How Video Games Help Me Learn More About My Son With Autism

"I have two sons that are autistic, ages three and four. One of the hardest things about having kids with autism is not being able to communicate with them properly or know how they're feeling. It's one of the most affecting struggles raising an autistic kid brings. If I'm being completely honest, I often feel envious watching other parents who are able to communicate with their kids that are the same age as my boys. However, my son Gavin found a passion that allows him to express himself in ways I never expected. You might be wondering why video games are such an important part of my relationship with my son. Let me explain." -- PlayStation Enthusiast

[Gamist2dot0]

My cousin was deemed autistic when he was (7?) by the doctors. Through the years, we noticed he progressed very well with Halo 2 to the point we added him to the team when the Halo 3/COD MW came around. By high school, he surrounded himself with friends who would post mathematic problems on FB to solve.
He graduated from Cal Poly in 4 yrs, dropped the opportunity to work for Pixar, and is now a software engineer for a hdd company.

[brettnll]

That's incredible. Thanks for sharing :)

[UCForce]

I'm glad to hear that.

[iceman06]

This is awesome AND a great reminder that being diagnosed with autism is not the end of life as they know it. It's just radically different. Also, it's a great way to showcase autism as a spectrum disorder. Many people function at a high level with autism, as your cousin seems to have. It's truly about understanding the individuals limitations and then working to improve or work with those limitations.

[Gman32]

Forgive me but am i the only that think the boy looks like a girl in the pic? Btw thats a sad thing for any child to have

[brettnll]

He's rockin' one helluva hairdo if you ask me. haha.

[Gman32]

Yup lol