Amit Pitaru: Videogames and Special-Needs Children
Filed at 1:30 pm on November 9, 2006 in Games • 4 comments
I have seen the transformation of children with special-needs before and after they gained access to digital-games, and it is a profound quality-of-life change. If for nothing else-they can participate in their most coveted play activity (regardless of whether it’s “good” or “bad”).
We ask whether digital games actually empower and if they do so differently from traditional play activities…
Many of those I’ve seen transformed could not previously participate in any play activities without a caretaker, but once a gaming system is adapted they have access to challenges that they can achieve independently. Via multiplayer games they also gain access to people from all over the world that are not prejudiced by their condition. So eventually, these kids pick up conversational skills, leadership skills and are revitalized via positive feedback (challenge-reward) that good games generate.
Can we learn anything about the whole from its parts, or are these anecdotes only applicable to the sector from which they stem? Without proof either way, I align myself with the notion of Universal Design and feel that if something greatly empowers marginalized populations, it has the potential to do so for everyone else in more subtle ways.
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Tags: specialneeds, universaldesign, videogames
Comments (4)
1: mcewen at 1:29 am on Saturday, November 11, 2006
Unfortunately, I have to admit that without the ‘bribery / reinforcement’ of such toys we would have a difficult time getting through the average day.
http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com
2: Amit_Pitaru at 1:03 pm on Sunday, December 10, 2006
Mcewen, Can you please elaborate on “bribery / reinforcement” of such toys? i’m not sure i understand.
3: mcewen from none at 9:01 pm on Sunday, December 10, 2006
I don’t know if you checked out the blogspot http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com but in essence my two autistic boys are highly motivated to play ‘game boy, game cube, nintendo DS,’ and probably others but that’s the limit of our exposure thus far. By utilizing access to these ‘preferred’ activities [over a number of years very slowly] I [we] have managed to ‘extort’ preferable behaviour. It’s basically bribery. ’ use the bath room, follow the correct sequence [I’ll help and prompt you] and if you manage to ‘more or less’ do this all day, then at the end of the day you can play your preferred activity for 20 minutes.
It’s much slower than that, as initially you need to use positive reinforcements frequently so that the ‘new behaviour’ becomes the new norm [as well as lots of verbal and physical praise] The gameboy or whatever is a ‘reward’ and a positive reinforcer. Once they get the hang of it, you gradually reduce the reward [less time / less frequently] which is called ‘fading.’
Prior to the gameboy we used other preferred toys [Thomas the tank engine / dinosaurs] it’s basically a match for anything that they prefer. You use the preferred activity as a bribe. You can also use this [as we did] with non verbal children ‘say Thomas’ and I’ll give it to you. It is laborious, time consuming, frustrating etc. but it works if you can hold out.
I’m not sure if that is the answer you were looking for, but I’d be happy to help.
Cheers
4: larry at 1:31 pm on Wednesday, March 25, 2009
No offense to you my good sir, but there is one particular case I know in which the quality of life went from bad to worse of a small boy with special needs. The main reason I would say was the exposure of the child to games with adult subject matter. For some reason best known to his parents, he was given to games such as Doom, max payne and the likes. The bloodshed and the gore did alter his mind to some extent. I worked as a counselor with the child and realized the extent of the damage that was done. Various damage control methods along with various restrictions had to be imposed.
I am proud to say that the child is now recovering and has shown good response to a combination of therapy and medicines and is on the road to recovery.
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