computer game advice please

[WorrierPrincess]

My interest in computer games pretty much stopped with the Commodore 64 and unlike certain crap exes, thank god dh isn't interested in gaming either. However we've been given an XBox and kinect "for the kids".

Now from what I can gather games are a bit of a mixed blessing for kids with asd. Or kids in general, I guess. Our eldest, ds, is 3.3, hfa, hypermobile and almost certainly dyspraxic. I know computer games aren't exactly brilliant for social skills and I keep hearing that kids on the spectrum (not the Sinclair one, me showing age again) can get worryingly obsessed by them.

But I feel like I'd be a bit of a meanie NOT to let them play with it. And I also wonder if the Kinect might be good for body awareness, coordination etc?

So I would be really grateful for any advice, both on gaming for ASD kids and any games that would be good for dyspraxic hfa preschoolers?

PS: neither child has seen it yet so I could always get rid of it if you all holler "IT'S THE DEVIL"

ASD children can become very easily obsessed with things.

I regret buying a games console for DS when he was 4 as it triggered an obsession with computer games that lasted for the next 18 years!

Be careful.

My Dd's have a wii, there are some good games on it that could help with coordination if only Dd3 had the patience to play them.

I think computer based games can become an obsession for any DC's but I think they have a place, especially on a rainy sunday or for an hour after school.

Set some rules and go for it. You might find your Ds goes mad on it for a while and then moves on to something else.

They are good currency as well you can use it as part of your reward system.

Just my opinion but I would let them have it

I was able to restrict computer time and Wii time really successfully for years, 40 mins a day on each. My downfall was the iPod touch, which has become very addictive for DS2 and my will power to restrict it disappeared along with my exH!

If you can be strict and consistently enforce 'playstation off now,' for the next 20 years, then maybe... or even better, wait til he actually asks for one!

At the moment we're using computer/game time as a carrot for our two, who are both ASD, since it's the one thing that totally motivates them to do what they need to do. It's very strict though, so they get 15 minutes for each bit of homework, some extra time for handwriting practice, which they need, 15 minutes each time they go to an after school club or exercise class etc. (which they have started to enjoy so they're not just doing it for the computer time).

When we had them on an ABA programme we pretty much ran it on computer time since they're not really interested in money and only in other things in a very limited way.

It sounds extreme but it does work and I'll use anything I can tbh! I wouldn't let them have free rein though, I doubt if they'd ever come off!

My DSs got a little too obsessed by the Wii. When they started smacking each other with the controllers when the other person didn't go the right way in teh game etc. I had to remove it.

ds has obsessions with consoles, however I feel the positive outweighs the negative. He earns marbles for good behaviour and swaps them for time on his console. He does complain sometimes but not as much as before we used them.

We have the kinect and also the Tony Hawkes skateboard for xbox which have been great for improving, hand eye, balance etc.

For there age I would recommend Rush, Adventure, and any of the sports games, to start with. The dancing ones are pretty fun as well.

I also disagree that they don't help social skills, with somehting like the Kinect they are not sat in their room alone playing the console, and it is even better if you use the Kinect as a family activity which is the way we user ours.

DS2 loves the Wii, but is only allowed to play it for an hour roughly 3 evenings per week. His DS game however is much harder to keep away from him - he is really obsessed with it. He gets to play it no more than an hour afterschool and then on the evenings he doesn't play Wii, he gets a little bit of time playing the DS in the evening.

Always the same game right now. MarioKart7. sigh

Both our boys have Nintendo DSi's and we were given a Playstation 1 at Christmas, as ds1 is fascinated with the history of games consoles and he had wanted one for years.

Ds1 has AS, ds2 is nt, but both boys are only allowed an hour a day maximum for gaming, be it on the DSi, Playstation, computer or combination of them. Given the chance, they would spend all day every day playing games, but they never go on without permission and we have house rules that state they are not allowed before a certain time (5.00 on a weekday and 1.30 weekends and holidays).

If/when we do reward based programmes with them, we use blocks of computer time as the reward. They can only spend their earned time at weekends or holidays though, as I don't want gaming to get in the way of homework etc.

Thanks for the advice. I've been having a quick play on the kinect myself (curtains firmly shut) and I agree it's got possibilities for social skills: you look so silly kids are sure to laugh. We've started ABA recently with ds so hopefully it'll prove a useful reward.

We 'sent the wii to be mended' 6 months ago because ds 6 AS was totally obsessed. We only allowed an hour on a Saturday but he talked about wii games obsessively and howled for ages after his turn was finished each Saturday. We think the movement ones are particularly bad because their entire being becomes involved. We intend to steer clear for as long as we can without turning him into a social outcast

Dd has a Nintendo dsi which is perfect as I hold the charger for it and she has to ask me to charge it for her. If I feel she's played it too much lately then I forget to charge it for a week and it stays in the cupboard! Not sure if you have to charge Xbox remotes but you could perhaps do the same! They ate good and do have a place but be careful they don't become addicts. My dd2 is ridiculously addicted to ipod touch and she's only 2.11!