After reading our post about the benefits of Minecraft for children with autism, a mother approached me about an issue her son was experiencing while playing the popular online game Team Fortress 2. In an effort to shield her son from the violence portrayed in this game, she had purchased a pair of goggles that her son could wear that would turn the bullets and explosions shown in the game into bubbles and confetti. Unfortunately, when the other players saw her son wearing these goggles, they made fun of him. Eventually her son got so frustrated he quit.

It is a shame when a child is bullied under any circumstances; however, this particular scenario offers a unique learning opportunity. Oftentimes, traditional bullying occurs when parents and teachers are not around to witness the event. In the case of cyberbullying within online games, it is possible for a parent or teacher to sit with the child and even record play sessions to help the child work through these situations.

While some children may not mind a parent or teacher watching over them while they are playing their favorite online game, other children may be reluctant or act more reserved under such supervision. If this is the case for your child, consider using a program like Online Broadcasting Software (OBS) to record the child’s play sessions. This program can record video and audio of gameplay on a computer with minimal setup. It can also record gameplay on an Xbox but the setup is quite a bit more involved. Recording these interactions provides a unique view at unfiltered dialogue between children and offers a chance to help a child navigate through difficult situations that we wouldn’t otherwise witness.

Here are some important points to focus on when reviewing play sessions with a child:

General Online Security

This is not an issue specific to cyberbullying; however, it is important that children are not disclosing any confidential or personally identifiable information to strangers online. It is important to have a set of rules about what the child is and isn’t allowed to talk about online.

Identifying Bullying

Children with autism have difficulty understanding social cues and concepts like sarcasm. It is possible for a child to misinterpret joking as bullying, and vice versa. Take a look at whether the players are targeting the child specifically or if they interacting with everyone the same. Observe whether the players are destroying structures for fun or singling out the child’s structures. Even if you do not find the interactions to be bullying, having the opportunity to explain social situations and cues to the child is extremely valuable.

Dealing with Bullying

Once the child can identify bullying, the next step is to figure out a course of action. Another unique advantage of working on bullying in online communities is trial and error. Brainstorm possible solutions with the child that he or she can try out. This helps the child work on problem solving skills and makes the child a part of the solution. Having your child try different strategies to deal with bullying in the real world can be risky and have devastating results; however online, there are always new servers and games where the child can try different tactics to deal with these issues.

In Part II of this post, I will be delving into real incidences of cyberbullying and helping children through these occurrences.

The post How to turn Cyberbullying into a Learning Opportunity: Part 1 of 2 appeared first on PixelAtion Labs.

What makes Minecraft so fun to play (and also why it is a perfect game for children with autism) is there are no rules, no clear objectives, and no winning or losing. Kids are free to create and experiment in the world as they wish. For younger children developing early play skills, a lot can be worked on in the realm of Minecraft, including imitation, taking turns, observational learning, and pretend play. Setting up a server and playing Minecraft with a child is a good way to work on these skills that can be difficult to target in real world situations.

If playing Minecraft as a reward or reinforcer for a child you are working with, you can turn this downtime into a virtual play session and work on crucial skills. This requires some setup and an additional computer; however, imagine being able to engage the child in their world, a world that the child is imagining and creating – more importantly, a world where the child wants to engage. You and the child can work together to build structures or even play hide-and-seek. Exposing the child to games like hide-and-seek or tag in Minecraft can help the child when he or she encounters these games in the real world.

For older children with autism who struggle with socialization, Minecraft can be a great bridge or conversation starter. Since Minecraft is so popular, the game can provide a virtual place for socialization and interaction between children with autism and typically developing peers. Also, since many children with autism excel with technology, Minecraft being no exception, there’s an opportunity for children with autism to help their peers and reveal their expertise. This can be a great equalizer between children with autism and their typically developing peers to help improve self-esteem and foster new friendships.

One highly important precaution to consider when setting up and maintaining these online worlds is monitoring content and conversation. Cyberbullying is prevalent in online communities and can turn any positive environment into a negative one. Fortunately, the Minecraft community has had some amazing people step up and facilitate environments where negativity is not tolerated. The Minecraft server Autcraft, for instance, was established by a father of a child with autism and is a place where players need to be “whitelisted” or approved to play. There are also rules of conduct that are enforced by moderators. Autcraft is a great place to start if you are concerned about who or what may be on the other side of the computer.

If you’ve never played Minecraft before, I encourage you to give it a shot. It will open up a whole new world of possibilities for introducing new skills and concepts to children with autism.

Have you used Minecraft when working with a child? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Benefits of Minecraft for Children with Autism appeared first on PixelAtion Labs.