Gaming

Do you have a gamer or scrolling-obsessed young person in your house? We get asked A LOT about screen time and how to manage it.

The view of the wider population seems to be "screentime is bad", "gaming turns kids brains to mush", "social media will corrupt my child." Actually, for Neurodivergent kids, the opposite in often true: being connected to - and via technology - can be a welcome relief from the daily pressure to conform to neurotypical social norms.

Of course, online safety is very important. That goes without saying AND we want to let you know that - in our experience - gaming in particular can be a really useful self regulating tool for ND young people.

Our tips....

1) seek out safe spaces for your young people online. If your young person is Autistic and they are not yet connected to our friends at Spectrum Gaming that's a great place to start.

2) resist the urge to punish or discipline your children with the threat or action of removing access to technology. Instead, help your young person to use it as a tool, rather than a crutch.

3) educate yourself about how and why our ND young people are so attached to their technology.

4) if your young person reacts aggressively when you try to have conversations around their technology use, consider a different approach. We recommend you get a copy of The Explosive Child by Dr Ross W Greene.

5) get yourself over to our free group for help, advice and conversations with other parents. You don't need to do this alone. https://www.facebook.com/groups/415779619966751 

6) and finally... there article from Yvonne Newbold (MBE) about ND kids and gaming, which is a great place to start. We've added a link in the comments

What's been your experience of helping your young person navigate their way with technology?