377: Parenting a Gamer, with Andrew Fishman LCSW

My own kid has told me for years that talking to people online is just easier than talking to them in person. I used to wonder if that was a red flag. Andrew Fishman helped me understand that it actually might be the opposite.

Andrew is a licensed clinical social worker and author of “Parenting a Gamer” who specializes in the impact of video games on mental health. He spent years running group therapy for autistic kids, teens, and adults before focusing his practice on adolescent gamers, many of them neurodivergent.

In this episode, we get into why gaming can feel like the safest, most predictable place in a kid's whole day, especially for a kid whose brain works differently than the world around them expects. Andrew breaks down why success in a game is actually guaranteed in a way it almost never is in real life, why that fairness matters so much to a kid who's used to things not going their way, and how the social rules inside a game, like no eye contact required, no reading of body language, can strip away exhausting layers of decoding for an autistic or ADHD kid.

We also talk honestly about safety, the parental controls that actually work, what to do when your kid gets pulled into online conflict because their sense of justice won't let something slide, and why the meltdown at transition time usually isn't really about the game at all. Andrew shares the question that changes everything when your kid won't log off, and a handful of specific games worth knowing about, including one built specifically to help autistic kids practice social skills.

If gaming has ever felt like a battlefield in your house, this conversation will change how you see it. Listen to the full episode now.

You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it's not just about the struggles, it's about progress, one step at a time.

Show notes and more resources at parentingadhdandautism.com/377

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You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.