Video Games: Good or Bad???

[Guest guest]

Hello... Our son is 6 and is just now being evaluated for AS at the

r=suggestion of his teacher. He has been playing quite well on his Nintendo DS

since age 4 (when his sis was 8 and she got one, he quickly learned to play hers

and the rest is history). I never intended to have my 4 year old playing a

Nintendo DS, but he is so good at it and so into it. However, I can also see

his social skill issues are not being helps by us letting him sink into the

social background of our family while he quietly plays video games... So we are

going to limit it more so we can encourage more social stimulus with all of us.

However, I was just wondering what everyone thought of video games for AS kids?

On one hand I could swear our son can read because of video games! He has

learned tons of sight words I think from his DS games... Also, it is a source

of expertise that can actually often serve as a bridge to have more in common

with other boys in his class, especially the ones with older sibs who are more

exposed to video games. It is also a source of something he can feel good about

because he is quite good at them, he is a natural born gamer. But are there

down sides I am not seeing and how does everyone else view video games in the

lives of your AS kids??? Thanks!