Have you played Fortnite with your child? It’s impressive if you have. I’m lucky in that I’m not so uncool that I know nothing about it. I’ve even had a student patiently try to teach me how to play! That doesn’t mean I like Fortnite, though. Shooting is still shooting for me, and, honestly, I’m just not coordinated enough to be good. But games of all kinds can be supportive to brain development, including planning and social skills. Do you have to play Fortnite? That’s still a personal call, but this essay from Understood.org gives some pointers for adults trying to manage video gaming for their child/teen with ADHD.
Keep in mind that there are major benefits to participating in MMOGs like Fortnite. Players have to adapt to each other, be constantly aware of changing circumstances, and still plan for reaching a long-range goal. It’s also really important (to put it mildly) that kids don’t dedicate too much time to it and interact in appropriate ways with respectful peers. How much is “too much”? How do you know whether the peers are “appropriate”? And what do you consider “respectful”?
Hey, if this were easy, everyone would have perfectly adjusted kids who loved literary classics and wrote thank-you notes.