G is for Gamesmanship

This post originally appeared  on December 30, 2009.

Remember the old saying, that the ends justify the means? Well that tends to resonate a lot with parents of children on the autism spectrum. Have you ever played a board game, a card game, or video game with someone who has an ASD? If you have you will never forget it. It’s like walking into the locker room of one of the two opposing football teams during halftime at the Super Bowl. The coach is dressing down the players for not doing well enough and the other coach is trying to keep the momentum going. It’s a manic filled pile-on of win win win. Only when your child resorts to this all encompassing winner takes all philosophy during what is supposed to be a fun time, it then becomes anything but fun. It becomes life or death to them. The need to win so overshadows the point of the game and the activity that you are trying to arrange that you begin to question whether the game is worth it.

Let me answer that for you. Yes it is. It is worth it and in fact it is very important. I have no idea why the need to win is so overwhelming to person’s with asperger’s or pdd. I do know that from a very young age collegeman had to always win. In a way it is why he does well in school. He knows to accomplish his goals in life, which are to help others and alternatively be financially secure, he needs to start off by producing in school. So he works very hard at his grades. But when they are little and it manifests itself in a game of Candy Land or a trip to the bowling alley, it is anything but cute, fun or enjoyable.

This is more than not taking turns. This is an all consuming need to be the best. Granted in many respects that is not bad, but they need to understand how the game is played. How the rules are set. How the interactions between the players are the part that is most important. If we can teach our children that it is how you play the game, not whether you win or lose then I think we will have accomplished a major task. Yes, it is a major social skills issue, and one of great importance with lifelong consequences. Of course, in our over competitive society, type A personality world, that does become a very hard thing to get across. But, in many respects, I also don’t think that this is an issue that only parents of children with autism face. Winning at any price seems to be a societal syndrome.

Cheating is replete in our schools. That is why cell phones are banned in most tests. Laptops have to be specially configured for state and national tests. Term papers have to be sent to websites that review them for plagiarism. It is a sad state of affairs. Unfortunately, one that may co-opt our children very easily if we do not nip its inception in the proverbial bud. Winning at any cost is not acceptable. It is a lesson they need to learn, and learn fast. OK, so now what?  How do you teach that?

What we have done is taught truth above all else. You do your own work. You watch what and how you write your papers so there is no hint of plagiarism. There are rights and there are wrongs in this life. Some things really are black and white with no hint at all of gray. These rules have carried the boys so far. They are honest to a fault.  Like I have said in earlier posts, it’s why no one ever had a problem with them rescheduling tests ever, even in college. Those that know them know for a fact, that they would never never cheat. Sometimes an anal adherence to rules can come in handy for our children too.

I can honestly say, however, that trying to teach enjoyment and noncompetativeness in a gaming situation is an ongoing endeavor in our household. Collegeman still needs to win and gets very frustrated when he doesn’t. He is that way with his video games. He gets very anxious and over wrought when things don’t go well. We have to make him put the game away and “chill out” when he gets like that. Luckily it happens less and less with time, but it is something we have to be aware of. Whether it’s tied into his OCD or not, I am not sure. Highschoolboy doesn’t have that issue and he has OCD as well. As I have said many times, same disability, different manifestations.

We practiced when collegeman was younger how to follow the rules of the game. How to take turns. How to include others. They worked with him on this issue throughout elementary and middle school. They still do that at his adult social skills group. When they go bowling, they had to lecture all of the young men about sportsmanship. When they play board games at the group they have to keep an eye on collegeman so he doesn’t get annoyed that the other guys get too silly and don’t want to play right. Without the rules he can’t win.  

I heard an interesting story about Thomas Edison. In a biography of his life, his second wife recounts how their children wouldn’t play cards with him because he would always change the rules so he could win. He also studiously avoided her dinner parties preferring to lock himself away in his lab instead of interacting with company. Many say Edison had aspie traits. If you watch the biography you can go down the checklist and say, yes, yes, yes. Granted he didn’t do so bad in life, but other scientists around him didn’t fare as well as him. His colleague Enrico Ferme was one who was unacknowledged for his accomplishments in his lifetime, also someone who  was replete with aspie traits. Does it come down to love and support? I think in many cases it does. It’s really very simple. But I think it’s what any human being needs to be successful. We all need those who believe in us and we all need love.

So as collegeman goes to his next bowling match, scrabble or card game, we will remind him that it is not whether you win, but how many people you befriend on the way. It is definitely how you play the game. Winning isn’t everything if you are left alone to play solitaire your entire life.

Until next time,

Elise

UPDATE: I actually erased the original update by accident...(My bad. Last time I try to blog while using my iPad.)

Suffice it to say, we are still working on the issues of sportsmanship. But in truth I realized that it's less about having to win no matter what, than it is about the need for CM1 to be perfect and to do what he considers his best.  The only upside I can see is the fact that he is a very moral and ethical youngman who would never break a law or a rule in order to get ahead. "I have my morals and ethics," he likes to say. So he would do his best to follow the laws to perfection. I guess it also doesn't hurt that he is fascinated with all the forensic and "behind bars" shows on Tru TV. Ramifications of not following the straight and narrow are real and he knows it.

Meanwhile, CM2 is just the opposite from CM1 about needing to win all the time. It's not that he doesn't want to win, its just that he is not driven to be perfect, even in school. He has that que sera sera attitude. Oh he likes good grades. He just doesn't see it as the overarching important point in his existence. It's also why he seems to be able to play games and not care if he wins or looses. He plays just to have fun. However, on the other hand, by not being driven he also doesn't try his best or put in the right amount of effort at school. This led to quite a number of meltdowns, fights and massive transition issues the first semester of college. Luckily, as CM2 always does, he did pull it off in the end (realized I think, that he really did have to study in order to pass) and finished on a nice high note. I just wish he didn't cause hubby and myself to have palpitations during the entire event. However, there are some things that even CM2 doesn't take lackadaisically. Don't get CM2 started on SOPA. You don't want to interfere with his computer, video games or internet. Freedom of speech is not his issue (at least on the surface), but he better not be blocked from his favorite websites and games.

Meanwhile it seems that morals and ethics is something that needs to be taught by some parents out on Long Island. Read HERE about the SAT cheating scandal. Of course, the overriding issue then becomes what kind of pressure has been put on these children in order to succeed and why do they have the mentality that the ends justify the means? Considering that it appears that none of the accused are aspergeans or on the autism spectrum I wonder just what kind of poor gamesmanship or sportsmanship they exhibited their entire lives and why did everyone allow it. You don't suddenly one day wake up and become a liar and a cheat....

If you want to see an example of good sportsmanship, just watch the mayor of Pittsburgh pay off this bet since the Steelers lost to the Broncos this past weekend:

Pittsburgh mayor 'Tebows' after losing bet: MyFoxORLANDO.com