For every negative story on the effects of videogames, it doesn’t take a lot of work to uncover many more positive ones. What They Play received a nice little anecdote from one of their podcast listeners of the benefits with one game in particular, LittleBigPlanet, on their son who is on the Autism spectrum.
Here is the best part though; the communication between my son and my daughter and myself has been amazing. My son is engaging with his sister to solve the levels; like how to get that sticker that is sitting high above – and he’s also telling me what I need to do to help. On New Year’s Eve I ended up with laryngitis from all the talking I was doing with the kids! My wife was also very pleased with the my sons engagement and social communication by using something that he really loves (that being video games.)
Editors note: I also have a daughter on the Autism spectrum, and I know firsthand the benefits videogames have on Autism spectrum disorder children. In our household, we use the Dora Nintendo DS games as both a development tool and as a reward, and the results are very encouraging. But as with everything, they must be used in moderation and balanced with other activities.