Hello. Firstly thank you to everyone on here who has helped inspire me to play D&D. I am part of a group led by my sister-in-law, which includes myself, my brother, and their 3 boys ages 10-6. I'm looking for a bit of advice if anyone has it. Two of my nephews are neurodivergent, and 1 of those 2 are on the spectrum as well. We manage to get about 10 minutes of real play into an hour and a half long session. The boys are all over the place. It is difficult for them to pay attention. They go off on tangents and focus on everything but the story. ( Which is all part of their respective issues, I get that.) If anyone has any tips or suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
I have ADD and am on the Spectrum as well… But i am also 30+ year old..
When my mind drifts off to certain ‘focusses’ i have learned to just deal with it as quick as possible so it does not drains me.
So if you notice the kid focusses on something, make sure he gets his answers quickly because trying to get him to focus on something else will just not work.
You could also give him a weird ‘assignment’. If he focusses on the tavern and especially how the tables would look or something like that.. give him a pen and paper and let him draw out how he thinks it looks.. that way he focusses his energy on that and you can continu with the game…
But everyone is different.. trial and error will take some time..
1) Have a visual for every situation: a map, a picture, miniatures, a handout, anything that the player can focus on.
2) Set up a patron campaign: a person who gives them quests, with clear objectives or choices of objectives, written down as a contract or wanted poster.
3) Be prepared to jump in and offer a binary choice: "Okay, so you've defeated all the goblins in this section of the caves. Do you want to go back to town or explore the that other passageway a few rooms back?"
I don't know to what extent this influences your issue, but if getting them "invested" is an issue, I always ask my players to make a piece of the world the game is in. If they don't want to do anything else, then they can flesh out the details of the place where they grew up. Once they invested, they will want to learn more about the lore, at least that is what my players do.
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Reduce options. A character sheet has lots of shiny objects on it. Simplify it.
Use visuals if possible. Change them frequently if possible. (We use Owlbear Rodeo in our games and we project the player map so everyone at the table can see it. As the DM you can use pictures to change the scene. Our younger players love looking at the pictures of the Monsters we're fighting or the artwork from the books)
Say, yes. Often. Kids are told "no" a lot. If they have an idea, encourage it.
Make them feel helpful. Give them extra tasks in game and see if they bite.
Ask them what their characters would be doing and allow them to answer.
Set limits with the adults that keep them from discussing things and leaving the kids out.
Fidgets may be a good option. Leave them on the table. I find fidgets are more distracting for adults when bored kids play around with them.
Have a frank conversation with the parents on what they feel works. and tips they use to engage the kids.
Be patient with them AND be patient with yourself. Not everything is exciting for the kids. They're young. You note they are neurodivergent. There may be little you can do. There are no guarantees here. Be willing to manage your expectations of what's possible.
Hello. Firstly thank you to everyone on here who has helped inspire me to play D&D. I am part of a group led by my sister-in-law, which includes myself, my brother, and their 3 boys ages 10-6. I'm looking for a bit of advice if anyone has it. Two of my nephews are neurodivergent, and 1 of those 2 are on the spectrum as well. We manage to get about 10 minutes of real play into an hour and a half long session. The boys are all over the place. It is difficult for them to pay attention. They go off on tangents and focus on everything but the story. ( Which is all part of their respective issues, I get that.) If anyone has any tips or suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Steve.
I have ADD and am on the Spectrum as well… But i am also 30+ year old..
When my mind drifts off to certain ‘focusses’ i have learned to just deal with it as quick as possible so it does not drains me.
So if you notice the kid focusses on something, make sure he gets his answers quickly because trying to get him to focus on something else will just not work.
You could also give him a weird ‘assignment’. If he focusses on the tavern and especially how the tables would look or something like that.. give him a pen and paper and let him draw out how he thinks it looks.. that way he focusses his energy on that and you can continu with the game…
But everyone is different.. trial and error will take some time..
A few tips for the DM:
1) Have a visual for every situation: a map, a picture, miniatures, a handout, anything that the player can focus on.
2) Set up a patron campaign: a person who gives them quests, with clear objectives or choices of objectives, written down as a contract or wanted poster.
3) Be prepared to jump in and offer a binary choice: "Okay, so you've defeated all the goblins in this section of the caves. Do you want to go back to town or explore the that other passageway a few rooms back?"
https://sayeth.itch.io/
I don't know to what extent this influences your issue, but if getting them "invested" is an issue, I always ask my players to make a piece of the world the game is in. If they don't want to do anything else, then they can flesh out the details of the place where they grew up. Once they invested, they will want to learn more about the lore, at least that is what my players do.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Reduce options. A character sheet has lots of shiny objects on it. Simplify it.
Use visuals if possible. Change them frequently if possible. (We use Owlbear Rodeo in our games and we project the player map so everyone at the table can see it. As the DM you can use pictures to change the scene. Our younger players love looking at the pictures of the Monsters we're fighting or the artwork from the books)
Say, yes. Often. Kids are told "no" a lot. If they have an idea, encourage it.
Make them feel helpful. Give them extra tasks in game and see if they bite.
Ask them what their characters would be doing and allow them to answer.
Set limits with the adults that keep them from discussing things and leaving the kids out.
Fidgets may be a good option. Leave them on the table. I find fidgets are more distracting for adults when bored kids play around with them.
Have a frank conversation with the parents on what they feel works. and tips they use to engage the kids.
Be patient with them AND be patient with yourself. Not everything is exciting for the kids. They're young. You note they are neurodivergent. There may be little you can do. There are no guarantees here. Be willing to manage your expectations of what's possible.
Thank you so much for your responces. I really appreciate the help.