)

The study was just rather funny to me - I mean, our kids often don't play sports, or participate in other afterschool activities BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SOCIAL COMMUNICATION DISORDER so what else are they supposed to do? Sit in a corner?

I wonder if the longitudinal studies will be done - and if what they're suggesting is that limiting time to a reasonable level is/is not helpful in getting non-NT kids to open themselves up to other experiences.

I am a card-carrying video-game hater. If I made the decisions, the Wii would be out the Wiindow, the 3DS, DSi, and Nook would be right behind it (stupid me, when my daughter asked for it I thought, "She wants to read books," and came up with lots of chores so she could earn the $200; I should have known when she asked for the $200 tablet instead of the $80 Simple Touch that it was destined to be a handheld gaming device), and Kongregate, Addicting Games, PopCap, and Nick and Disney Junior would be blocked.

I loathe and despise them. In their every aspect. Even when the rest of the family is enjoying WiiSportsResort and I'm chilling on the couch with my mending.

But...

...It is just really, really depressing that they're funding another study to assess the risks of video games.

I mean, they could be spending that money to assess how to use the existing relationship with video games to help NaT kids learn the coping skills they need.

I can absolutely visualize a social skills game for the Wii. I'll bet games that teach things like impulse control and deferred gratification could be developed, too. And, if I thought they worked, you could bet even I would buy them.

But you don't need a prescription for that. You don't need a therapist for that. You don't need more prescriptions for the side effects of that, with more office visits...

You just need a game console, a one-time purchase, and a parent who's willing to exercise a modicum of common sense (not to mention confidence in their own judgment).

Don't think I'm not grateful. But the AAP has run us in as many useless circles as they've given us help.

I tend to take them, too, with several grains of salt.

My 1st son's OT uses the wii to help him with motor planning. One doc said he has ADHD and has motor planning/ visual tracking/ focus issues because of it. A different doc says it's not ADHD, it's SPD and the SPD is the cause. Either way, he was like that before he ever touched a video game.

I will have to get the full study and read it. Based on the abstract you can get for free, it appears that the conclusions drawn based on the "study" (n=141 kids TOTAL) are completely irresponsible. It is impossible to determine cause or effect with this type of study. I cannot believe that the Journal of Pediatrics published this garbage.

I've been playing video games since the Game Boy Color. I'm 20 and am still playing video games. I have a Game Boy Color, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, a laptop, PSP, XBOX 360, Wii, PS3, DSi, 3DS, and DS Lite. I grew up with video games as a young girl and still play and always will.

I’m not picky about games either. What I don’t get is why some parents either limit their kid’s video game usage or don’t let them have video games in their lives at all. Other hobbies don’t appeal to me.

I didn't look at the study (I usually do) but the impression I got was that they didn't conclude anything other than that kids on the spectrum and with ADHD tend to spend more time with videogames than NT kids - which I could tell you just from looking at the kids I know.

They were saying they weren't sure about cause and effect, (which I thought prudent) meaning that it could either be a result of autism or ADHD that kids play so many games, or that gaming caused/exacerbated the symptoms. As for causation, we had zero games until two years ago...but there might be a case that it exacerbates things...but I'd agree, you can't draw conclusions from an exploratory, correlative study.

"CONCLUSIONS: Boys with ASD spend much more time playing video games than do boys with TD, and boys with ASD and ADHD are at greater risk for problematic video game use than are boys with TD. Inattentive symptoms, in particular, were strongly associated with problematic video game use for both groups, and role-playing game preferences may be an additional risk factor for problematic video game use among children with ASD. These findings suggest a need for longitudinal research to better understand predictors and outcomes of video game use in children with ASD and ADHD."

This conclusion statement sounds like something they wrote before they did the study. It just doesn't sound like good science and I guess it irks me that they are trying to pass it off as such.

I guess that's true, but if you look in this forum alone, there's plenty of evidence that it's a reasonable conclusion.

That said, science - especially behavioral science - is not what it should be.

Videogames have been demonstrated to relieve stress and increase emotional stability in children with all types of special needs, particularly those who suffer anxiety and depression.

The researchers should just come on this site and read all our threads about video game issues, but also the threads where we suggest their use. That should answer their questions

Like almost everything in modern life, video games are a double edged sword: they can be good when used in moderation and appropriately, and damaging when they get out of hand. But no one ever believes anything common sense until there is a study to prove it.

