Teach42

Over the summer, I had the unique opportunity to get wired up and try a cutting edge ’solution’ for ADD.  Well, I thought it was unique at the time.  Not so much I guess!

I thought it was pretty darn cool and had a lot of potential, something that I would have liked to explore more but was probably cost prohibitive.  My how quickly things change.

Found this blog post pointing to a home version of that same experience.  USA today wrote up an article about some hardware that you can hook up to your PS2 or XBox that will allow you to learn to exercise good brainwaves while decreasing the brainwaves that plague people with ADD. 

I’m not sure whether the company marketing this product is the same one that I worked with in Minneapolis, but they have a pretty similar name, so I think it is.  The idea is still the same.  Basically you have a racing game, and when your brain is producing a specific type of brainwaves, you will go faster in the video game.  ‘Spacing out’, or slipping into the undersireable types of brainwaves slows you down in the game.  So in order to do well, you have to concentrate in specific ways.  Basically, giving your brain a workout.

I’m not sold on whether this will work or not, and they make it clear that anybody pursuing this route should get a proper EEG done first, but I’m thinking that $600 really isn’t bad for a potential long term, medication free solution to ADD.  I know I’ve blown more money on more frivolous things before, so I’m seriously considering checking this thing out.

I’m just not so sure I’ll be able to sell it on eBay if it doesn’t work!  And can you just imagine this thing winding up in a garage sale?  Heh.  Don’t think so.

I think it has potential though.  In theory, it does make sense to me. And if it does work… Well, I’d invest in this company.  There’s an army of parents and students that would leap at the idea of using video games to ‘cure’ ADD.  Maybe it’s too good to be true, but sounds like it’s worth further investigation.

Now if only it would work with Halo…

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