(WSNN) – While we usually don’t want our kids to spend countless hours playing video games, for some, it’s time well spent. Doctors are even prescribing it.
School is out, and kids are in summer. This means fewer days of structure and more time on our digital devices. But for a child with A-d-h-d, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, structure is key.
“Consistent bedtime and wake time, lots of outdoor exercises, good nutrition,” Cognitive and Behavioral Child Neurologist from California, Dr. Elysa Marco said.
Now, there’s a medicine made up of pixels called Endeavor Rx. It’s the first FDA-approved prescription video game for kids with ADHD-related symptoms.
“It’s sort of an adaptive algorithm that looks to see where the sweet spot is for that training and works to keep on building across the four or eight weeks of training,” Dr. Marco said.
It’s designed for 8–12-year-olds. Based on the clinical studies of the game, Dr. Marco who is a Cognitive and Behavioral Child Neurologist, recommends about 20-25 minutes a day, about five days a week.
“In studies that we’ve done, we’ve seen a third of our kids who at the beginning of the study were meeting criteria for ADHD and at the end of brain training were no longer meeting that criteria,” Dr. Marco said. “And as a clinician, that’s what you’re looking for.”
The video game has four different worlds where your character is navigating through a path while focusing on different targets on the screen.
“There’s sort of these components which is that you have to sustain your attention while you’re visually you Akili,” Dr. Marco said. “You have to be able to keep your eye and mind on what’s important. You have to ignore the distractors and you have to be able to go back and forth, that’s what we call cognitive flexibility.”
“This video game actually taught my son how to focus rather than just mask those symptoms,” a mom of a child with ADHD, Kelcey said.
Kelcey, who chose to keep her last name private, has a son got who was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten. After 3 months of treatment for her son, his life changed.
“Our son can get ready in the morning without having to be refocused, I don’t have to get notes from his teacher saying that he wasn’t paying attention in class,” Kelcey said.
Not only does Kelcey see improvement, but her son sees it too.
“It’s amazing to see the shift in your child when before they didn’t understand why they couldn’t focus and now they can see, that hey something is actually helping me learn to focus,” Kelcey said.
The video game doesn’t replace a child’s medicine, instead, it’s just added to their treatment plan.
Out of a national survey of more than 95,000 people, about 10 percent of parents reported that their child had ADHD in Florida.
There is info online for parents and healthcare providers and a downloadable demo for parents to check out to see if it’s a good fit. Note, some kids did have adverse effects showing frustration and having headaches. So, it’s important to consult with your doctor.
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