...and I want insurance to cover it. Anyone have any ideas?
My SmallBoy has THE world's BEST therapist. He's very cool, totally un-stuffy, is phenomenal with SmallBoy and his teachers, AND, uses the Wii in session for therapy.
They take turns playing Wii Bowling, Zelda, Mario something or other, and lots of other games I don't know anything about (because I don't have a Wii). By using this tool, they work together on several therapeutic aspects key to dealing with some of the behaviors that go along with the autism spectrum:
frustration tolerance
recovering from frustration
following directions
taking turns
coordination
switching from one activity to another
Frustration Tolerance: Have you ever observed even the most mild-mannered person become so totally involved in a video game that they get upset, angry, or, at the very least, incredibly frustrated at a video game? Children on the spectrum become all that and more when caught up in video land.
Working with the game in therapy helps SmallBoy to become very self-aware of his own body and emotional state as he escalates in any situation, real life or video life. Under the careful guidance of his therapist, he has learned to sense an impending melt-down based on his own system and how he has reacted in video land. He uses that to process what is going on before proceeding on to -
Frustration Recovery: In his sessions, SmallBoy's therapist uses the Wii and the games to bring his frustration up. As I stated before, this helps him to be aware of what his body is telling him. When he feels like SmallBoy is at melting point, or, depending on how they are working that day, just below melting point, they will stop and work on the process to get himself pulled together and grounded in himself again.
Part of learning to be independent and live with any disorder or disability is learning how to manage it without help. Self-management is not the easiest task for those on the spectrum. What SmallBoy has learned to do through the frustration recovery process has helped him in the classroom and in life, in general, to bring himself "around," to chill out, to catch himself before the melt gets to the point of no return.
Following Directions: Oral or written, direction following is incredibly difficult for children who have a difficult time processing. Multi-step directions are the equivalent of scaling Mt. Everest with no gear. Now, I will grant that many video games, Wii and otherwise, have very simple games that don't involve lots of reading or following directions. There are some, though, that do involve reading and then comprehending the directions in order to achieve each goal, with the end result of conquering the game.
Difficulty with reading comprehension often accompanies spectrum disorders. For kids who are aware of this difficulty, skimming the directions and listening or looking for only key words can lead to disappointment in the outcome of the game (bringing on more frustration). In several of the Wii games, though, it is important to get all of the directions - to understand how to use the controller in relation to the body and the object of the game, what steps are required to complete the next level, etc.
I've been completely amazed by how much this has not only helped with SmallBoy's comprehension (in addition to some intensive learning therapy over the summer), but helped him with things in daily life. His level of comprehension, not to mention self-confidence, has shot through the roof. I will not credit simply the use of the Wii for this, but I give complete credit to SmallBoy's therapist for knowing how to utilize this to help my son.
Taking Turns: Most children experience problems taking turns. The autism spectrum is a common place to find issues with turn taking, as many children cannot process the concept involved, “Ok, I’m done now. It’s your turn to play. I’ll play again when you’re done.” This is a common concept worked on in behavioral therapy for many children, so why not bring in something that kids LOVE to do to help teach them how to take turns. Gee, what better way than the hottest new video game on the market?!?!
SmallBoy and his therapist play both games where they have to take individual turns, and games where they compete as a team. Learning this concept teaches how to be a winner, how to lose, how to STOP, how to let someone else go and accept what happens in their turn…wow, things that are applicable to life situations that they will encounter in the real world.
Coordination: The Wii is now being used in senior citizen communities to get the residents up and moving, it’s being heralded as a work out. This is a very physical game; a friend of ours broke her living room chandelier playing Wii Tennis (or was it baseball?). In order to play some of the sport games, the player must go through the actual motions of the game: swinging a bat, winging a bowling ball, swinging a bat or a golf club.
Many children on the spectrum have motor issues – gross and fine. Hmmm….can you see where I’m going with this?
Switching From One Activity to Another: There’s no knocking how much talk is out there about children doing nothing other than playing video games for hours on end. Some children on the spectrum have perseverations with video games, others with dinosaurs, space, 4 different colored silly-looking guys who play with a sunshine baby, movies, comics. Attempting to get them to move on to something else can occasionally be as much fun as ripping your teeth out a la Tom Hanks in Castaway.
SmallBoy’s therapist takes the intensity with the Wii games and teaches him how to stop playing, even at very key moments in the game, such as mid-battle, in order to move on to another exercise. This is helping him to build his transition skills so that changing from activity to activity in class, a disruption in the school routine for an assembly or mass, or even a change in the plans at home doesn’t seem so overwhelming.
There are so many other things that I’ve seen changed and improved since he’s begun working with this therapist. I love his methods and, I might add, love his relationship with my son.
My children, combined, have multiple video game systems and I really and truly do not want another one – especially one that I know I will find myself drawn into. When I look at the big picture, however, I can see the improvements in SmallBoy. I can see what impact the skills he learns from playing this system have on his life.
Santa, Dear, won’t you please bring me a Wii? I can’t seem to find one anywhere. If you can locate one, can you include instructions on how to get insurance to cover it as a therapy tool? I’ve been a good girl this year and I promise to be good all year next year.
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