DD is 10 and has additional needs, emotionally and cognitively she is around 7or 8, currently awaiting ASD diagnosis. She struggles to maintain friendships as she prefers her own company. She has a tablet which is controlled on timers (off at 7pm and only on from 7am max of 3 hours daily at weekend) but during the week no access before school, she has never asked anyway, but after school she will ask to play an online game on the family PC downstairs in a room where the screen is always visible. Also has access to some old Wii games of mine from a few years ago, as we only have the one TV.
At the weekends she usually plays on her tablet, while we have a lie in til 9. Once it turned off she came asked for extra time which I will give if all her homework has been done before the weekend, it had so she gained another half an hour. After that finished, we had lunch, Dh and I were dressed and we were just having an easy day at home. She then asked to go on her online game when the tablet finished, I said No and she had to have a break, could she go and get dressed please, she refused and ate her lunch in her PJ's.
After reading she went on her online game for a bit but I looked over after 10 mins and saw she was on YT watching other players playing the game
. She knows this isn't allowed (rules are explained each time she starts playing the game) and I asked her to come off, straight away there was tears and how I'm unfair etc can she please go on the game again as she's really sorry, won't do it again etc etc she catastrophises everything and I mean everything. I relent but explain she has 30 mins that's it.
After that time she gets off, she complains it's unfair again there's 'nothing to do' and everything is boring.
She is a reader though so I suggest she reads some of her latest library books, 'No, it's boring', offer a bike ride or walk out on the beach, all suggestions are rebuffed as boring.
She wants to watch TV instead, we look through, all suggestions are again boring.
She's showing no interest in anything except bloody games on her tablet or online. I relented and let her on her online game again as she chats to other players on there and really its the only time she 'socialises' as she doesn't go out to play at home and no play dates at school as all invites I've tried have been declined
.
She does Brownies, one school activity and until recently horse riding on the weekends at a RS, we have a pony but I've stopped offering to take her up and see pony as she fecks off around the field playing imaginary games after she has hugged pony
.
What else can I be encouraging her to do away from the bloody screens?