Welcome again
to a special 'Because games matter' episode
where we highlight how games
can go beyond just being engaging
and do real good in the world
and today
with the help of her parents,
we bring you Victoria's story.
Victoria has always been a curious child.
Her very first word
wasn't a word
but a question
mama. What's that?
She was pointing in a big billboard off a highway near Houston
as her parents
We knew then
that she would continue to ask questions her whole life
because before she could even talk
she investigated everything
but little did we know
that once she started speaking?
She would quite literally
talk and move from the time she awoke
until the time she fell asleep for years
Oh and she only slept 2 or 3 hours a night
and nor did we know
what a violent and scary road
life would also begin to take
Victoria's physically aggressive behaviors
started around the time she started kindergarten
along with the constant not sleeping sometimes for 24 hours or more
She would quite literally
attack us every morning
when getting ready for school
Sometimes this required us
to physically hold her in a hug
until she calms down
a technique she hated in the moment,
but was always thankful for afterward
She would then stay as well-behaved as possible while at school
only to come home
and have what we called the witching hour
The witching hour started around 4:00 p.m daily
and sometimes it would last only a few minutes
and others it ended with trips to the ER
Begging for help
these episodes included tearing apart our home
the furniture
and even physically attacking us or her sister
this also led to her being quite isolated at school
during her formula of years
her constant anxiety issues
sensory issues
and Breakdowns at school
l had stigmatized her in the eyes of her peers
even after she was medicated
It remained a challenge for her to make friends
as her schoolmates
only saw her as the weird kid
Finally
at eight years old
after many different diagnosis tests
and evaluations
We finally had the primary diagnosis of ADHD
in addition to her already treated anxiety disorder
We began medication
in addition to continued therapy
to help her combat the aggressive behaviors
and to aid her in the ability to focus enough
to complete schoolwork
it worked like magic
and within a week
our girl
with a scary violent streak
became the sweet
shy
Well-mannered
and straight-a student.
We knew was hiding in there all along
We switched schools fer
to give her a new start
which improved her both academically
and gave her a new social beginning
However, she continued to struggle socially in a major way
by middle school
she had only ever seen
one friend outside of the classroom
and was never invited to parties or events by any of her classmates
and this was spiraling her into depression and worsened anxiety
as she began to hit her teenage years
Then we read about something called game to grow in the local paper
It was an organization
founded by a therapist and a teacher
to address issues
of child mental health
in a way that didn't involve medication
they used the background of a popular role-playing game
Dungeons & Dragons
to help the children
see themselves in another way
D&D allowed the facilitator to put the children's characters
not the children themselves
into activities and events in a made-up fantasy world
That may be overstimulating in the real world.
The children are instructed to solve social interaction issues as their character
thereby relieving the stress of real-world stimuli
So
Victoria began participating in game to grow when she was 13 years old
and almost immediately
We began to see changes.
First,
it was simply her excitedly talking about her D&D character
her adventures with her group
and locking herself away less at home
Her ability to evaluate her issues
in the realm of her character
and having the assistance work out any social, awkwardness
Became key for getting her to come out of her shell
Suddenly this girl
it used to be so isolated and sad
began breaking out
she became excited for the D&D sessions to come
and couldn't wait to be able to explain what had happened in this week's story
and it is since evolved to her seeking out friends with confidence.
Now she has a very close circle
that she not only confides him
But that she communicates with
spends time with
and invites out
These are seemingly normal things,
but we were worried that they would never happen for her
or happen at a cost
But now she's constantly reaching out to help any of her friends
or simply classmates who might need help
and is able to navigate socially
with a great group of friends
These D&D sessions with game to grow
have also helped give her confidence to pursue her hobbies
for instance
Victoria had always had an interest in art and drawing
but never considered herself very good
but one of the tasks that was given to her upon starting with the group
was for her to draw her character
and while at first it was a little paralyzing
now, she has confidence in her artwork.
She shares it both online and with her friends
and even expressed interest
in pursuing college course work around this passion
plus
she recognizes the correlation between what she's working on at game to grow
with her real life and
because of that
is miles ahead of a typical 16 year old
in her ability to analyze her own behaviors and moods
She's now able to take in social situations
evaluate them using the techniques she's learned
and respond appropriately
Because of her regular D&D sessions would came to grow
their attentive staff
and parents who loved to engage with her tales of adventure
Victoria now has a chance
to experience life
in a way that so many of us
often take for granted and
All of you watching
please don't forget to check out the amazing resources and programs from game to grow.
They're a nonprofit organization
that's been helping tons of kids
just like Victoria
become more confident creative
and socially capable through gaming
most recently
they released
critical core
a tabletop RPG
designed specifically to help kids on the autism spectrum
build social skills and confidence
and it's a great way for parents to engage with their children at home and for professionals
or experienced gamers to use as a social tool.
So if you'd like to learn more
help out
or check out critical core for yourself
go say hi over it game to grow org