Autism and computer games

Since then I have owned many different consoles and played on a countless number of computer games. In my early teenage years, I would spend every available hour playing on them. As I got into my late teens, I eventually fell out of love with computer games. But I still loved and used computers, and went on to study computing at college and university. There have been periods of my adulthood were I have played on computer games again, and I really enjoyed them.

I owned a Nintendo DS and played on that for hours. A few years ago I really got into Terraria, and played it with my eldest son for many hours every night.

It is incredible to see just how good computer games are these days. My two boys love playing on computer games such as Mario, Minecraft and Planet Coaster. I am also high functioning autistic myself. From this I know a large majority of us love computers and computer games. Everything in life has it pluses and minuses. The same is true for computing and computer games. The main negative is the time it takes up.

If we can limit our time on computers and computer games, it is not too much of a problem. When it overtakes other important aspects of our lives it can become one. In areas such: spending time with friends and families, being outdoors and exercising, or trying new things.

All of which increase our confidence, sense of self-worth and health. These addictions include: alcohol, gambling, food, computer games. There have been detailed studies looking specifically into autism and addiction to video games. One study found that people with autism are more likely to become addicted to computer games see the NHS link below. In adolescence and adulthood, the time you spend on computer games can reduce your productivity.

This could negatively affect important aspects of your life such as:. Computer games, and computers in general, could open you up to online abuse. Such as cyber bullying, and being exploited by others for their own gain. Examples include: being sexually abused, being blackmailed such as being asked to take sexual photographs of yourself or being bribed.

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These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The mom being a special education teacher and the dad being a software developer chose games that have been uniquely tailored to the needs of a preschooler with autism.

The free portion of the Do2Learn site offers a social skills toolbar, picture cards, and also color learning activities. Four pay areas provide word pair games, object matching, and emotion recognition as well as facial expression identification.

While these lessons underscore those that are commonly discussed within a preschool setting, they assist children with autism to also enhance their socialization skills. This website is the brainchild of Stephen Schutz, Ph.

While the site is primarily geared to first grade learning, it may also be used in the preschool setting. By joining the discussion, you agree to our privacy policy. All News Conference News Collections of articles from conferences. All Opinion Viewpoint Expert opinions on trends and controversies in autism research. All Features Deep Dive In-depth analysis of important topics in autism.

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