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Question to parents/grandparents/guardians

AuthorMessage
Survivor
May 31, 2011
5
I am wondering if there are any parents out there who have children or grandchildren who have been diagnosed with ADHD and if they have set up accounts here on Wizard101.

My grandson has just been 'officially' diagnosed with ADHD after numerous appointments with numerous specialists. He is also very small so he is not being medicated for it. We often have trouble getting him to understand 'game rules' with computer games as he usually just goes off and does his own thing on them instead of actually playing the game.

This is something that doesn't bother us at all though we frequently work with him to get him to understand more. My concern is how he will handle an online game like this with other people of all ages. I would really appreciate any opinions or concerns from other parents/grandparents/guardians/etc that might be able to help me.

Thank you.

Defender
Dec 21, 2010
151
I don't know if this will help you, but my son is high functioning autistic. He is now age 19, but functions more like a 10 year old. Autistic people have problems with social things. We just sat down with him every step of the way. Reading, deck selection, battling, clothing, etc. We try to help him with every battle. Also, just a suggestion to KI. I have copied every map and written almost all storylines down to help him know what is coming up in the game. Would love it if KI did something like this. A huge Wizard 101 encyclopedia. And sometimes, he goes off by himself and makes his own mistakes. Hope this helps.

Defender
Apr 24, 2011
172
well i'm a teen not a adult for one thing and i have autism too. but really i'm not sure how i can help you other then you writing or typing down whats happening in the game. sorry about your kid being diagonsed with ADHD.

Mastermind
Jun 23, 2010
345
My daughter is Cognitively Delayed. She is slightly older than a teen chronologically, but, younger than a teen developmentally. She plays Wizard just fine. I play with her and have introduced to some of my adult friends. They love playing with her.

She understands spells and quests. She can even follow the quest arrow. She doesn't necessarily play like everyone else. But, I don't care. She understands the game way better than I thought she would.

I would advise using Menu Chat for your grandson and letting him try the game. You can play three areas for free. An adult could start another account and play with him to help keep him on track. If he likes the game you might consider buying areas with Crowns if he progresses slowly. That way they are open forever for all 6 wizards on that account.

Megan

Survivor
May 31, 2011
5
Actually this does help. He still has an appointment with the genetics specialists and then he will be tested for autism. It is taking time for all this and he loves watching me play as well as my granddaughter.

He has been told he will have his own account. This is a goal he must reach by working at some of the projects we have for him.

Thanks Mare62. If anyone else has any suggestions or comments, please reply.

Delver
Sep 22, 2010
213
Callyndra wrote:
I am wondering if there are any parents out there who have children or grandchildren who have been diagnosed with ADHD and if they have set up accounts here on Wizard101.

My grandson has just been 'officially' diagnosed with ADHD after numerous appointments with numerous specialists. He is also very small so he is not being medicated for it. We often have trouble getting him to understand 'game rules' with computer games as he usually just goes off and does his own thing on them instead of actually playing the game.

This is something that doesn't bother us at all though we frequently work with him to get him to understand more. My concern is how he will handle an online game like this with other people of all ages. I would really appreciate any opinions or concerns from other parents/grandparents/guardians/etc that might be able to help me.

Thank you.


My Son Has ADHD and Is on Meds For it But He Loves the game and offtend tryies to tell me how to play....LOL ADHD can be Stressful ALOT.... It will get better.... But i didn't Pay for a account for him till i saw that he was going to play the game and not just run around .... than get board with it.... After 30days of watching him Rush home from school doing his homework and his chores ust so he can get a few hours of Wizard101 in....

mare62 wrote:
I have copied every map and written almost all storylines down to help him know what is coming up in the game. Would love it if KI did something like this. A huge Wizard 101 encyclopedia.


You know you could Do that your self on encyclopedia .... We Would Love you For it.... ;)

Survivor
Jun 08, 2011
20
Both of my kids have been diagnosed with ADHD and they both play Wizard101. My kids are old enough to be on meds. My daughter in 3rd grade takes a small doseage mainly so she can concintrate better at school, otherwise she tends to zooms through it and it shows in grades. My son is on his third diffrent med and has had the dosage changed many times, if he doesn't take it you can see a massive change because he can't focus on anything. My son is in middle school and has been on meds for a couple of years.

Wizard has been wonderful for both of them. I play with them and often help them out when I can. There is enough things in the game that it doesn't matter if they bounce around from planting, houseing, or questing. My son is normally very shy but on here he has found many friends. I play for the quests so I am farther along but my kids loose focus on the quest after a time so they move on to one of the other activites.

