Welcome to Information For Educators and Health Care Providers

Supplement the pharmacologic, therapeutic, or educational services you presently provide with additional parent training and behavior modification provided in a hi-tech recreational setting.

The CyberJocks.com/EGT Supervised Group Electronic Gaming (SGEG) Program is an open-ended weekly program providing children and adolescents opportunities for growth through feedback from peers, staff and parents and contingency management procedures during structured and unstructured play of group video and computer games (Nintendo Wii, Game Cube, and N64). Five SGEG Programs are presently offered:

• Level 1 Program: developmental level in 4 to 5 year old age range
• Level 2 Program: developmental level in 6 to 8 year old age range
• Level 3 Program: developmental level in 9 to 12 year old age range
• Level 4 Program: developmental level in 12 to 14 year old age range
• Level 5 Program: developmental level in 14+ year old age range

Encouraging and reinforcing appropriate social, emotional and self-regulatory behaviors in a recreational setting is an evidence-based practice with proven success in programs like the University of Buffalo’s Center for Children and Families Summer Treatment Program and the University of California at Los Angeles Children’s Social Skills Program. Details regarding SGEG Program methods can be found below. Parent training and support is another important component of UB and UCLA’s evidence-based treatment programs duplicated in the SGEG Programs. Parent training for the Level 1 and 2 Program is accomplished through parental participation in providing feedback and applying contingency management procedures during game play. By using a recreational activity commonly practiced in the home and by including parents, the opportunities for children and parents to practice outside the program are maximized. Parent training in effective communication and behavior management strategies for all Levels is accomplished through participation in parent support discussions. These discussions are facilitated by a Master’s Level Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

The role and emphasis of the SGEG Program, like any supervised group recreational activity, depends on the needs of the child. For children with pervasive or chronic deficits, the Program can serve as one component integrated within a broader intensive multimodal intervention. The SGEG Program may appropriately serve as the only intervention component for children on the other end of the scale with sub-clinical problem behaviors. Ongoing assessment provides guidance for adding or decreasing intervention components.

Although the emphasis of feedback and contingency management procedures for all children and parents is reinforcing appropriate socialization and self-regulation, the Program has flexibility to add additional individualized target behaviors. Feedback and contingency management procedures can be modified so that they are consistent across settings and integrated into pre-existing strategies. Again, ongoing assessment provides guidance for modifying feedback and contingency management procedures.

Most children find playing video and computer games reinforcing. This interest helps to motivate the child to engage in group recreational play activities. Our assumption is that the more engaged the child is in the recreational activity the more opportunities for providing supervision and feedback targeting specific strengths and deficits.

The SGEG Program

The structure of the CyberJocks.com/EGT Supervised Group Electronic Gaming (SGEG) Program varies according to the developmental level of the group.

The Level 1 and Level 2 Programs have four highly-structured, routine-based segments. The first segment includes Introduction to Program, Review of Rules, Rewards & Response Costs, Session Report Card (SRC), and Check-in. The second segment requires participants to play video and computer games selected by EGT staff. The third segment is essentially a reward that allows participants to choose the video and computer game(s) for the group. The fourth segment is Check-Out and "calm down" time. Points earned during each segment determine which participant selects the game system, the game for the system, and/or player positions.

The Level 3 Program is less structured and includes three segments. The first segment includes Introduction to Program, Review of Rules, Rewards & Response Costs, and Session Report Card. Instead of staff facilitating Check-In and guiding game play during the second segment, the participant serving as "the Host" takes on this responsibility. The third segment is Check-Out and tallying of the Session Report Card to determine which participant will be the Host for the next session.

The Level 4 and Level 5 Programs are the least structured.

Introduction to Program involves staff describing the rationale for the program. Level 1 and 2 emphasizes the importance of behavioral control; Level 3 and 4 emphasizes the importance of getting together and getting along with others. Review of Rules has Level 1 and 2 participants taking turns reading the rules out loud, stating their point value, explaining the rule they read and giving an example. Parental requests for individualized rules targeting specific behaviors are reviewed using the same process. Levels 3 and 4 participants read the rules and are asked if they have any questions. Rewards and Response Cost has staff explaining what the points can be exchanged for and participants demonstrating their understanding of the response cost procedures - your choices if you fail to follow the rules. Check-in for Levels 1 and 2 requests participants to read aloud a standard set of written fill-in-the-blank questions posted on a board. As noted above, Check-in for Level 3 and 4 turns over responsibility for introductions and small-talk to the Host. Social interaction is facilitated and encouraged by staff. Parents are trained and participate in providing feedback, rewards and response costs. Staff and parents provide immediate feedback along with points as behavior occurs and regularly update posted point totals. Emphasis is placed on identifying and praising/rewarding positive behaviors, communication and socialization. At parental request, baselines for social, emotional and/or self-regulatory behaviors are established and tracked through subsequent segments and sessions.

The structure and routine of the second segment, Instructor-Selected Gaming, varies depending on the group to which participants are assigned. Group assignment is based on developmental level and ability to attend to and meaningfully participate in video and computer games. Participants with greater developmental delays play a series of games where the goal is to sustain attention and maintain self-control. Level 2 participants complete a series of eight (8) tasks in a video game that require greater degrees of communication and cooperation to successfully complete each task. The tasks must be successfully completed before moving on the final segment. Point totals are used to determine who gets first player status and control of the menu.