I am thinking of getting a GBA for my son for Christmas. What games do you guys suggest for a young child?
The new Game BoyDS is coming out soon. Your son will probably want this or a PSP instead depending on his age. How old is he? GameboyDS http://www.gamespot.com/ds/index.html?tag=gs_head_ds PlayStation Portable wont come out til 2005 http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10/27/news_6111570.html
Get him a BIKE, SKATES, BASKETBALL, BASEBALL, JUMP ROPE, GLOVES, FOOTBALL, and sports gear. Game Boy = ADD child, ADHD America needs active kids, not video-game-playing kids.
I agree with you 100% EXCEPT.... Video games do not cause ADD or ADHD. I have a son with ADHD and it is a chemical imbalance, NOT from video games. We have always advocated outdoor activities at our house. EDIT: I wanted to add this, because ADHD is a subject near and dear to me and I don't like misinformation spread: What Causes AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ]? AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] is a neurobiologically-based developmental disability estimated to affect between 3-5% of the school age population (Professional Group for Attention and Related Disorders,1991). No one knows exactly what causes AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ]. Scientific evidence suggests that the disorder is genetically transmitted in many cases and results from a chemical imbalance or deficiency in certain neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that help the brain regulate behavior. In addition, a landmark study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health showed that the rate at which the brain uses glucose, its main energy source, is lower in subjects with AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] than in subjects without AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] (Zametkin et al., 1990). Even though the exact cause of AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] remains unknown, we do know that AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] is a neurologically-based medical problem. Parents and teachers do not cause AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ]. Still, there are many things that both can do to help a child manage his or her AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ]-related difficulties.
Anyone know if Fry's on 59 is going to be open for the holiday shopping rush? I would like to make it to that store before I fly out of the country for the holiday.
That's what the DRUG companies want you to believe. I bet those "chemical imbalance, NOT from video games" studies were paid for by big drug corporations who profitted from these studies. Dude, I have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old and don't believe that drugging my child is right. I haven't said you're doing so, but I hope it's not as bad. Castor, how old is your son? Get him a 12-game package to the ROX games. Uprising, that was pretty funny. On long trips, they should be either asleep or reading a book; we bought a dvd-player for our long trip to Florida and brought books. It was a book then a movie, a book then a movie, and so on. I would wait until maybe at around 10 or 12 before buying one of those EYE-strainers. MAN, do I sound OLD...
You know what's annoying? When people are asking a pretty specific question, and others think that it's an invitation to attack their personal choices, especially as a parent.
Yeah, but some kids get car sick they they read, I know I used to. I can barely read a map while in motion. I always get a headache, and sleeping can't always work. I don't know, when I fly over seas and the total trip is 21hrs long, the kids wont be asleep the whole time.
Allrighty, then. I would like to REPHRASE, but I'd like to point out that I am a parent as well. Here we go, Rocketman95 [good point, by the way]: Castor, get PUZZLE games, or games where his intelligence gets challenged. Tetris? Dr. Mario? That sort of stuff that makes you THINK about stuff before it happens? Now those were cool. Hey, by the way, at what age do you think boys and girls should get Game Boys and video games of such small screens? I think it messes up their little developing brains... could it cause ADD or ADHD? Man, I'm scared if by buying a GameBoy Advanced I futher make my young'uns develop some sort of condition... How was that? Do you approve?
Unless you have studied this disease as extensively as I have, you really have no leg to stand on here. Do you want me to go into this? I can fill pages and pages with information. First off, please get rid of the stereotypical image of a sugar crazed kid running amok in a classroom. That's only a small portion of what ADHD is. There are three main divisions of ADHD: Predominantly Combined Type, Predominantly Inattentive Type, and Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type. The third one is what everyone thinks of when they hear "ADD". The first is a combination of the second two. It's the second one listed, the Inattentive Type, that my oldest son was diagnosed with two years ago (he's 15 now, almost 16). He has struggled with school work all his life. We tried everything we possibly could to help him improve, but nothing worked. Finally, a teacher noticed his behavior fit the profile of ADHD-Innattentive Type and suggested we have him tested. After a few test, two doctors, and a prescription to Concerta (a type of ritalin), his grades have improved dramatically, his outlook on life is wonderful, he looks forward to going to school, and he generally feels better about himself. Sorry for derailing the thread. Just quit stereotyping ADHD kids unless you know what you are talking about.
SwoLy-D, Didn't mean to sound like an ass. Questioning other's parenting skills has always been a pet peeve to me, especially when I see it all the time, even from my own family. The first time someone questions what I'm doing with my kids, whenever I have them, they will be in for an unexpected response. I tend to agree with you, FWIW, however, we have no idea that Castor27 and his wife aren't doing those things as well. I think it's possible for kids to have entertainment that doesn't necessarily teach them, as long as they are in fact getting those skills from somewhere.
Thank you. Until I had to deal with it with my son I thought that it was a parenting copout. Concerta is a miracle.
Rocket, I take no offense, nothing personal, etc. I'd personally like to develop my daughters into mean-lean-soccer-filled machines or shot-blocking towers or rebounding demons before I discuss if King Koopa is cool or not. I just couldn't stand putting my kids through DRUGS. Never would want that. Either way, I do accept the fact that I squatted with my spurs on. Your first comment did put a dent, and I typed the stuff as behad was responding. Castor, sorry about that, dude. Anyway, you never answered how old yer kid was. I gotta run, got SOCCER practice all the way out in KATY. GO ROX! 99-87 and Spreewell gets ejected.
He is 7 now and was diagnosed last year. He still has issues with doing his school work. His confidence level is not very high and I think that is the main reason he doesnt try hard. We finally have his behavior under control and he can build friendships with other kids now which has helped his self esteem. Moving as much as we have probably hasnt helped the situation either.
Good luck with dealing with all this. We struggled for 8 years before we got a proper diagnosis. I gotta run now, but here is, IMHO, the definitive page for ADHD: http://www.reutershealth.com/wellconnected/doc30.html Here's a line from this page concerning the use of medication: For some parents and children, medication seems like a miracle and can provide desperate families with a quality of life for which they had almost given up hope. Sound familiar?
You got that right, we have four kids and four game boy advances. I would suggest the Mario games, old school Donkey Kong, sports games, (baseball is pretty easy)
Behad is right Swoly, I work at a mental health institution and have a nephew that suffers from the condition. I've learned a lot reading people's charts, talking to our doctors and seeing and hearing what my nephew goes through. It is very real.
This is getting way off topic but I thought that ADD was only diagnosed in the US, and that few if any other countries have this problem and the concomitant medical solutions. The baseline comparison being Western Europe and Japan. One would think the Japanese might have the same sort of issues with their emphasis on education but it is unheard of in Japan. And they have no shortage of video games.
