The Long-Awaited Gameboy Post!

Okay, folks, here it is. I've been waiting to do this one since this blog started.

Picture this: You are taking your child on the spectrum to a fancy restaurant. Or maybe to a wedding, or a graduation ceremony. Maybe it's a plane ride, or a train. Or the birthday party of that distant relative you never see. Or hey, maybe it's just a trip to the grandma they love, but it's still going to be a long trip and there's not a lot for kids to do there. Whatever the reason, you and your child will be in an environment where they are expected to sit still and be quiet and well-behaved. This sort of thing is difficult for any younger child, of course, but for a child on the autism spectrum it is probably even more difficult and can last even longer. Fortunately, your child likes a quiet, individual activity like video games, but they're supposed to pay attention! It's not socially acceptable!

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Simple.

GIVE.
THE.
KID.
THE.
GAMEBOY.

It doesn't matter that this is seen as socially unacceptable, because either way you're stuck. Either your child is going to try and stay still as long as possible after long prompting to "behave", fail, get really antsy and act out, prompting The Look, or they can have something that will keep them occupied for a few hours and QUIET. Autistic children do not tend to understand the whole "social norm" thing the way neurotypical people do, which makes it even harder to follow them with things like, say, eye contact. If they're directly addressed, you can ask them to respond, but it's amazing how much we can pay attention to while focusing on something else (I'm typing this while following the Olympics). Some of these situations, you can't normally expect the kid to be paying attention anyway. Weddings tend to be long, boring affairs. That's why kids tend to be either herded to a day care room or not invited. No one's going to be looking down the aisles to make sure everyone's paying rapt attention. If it's a visit with family or friends, it's better to explain than try and someone to behave in ways they have no idea how to.

Here's the thing: EVERYONE fidgets. Maybe they doodle, or fiddle with jewelry, or play with a piece of paper, or tap their foot. It gets annoying sometimes, sure. but everyone does it, yourself included. You might not even notice it. But playing video games or reading a book at the table can serve as just another type of fidget, and it's a much less intrusive one than others. Let them have the thing, and you'll have much more time to enjoy whatever you're doing instead of doing damage control or having to put up with "But I'm boooored~!"

A couple notes here, though:

- First, I used the phrase "Gameboy", but anything can work. I have my actual 3DS out a lot of the time, but a book or game on a smart phone or pack of crayons and some paper all work equally well. And yeah, there are other handheld game devices, I know the names of most of them, but I figure most people reading this blog wouldn't.
- Two exceptions to this rule: Stage shows and movies. The darkness makes it difficult to draw and nigh-impossible to read, and it is both VERY obvious and problematic to have a backlit device out. A lot of them mess with stage sound systems, and depending on the license it's usually illegal to take pictures or video of the event, and ushers are trained to go after any possible interference they see. If you don't think they can handle movies, don't push it.
- Keep a pack of crayons in your purse or pocket anyway. It helps.
- You want the volume down. Tell them this if they won't keep it turned off anyway, or invest in headphones. Depending on the environment, you might want them anyway. You can pick up a pair at the dollar store.
- If you're raising a small gamer, check the ratings before buying. It's not rated "M" for "Mommy", and while not all games are incredibly violent, they aren't all child-appropriate, either. Like movies, use discretion. I'd also recommend review websites if you're buying them yourself to avoid getting a badly glitchy game.
- Used books are good if they don't trigger an allergic reaction. Used games are just as useful- GameStop allows you to trade in old games and buy less-expensive used ones, and GameFly is essentially Netflix for video games.
- Also, Pokemon. It gets special mention here because it is created by a guy with Asperger's Syndrome, and because of that is somewhat uniquely tapped into that whole completist, collector mentality. It is fun, but beware: IT IS INCREDIBLY ADDICTIVE. You might be able to get them to put it down, but you will probably never get rid of the thing completely. And you will hear a LOT about it.
- Sometimes, there will be noise. Sometimes, it just won't work. Know when to take them outside for a bit before it ends in tragedy.