Skip to main content

Video Games, Anxiety and ADHD - Free Family Resources

 By Stephen C. Schultz


Video Games, Anxiety and ADHD - Is there a common theme?


Aloft Transitions Home for Young Adults


This is simply a complimentary resource guide for parents of teens and young adults who struggle with ADHD, Anxiety and Gaming.

ADHD: 

• Russell Barkley, 

Taking Charge of ADHD

• Hallowell & Ratey, 

Delivered from Distraction

• Harvey Parker, 

The ADD Hyperactivity Workbook for Parents, Teachers, & Kids

• Bradley & Giedd, 

Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind 

• Gurian, Michael, 

The Minds of Boys Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life, 2005.

• Hanna, Mohab, 

Making the Connection: A Parents’ Guide to Medication in AD/HD

www.CHADD.org (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)

www.help4adhd.org

www.aap.org (American Academy of Pediatrics)

www.aacap.org (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)


Young Adult caring for new baby calf

Anxiety:

The following websites may be helpful regarding anxiety:
 






Main office and gymnasium 


Video Game Management and Insight:

The following information may be helpful regarding video game access and patterns of use:

1) A longitudinal study published in Pediatrics (Volume 27, No. 2) by Dr. David Gentili revealed 
the following patterns in youngsters who regularly play violent video games:

• increased normative beliefs about aggression
• increased hostile attribution biases
• increased aggressive fantasies
• greater likelihood of engaging in physically and relationally aggressive behavior
• increased likelihood of being the victim of aggression

2) Youngsters with ADHD are at greater risk for becoming pathological gamers.
Parents should consider the following questions in determining video game access:

• How much time does your child spend playing video games per day and per week?
• What is the content of the games?
• Is your child socializing less with friends?
• Are your child’s grades declining?
• Is your child irritable or defiant when asked to stop playing video games?

3) The following strategies may be helpful in regulating video games within the home:

• Establish a set of limits regarding the amount of access to a video game.
• Discuss the rules on limits with your child, explain how they will be enforced, and make 
sure your youngster understands consequences. 
• Check the rating and content descriptors on a game before renting or buying it.
• Have your computer or video games console in a public area of your house so you can 
monitor what your children are playing.
• Encourage and support participation in other activities.
• Consider establishing a server where only your child’s friends can participate online.
• Establish a budget for video games.

4) Consider the following resources to obtain more information regarding the content and 
impact of video games:

• Media Awareness Network (www.media-awareness.ca)
• Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org/game/reviews)
• American Academy of Pediatrics Media Violence Policy Statement 
• ESRB Ratings (www.esrb.org/index-js.jsp)

I hope you find the above information helpful to you and your family. If you are interested in learning more about Aloft Transitions, you can learn more here at www.AloftTransitions.org.

Comments

Amazing post, thanks for sharing such informative article. Useful and interesting. Take look at this toorestoring wellness . Thanks!
Moshe Strugano said…
For parents of adolescents and young adults who battle with ADHD, anxiety, and gaming, this is merely a complimentary resource guide.
I appreciate the comments! Thank you!

Popular posts from this blog

The Young Boy and the Rattlesnake

By Stephen C. Schultz (Editors note: This is a story used in a Wilderness Treatment Program for Young Adults . Many come to this program having struggled with substance abuse and interacting with unsavory friends.)   Many years ago there was a young Native American who lived in the very land you are residing in. He decided to seek wisdom by journeying to the top of Indian Peak. As he approached the base of the mountain he came across a rattlesnake that slithered beside him. The snake coiled as if to strike and the young boy moved back quickly in fear of being struck by the snake’s deadly venom. At that instant the snake spoke to the boy saying, “Don’t be afraid of me, I mean you no harm. I come to you to ask a favor. I see that you are about to traverse to the top of Indian Peak and was hoping that you may be willing to place me in your satchel so that I don’t have to make the long journey alone.” The young boy surprised by the snake’s request quickly responded b

An Open Letter to Parents Researching RedCliff Ascent

By Stephen C. Schultz "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave." Having been raised in Oregon, I spent the majority of my childhood and teenage year’s steelhead fishing the coastal waters, climbing the Middle Sister in the Cascade Mountain Range, drifting the McKenzie River and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  I have mentioned to friends, family and colleagues on many occasions;   “From a therapeutic standpoint, there is no better place to have a student’s issues manifested quickly than in a wilderness setting.” The question then becomes, “Why do therapeutic issues rise to the surface in an Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare program like RedCliff Ascent ?” Throughout the years of teenage development, most teens spend a lot of time with friends. These friends think the same, dress the same, act the same, listen to the same music and sometimes get into the same types of trouble. Some teens also develop patterns of communication and manipulation