Video Game Use in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, or Typical Development

Abstract

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with ADHD are at risk for problematic video game use. However, group differences in media use or in the factors associated with problematic video game use have not been studied. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:Boys with ASD and ADHD demonstrated greater problematic video game use than did boys with typical development. Inattention was uniquely associated with problematic use for both groups, and role-playing game genre was associated with problematic use among the ASD group only. abstract OBJECTIVES: The study objectives were to examine video game use in boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with those with ADHD or typical development (TD) and to examine how specific symptoms and game features relate to problematic video game use across groups.METHODS: Participants included parents of boys (aged 8-18) with ASD (n = 56), ADHD (n = 44), or TD (n = 41). Questionnaires assessed daily hours of video game use, in-room video game access, video game genres, problematic video game use, ASD symptoms, and ADHD symptoms. RESULTS:Boys with ASD spent more time than did boys with TD playing video games (2.1 vs 1.2 h/d). Both the ASD and ADHD groups had greater in-room video game access and greater problematic video game use than the TD group. Multivariate models showed that inattentive symptoms predicted problematic game use for both the ASD and ADHD groups; and preferences for role-playing games predicted problematic game use in the ASD group only.CONCLUSIONS: Boys with ASD spend much more time playing video games than do boys with TD, and boys with ASD and ADHD are at greater risk for problematic video game use than are boys with TD. Inattentive symptoms, in particular, were strongly associated with problematic video game use for both groups, and role-playing game preferences may be an additional risk factor for problematic video game use among children with ASD. These findings suggest a need for longitudinal research to better understand predictors and outcomes of video game use in children with ASD and ADHD.

What is the level of evidence for the use of currently available technologies in facilitating the self-management of difficulties associated with ADHD in children and young people? A systematic review

“…Reason for exclusion Barnett et al [86] Participants are teachers Benyakorn et al [87] Not interventional Bishop [88] Intervention not technology Bonarini et al [89] Population focus not ADHD Bul et al [90] Outcome measures do not assess ADHD-related difficulties Chan et al [91] Not interventional Chen et al [92] Not interventional Christiansen et al [93] Intervention reliant on others Dale and Grut [94] Not exclusively for ADHD Duffy [95] Population focus not ADHD Enebrink et al [96] Population focus not ADHD References Reason for exclusion Epstein et al [97] Intervention reliant on health care professionals Fiellin et al [98] Population focus not ADHD Frutos-Pascual et al [99] Population focus not ADHD Frutos-Pascual and GarciaZapirain [100] Participants typically developing, not ADHD Gray et al [72] ADHD not primary diagnosis of participants Halperin et al [101] Intervention not technology Janeslätt et al [102] Intervention not technology Kim et al [103] Intervention not technology Lim et al [104] Intervention reliant on health care professionals Mazurek and Engelhardt [105] Not interventional Myers et al [106] Participants ADHD diagnosis not confirmed Nie et al [107] Intervention not technology Pandria et al [108] Not interventional Rohani et al [109] Participants ADHD diagnosis not confirmed Rosch and Mostofsky [110] Not interventional Schafer et al [111] Participants not received ADHD diagnosis Schuck et al [112] Participants not received ADHD diagnosis Shah et al 2012 Not interventional Silva et al [113] Technology as outcome measure, not intervention Steeger et al 2016 Participants ADHD diagnosis not confirmed Stephenson [114] Population focus not ADHD Tse et al …”

Internet and video game addictions: a cognitive behavioral approach

“…A study revealed that players with autism spend more time using video games in relation to the group of players with ADHD or without psychiatric disorders 34 . Another psychopathology related to video game addiction is major depression 35 .…”

Video games from the perspective of adults with autism spectrum disorder

“…Previous studies found that children and adolescents with ASD spent more than two hours playing video games per day (Mazurek & Engelhardt, 2013b;Mazurek & Wenstrup, 2013). Moreover, children with ASD spent more time playing video games per day than typically developing (TD) children (Mazurek & Engelhardt, 2013b), TD siblings (Mazurek & Wenstrup, 2013), and those with other disabilities .…”

“…benefits, many researchers have focused on developing applications of game technology for improving social and behavioral outcomes in individuals with ASD (Durkin, 2010;Ferguson, Anderson-Hanley, Mazurek, Parsons, & Warren, 2012;Grynszpan, Weiss, Perez-Diaz, & Gal, 2014;Moore & Taylor, 2000). In contrast, others have focused on understanding potentially negative consequences of video game play in individuals with ASD, including pathological game play (Mazurek & Engelhardt, 2013b;Mazurek & Wenstrup, 2013), problem behaviors (Engelhardt & Mazurek, 2014;Mazurek & Engelhardt, 2013a), and sleep problems (Engelhardt, Mazurek, & Sohl, 2013). Despite this increased interest in understanding both positive and negative video game effects, many unanswered questions remain.…”