This post I will talk a little about a game that I have been playing for a little over 18 years since it first hit America. Millions of people have played it and I don't think there is anyone in America who hasn't heard of Pokemon. For me the biggest attraction is the fact that there are so many options to go with and like a lot of people with OCD (a common diagnosis among aspies so don't worry even if you are going crazy with your patterns you are in good company) I like to complete sets where if I get a book I like to complete the whole set and with Pokemon you could do so without having parents complain about the amount of room its taking.
With what I was planning to say about it already above and it being too short a post I will talk a little about it. It was created by a man named Satoshi Jajiri (who also has aspergers) who as a kid loved collecting bugs. The story (from Wikipedia) goes that as Japan got more urban he wanted his kids to enjoy collecting bugs like he did so he made a world where you could go around fighting and collecting different animals and they become stronger the closer (and the more levels they grow) you are to them.
As for the game itself. There are currently 22 games released in the US being Red, Blue, Yellow (designed for the original game boy), Gold, Silver, Crystal, (they are designed for Gameboy Color and due to programming issues the games listed before this cannot trade with the ones after so most players ignore them but they are still fun), Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red, Leaf Green, (these are designed for the Gameboy Advance system and they could also be played on Nintendo DS originals and lites only), Pokemon Colloseum, Pokemon XD, (both are for the Game Cube only but could trade with Gameboy Advances), Pearl, Diamond, Platinum, Heart Gold, Soul Silver, Black, White, Black 2, White 2 (which are designed for for Nintendo DS'). I know that is a lot to read but looking around Ebay I see a bunch of titles that have never been made so make sure its not a knock off before buying something online.
As for gameplay itself there are currently 693 Pokemon in the game total and you start off with a character who gets to choose either a Grass, Fire, or Water type pokemon. As you get going you will get Pokeballs to capture wild pokemon which you could train (some get strong most are ignored by experienced players because they don't get strong enough) and you fight in 8 Gyms to get badges towards your goal of beating the Elite Four which is made up of four strong trainers and a champion. Along the way you will encounter and eventually defeat the villains of the game which is usually a group of bad guys wanting to take over the world or transform it to how they want it. It is addictive because of how many Pokemon that you could collect and that some of those Pokemon you could only get from past games and others you cannot get on your game and you have to trade with its counter part to get it.
This is a lot simpler to understand if you were to play it and the best thing about the games is if you are in one of those situations where you have nothing to do but sit and wait its good to have something to just pull out and keep from getting bored.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Advice for parents with Autistic kids
First off I'm not a professional or a college educated expert in this field. What I am however is someone who saw things through the eyes of a young boy who terrorized sunday school classrooms because he liked the patterns on the board beneath what was put up, who was teased for years due to a speech impediment after needing tubes in his ears at the age of two, who also beat up kids who teased him, who after already being on Ritalin and Cylert all the way to his sophomore year of high school didn't want anything to do with the tests that may have produced a diagnosis of Aspergers at a much younger age, who was one of the smartest kids in the class but got bad grades because he didn't see the point of doing homework which taught him nothing new. Kids who are on the spectrum whether they are non verbal or are articulate but just aren't comfortable saying what is going on in their heads, they can't always speak and so here I will try to provide some insight into what is happening including subjects that I am not too comfortable talking with my own mom about.
My first piece of advice is one that I said this weekend to all parents I talked to at the US Autism and Aspergers Association conference which is to be patient and to encourage not push. Especially with non verbal kids just because they learn a new word doesn't mean they are ready right away to learn another. Kids naturally mimic, if your son or daughter learns a new word encourage them by saying great job, if they like being hugged give them a hug and tell them that what they just accomplish is a good thing. Let them enjoy using this new word and when they start trying a new word that they heard someone say encourage it, if you are able to figure out the word they are trying to say sit down with him or her and sound it out and encourage the child to get the word right. People on the spectrum naturally withdraw when they feel stressed or pressured, if you push for something new too soon after they just accomplished something the child will feel pressured to do more and more and will withdraw into a state that is more comfortable.
Second is that a support network is essential. Today with the web you could type Autism Support Groups into a search engine and you will soon be talking to parents who know what its like to go through what you are. There are also groups for your child to talk to, don't pry into what you child is saying because like I said below the natural response to stress and pressure is to withdraw. When your child is talking with others who are like them they are likely to be more relaxed and in a safe environment with proper supervision it is a good thing because they could feel safe. If you as the mom or the dad start prying into what they are saying then they will see that the safe zone they had isn't as safe and they would withdraw from the support group and also from the parents. If your child wants to talk to you about the support group let them, see it as your child being trusting enough to let you inside that little safety bubble they have around them.