I think the problem is that in their mind video games = bad is common sense. I also think they think that the video games= bad result will get them further than saying they are OK.

I think it's another issue of science finding a symptom and thinking it might be a cause is all. At least this time they acknowledged that it might be the case that it's a symptom.

Cyberdad, you're right - though there is such a thing as finding a balance, right?

I like that quote. A lack of video games when I was growing up wouldn't have made me socialize more. When I was younger and we only had Atari when I wasn't playing I'd do things like watch tv, read, or make puzzles instead. I always hated sports and couldn't do afterschool activities due to lack of money or transportation, plus I wouldn't have willingly been in school or around my classmates any more than I was legally required to be. I was bullied a lot.

I probably play video games too much now but it's what I enjoy and now that I play a mmorpg I do get some socializing from it and it slightly improved my social skills.

They aren't suggesting video games cause ASD or ADHD. If you read between the lines, it seems more like the reporters suggested that possibility, and the researchers admitted that it could account for the correlation they saw. In my psych courses, they drill into us pretty strongly that 'correlation does not equal causation' and we always have to keep in mind the three types of causal pathways that could result in a correlation (A causes B, B causes A, or X causes both A and B).

One thing that I'm happy about here is that they seem to have paid at least some attention to the fact that there are different kinds of video games. A lot of studies seem to treat them as a monolith, but in reality there's no way that all video games have exactly the same impact, given how varied they are.

When they found that autistics tend to like role-playing games, did this apply to multiplayer, single-player, or both? I've found myself experiencing similar frustration with social interactions on MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online RPGs) as I do in real life. In contrast, interaction with non-player characters is a lot more predictable and satisfying (especially since they usually cast the player as a hero well-liked by others). If an autistic kid is playing a lot of multiplayer, however, that could be a good way to learn social skills, in a context where nonverbal cues aren't as critical.

I have both ADHD and AS and I don't think that video games prevent me from socializing.
When I was a young child there weren't video games, and my social skills weren't better than how they are now (they were even worse, I think actually).
When I was a little kid I didn't play sports, in 1st and 2nd grade my mother tried to make me go to after school activities and they were boring, also in 6th grade I was in two after school activities that weren't as boring as the ones I did when I was younger but still I quit because I didn't like them much.
In my free time I either read or draw (exept in 6th grade; there were alredy video games when I was 11)
I also tried swimming when I was 11, gym when I was 13 and ballet when I was 14, but they were all boring so I always gave up before the end.
I took up martial arts when I was almost 15 and I liked it very much since the beginning. It also improved my balance amd coordination in general and it developed my muscles.


I play video games a lot now (my parents think too much, but I don't agree) , exept online RPGs because you're supposed to interact with other players and that's boring.

First off, I realize every child is different so I'm not judging the OP for this quote.

My son, too, has a social/emotional disorder - particularly when he was younger. He has always been involved in peer groups - soccer skills development, basketball skills development, etc (I say "skills development" because they weren't actual soccer/basketball "teams" per say). Anyway, his first video game gadget was a Nintendo DS (age 8 ) - his father bought it for him and he had limited access to it. Plus, he had to earn minutes to play. As a 12 year old now, he has many interests - he'll try out for many sports and activities, even though he's not good at it (it's always been hard but he tries and has fun). I don't need to "limit" his videogame usage because he does that for himself. He simply gets bored of it and wants to go outside and be active - in his own little way.

I don't think that just because our kids have a social/emotional disorder that they CAN'T do anything else with their time but play solo videogames. That's just an excuse. I also think it's important that we encourage our kids to be social because that's the only way they're going to learn those social skills. Plunking them in front of a tube is giving up. Having said that, in moderation, there's nothing wrong with it.. but I think these studies are more catered to children who go above and beyond "moderation".

On another note, I think these studies are a waste of money too because - lets pretend we discovered with 100% accuracy that videogames have detrimental effects on children's brains. Do you honestly think ALL electronic devices would be pulled off the shelf and banned? They haven't done that with cigarettes and we KNOW it causes health issues. We live in a world of business and [unfortunately] money takes precedence over our livelihood. We will vacate our own human race because our focus is on dollar figures.