We have our computer in the livingroom so anytime that my kids are on I am there to watch. We have filter chat so I have drilled into them some basic rules like; never give out your real age, name or location. I do watch what they say and how they are interacting with everyone but so far I have never seen a problem.

Again I think Wizard has been great for them wheater they are on their meds or not. It a freedom for them where they don't have to be shy or worry about what others my think of them. Its fine if they don't focus on one thing because it is a game with many activites.

Hope this helps

Wolf Battlehammer 48lvl balance

Defender
Dec 21, 2010
151
Gosh, I totally forgot about the chat. My son has open chat. But, he is only allowed to talk to mommy, daddy and his sister! Trust me, he has his own style of play too. Just get on and have fun with the game.

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
Callyndra wrote:
I am wondering if there are any parents out there who have children or grandchildren who have been diagnosed with ADHD and if they have set up accounts here on Wizard101.

My grandson has just been 'officially' diagnosed with ADHD after numerous appointments with numerous specialists. He is also very small so he is not being medicated for it. We often have trouble getting him to understand 'game rules' with computer games as he usually just goes off and does his own thing on them instead of actually playing the game.

This is something that doesn't bother us at all though we frequently work with him to get him to understand more. My concern is how he will handle an online game like this with other people of all ages. I would really appreciate any opinions or concerns from other parents/grandparents/guardians/etc that might be able to help me.

Thank you.


I have a grand daughter that lived with my husband and for the last 6 years that was diagnosed with ADHD when she was about 8. She is now 20 (no longer on meds). She was on various meds when we took her into our home. She was like a zombie when taking the meds so I did some checking around and checking the internet trying to find some answers. Unfortunately there is really very little information.

But here is some of what I found. ( I am not suggesting you take your child off meds) The first thing I did with my grand daughter was to watch what she ate and the effects it had on her. Red and Blue dye in foods was a big kicker. She would bounce off the wall, not be able to concentrate on school work or stick with any one thing for any length of time. The natural food colors even red or blue did not have this effect. Certain types of sugar did the same thing. You just have to watch and see what happens when they have certain things to eat.

You may have also been told not to let them have chocolate and especially with certain meds. Here, you may run into a problem, If they don't get chocolate once in a while........chances are they will get a chance to get it and binge. My grand daughter had to deal with this but when she had "med free holidays" I would see to it that she did get some chocolate to help reduce the cravings she would get.

Within a year of my grand daughter coming to live with us, she was completely weaned off meds. We still had a few episodes to a minor degree, but when this happened It was after she had drank Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew along with all dark or red colored soft drinks can and will cause your child to bounce off the wall. Mountain Dew is one of the worst. Clear soft drinks don't have the sugar content and are ok for them to drink. Also watch fruit juices that have artificial color added. The best thing to do here is to buy pure 100% juice. I bought 100% white grape juice in this case.

As I said at the beginning, I am NOT suggesting you take your child off meds. For one reason, YOU CAN NOT just stop these meds without dire consequences.

Survivor
Jan 19, 2011
12
My neice has ADHD and she was the one that introduced me to this game. She loves playing it. She does have a problem with being patient and following the story lines. She wants to port into the higher levels so she can level-up quicker. I help her with her big battles and dungeons since I am now further along than she is. I pay for her account but I monitor what she does and I've blocked the gifting option so she wouldn'tthrow away the crowns I gave her. She is in fifth grade and has been on meds since she was in the 1st grade. The patch helps her focus on her school work instead of being fidgety and talking all of the time in class. I think that computer games in general have given her a good outlet for some of her restless energy because she does not have many friends to play with outside.

Jenna Dragonsong

Squire
Jun 19, 2009
514
Well, I am not a parent, but a teen. My brother is diagnosed with ADHD. You probably have your son on medication? I understand if you are still worried about the wizard101 deal. Medication only lowers them down and lets them focus for a bit. It doesn't always work. What I would do is maybe if you want, do the game with him. You may be able to get him in classes to help him out. It is your choice though. If you do play with him on the game, teach him what to do when a person says this or that. ADHD can be tough, but if you treat it right, it will all go well :-)

Survivor
May 31, 2011
5
Thanks to everyone who replied. The information in here is incredible and I'm sure we'll be watching the food this kid eats. He's pretty finicky.

As for meds, he does not take them. He is far too small for his age and will be getting a genetic workup in the near future.

Again, thank you for your replies and the info you passed on.

Defender
May 30, 2010
199
i am a teen who also has ADHD /autism social problems and this game does wonders to help me socilalize

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
mollyisthebest wrote:
i am a teen who also has ADHD /autism social problems and this game does wonders to help me socilalize


Mollyisthebest, Keep going, you will achieve much and overcome all disadvantages you may have.