Third and the last one for now is especially if your child is in grade school bullying hurts. With the recent suicides the world is finally seeing the harmful effects of bulling and even with high functioning forms such as Aspergers bullying does hurt. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet to get rid of bullying or to get rid of the harmful effects that it has on such a young mind. My best advice is to remind your child of what they are good at and encourage him or her to make friends. Have sleep overs let your child have a bunch of friends at his or her birthday parties (always watch for the ones who are only friends for the cool things and would be mean when the cool things end. I haven't dealt with that myself but I hear that it does happen). Also encourage the child to get better at the things they are good at. When they have all these cool things they could do very well it is a lot easier to shrug off the bullies.
Fourth and for real the last one is I have found it to be a vital stress reliever to be near running water. Fortunately where I live I'm always just down the street from a creek where I could just forget that I'm in the middle of town and relax in natures beauty. For those who aren't as lucky I had someone tell me this weekend that they have a fountain for their son who loves how it sounds. I can't really explain it but the sound has a soothing effect that takes the mind off of the hustle and bustle of every day life and I was told that you don't have to be Autistic to get that effect.
My first piece of advice is one that I said this weekend to all parents I talked to at the US Autism and Aspergers Association conference which is to be patient and to encourage not push. Especially with non verbal kids just because they learn a new word doesn't mean they are ready right away to learn another. Kids naturally mimic, if your son or daughter learns a new word encourage them by saying great job, if they like being hugged give them a hug and tell them that what they just accomplish is a good thing. Let them enjoy using this new word and when they start trying a new word that they heard someone say encourage it, if you are able to figure out the word they are trying to say sit down with him or her and sound it out and encourage the child to get the word right. People on the spectrum naturally withdraw when they feel stressed or pressured, if you push for something new too soon after they just accomplished something the child will feel pressured to do more and more and will withdraw into a state that is more comfortable.
Second is that a support network is essential. Today with the web you could type Autism Support Groups into a search engine and you will soon be talking to parents who know what its like to go through what you are. There are also groups for your child to talk to, don't pry into what you child is saying because like I said below the natural response to stress and pressure is to withdraw. When your child is talking with others who are like them they are likely to be more relaxed and in a safe environment with proper supervision it is a good thing because they could feel safe. If you as the mom or the dad start prying into what they are saying then they will see that the safe zone they had isn't as safe and they would withdraw from the support group and also from the parents. If your child wants to talk to you about the support group let them, see it as your child being trusting enough to let you inside that little safety bubble they have around them.
Third and the last one for now is especially if your child is in grade school bullying hurts. With the recent suicides the world is finally seeing the harmful effects of bulling and even with high functioning forms such as Aspergers bullying does hurt. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet to get rid of bullying or to get rid of the harmful effects that it has on such a young mind. My best advice is to remind your child of what they are good at and encourage him or her to make friends. Have sleep overs let your child have a bunch of friends at his or her birthday parties (always watch for the ones who are only friends for the cool things and would be mean when the cool things end. I haven't dealt with that myself but I hear that it does happen). Also encourage the child to get better at the things they are good at. When they have all these cool things they could do very well it is a lot easier to shrug off the bullies.
Fourth and for real the last one is I have found it to be a vital stress reliever to be near running water. Fortunately where I live I'm always just down the street from a creek where I could just forget that I'm in the middle of town and relax in natures beauty. For those who aren't as lucky I had someone tell me this weekend that they have a fountain for their son who loves how it sounds. I can't really explain it but the sound has a soothing effect that takes the mind off of the hustle and bustle of every day life and I was told that you don't have to be Autistic to get that effect.
Hi. My name is Luke and as a warning this is not my first attempt at a blog but I have been wanting to start a new one for a while now so hopefully I will keep coming back. I live in a small town in southern Utah (no not Saint George and yes there are towns in southern Utah other then that one) and before that I lived in Phoenix Arizona. I was diagnosed with Aspergers which is on the Autism Spectrum at the young age of 20 and so I will try to share advice for people who are on the spectrum as well as for parents. I believe that there is a message box or something here for comments or questions and if not I will make a Gmail account just for questions or comments. With the intro done I will move on to the first actual post.
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