Video Games and Parenting

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Hi everyone,

My name is Danielle, an undergraduate student from the Department of
Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. I am also the
proud mother of 8 year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome.

I would like to invite you to participate in a research study that I
am conducting that will be focusing on increasing our understanding
of parents’ experiences raising adolescents on the autism spectrum who
are high functioning. Our particular focus is on the ways in which
parents experience their child's video game habits and behaviors.
Parent's have very different views of their children's video game
playing. Since many high functioning youth with Autism Spectrum
Disorders are very attracted to video games, we would like to learn
more about parent views and concerns about video games.

I am looking for parents of adolescents (ages 12-17) with a diagnosis
of Asperger’s or High Functioning Autism who play video games.

As a participant, you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire online
that will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. This document
will include questions about parent/ caregiver stress and self-
efficacy, your son or daughter’s video game playing and your views and
concerns towards video games.


The link to the study:

https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=139887


If you have any problems with the link, please go to www.psychdata.com
and enter the survey number 139887.


If you have any questions, please contact me at
[email protected] or you may contact my advisor, Alice S.
Carter, Ph.D., at [email protected].

IRB approval # 2010162

Do you care what autistic gamers themselves have to say?

Yes, I could speak as an ex-adolescent, but as for parenting, not yet.
Good luck with your study! I hope you have loads of responses!

I am in the case of the two previous posters all in one! Adult AS gamer, and my son might be obsessed with video games but he's 9, so not a teen ager why the restrictions?

First off, I am very interested in everyone's opinions on this topic. However, I am only an undergraduate student and broadening the study's parameters would just be too much for me to deal with and analyze. My research interest lies with adolescents with ASDs, so that its why I chose this subgroup. I would love to look at all different age groups, but I do not have funding or enough time in my undergraduate career to do so. I will hopefully be able to continue in graduate school though.

My opinion about video games is that teens on the spectrum should have an hour a day to play video games during week days after they're done their homework and unlimited hours of play during the weekend, just like every other teen.

I am also a student working on my thesis, and I find it confusing that you state your area of interest as young aspies/high-functioning autistics who play video games; yet you are looking for parents to participate in what sounds like primarily a survey of parental views on gaming and their children, and their"concerns". What, if I may ask, are you hoping to learn about gamer aspies from this? As both, and with a parent of the opinion that video games are a far more disconcerting use of any of my time, assuming "I'm isolating or addicted", whereas my NT sister's spending hours texting, twittering and facebook are "normal". If you were to ask my father about aspies and gaming versus myself, if I were still among your target age group; you would not get any picture of the personal benefits I can attest to from my hobby.
I guess I am just wondering: is there something specific you are thinking or hoping your research will prove about the good or bad nature of gaming and teens with aspergers or HFA, or have I misunderstood the intent of the study as examining teens and games, as opposed to parental views on the aforementioned?