Children that have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD ) face an
uphill battle in life, whether it be in the classroom or on the
playing field. While sometimes they are perceived as different,
they just want to be treated like any other kid.
Unfortunately, too often that doesn’t happen.
Unable to sustain attention, focus and possess self control,
players with ADD are commonly scolded or yelled at by coaches, and
teased unmercifully by teammates. What started out as fun soon
becomes an overbearing problem for the child and his or her family.
Quitting becomes an option, but it shouldn’t have to be.
Children that have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD ) face an uphill battle in life, whether it be in the classroom or on the playing field. While sometimes they are perceived as different, they just want to be treated like any other kid.
Unfortunately, too often that doesn’t happen.
Unable to sustain attention, focus and possess self control, players with ADD are commonly scolded or yelled at by coaches, and teased unmercifully by teammates. What started out as fun soon becomes an overbearing problem for the child and his or her family. Quitting becomes an option, but it shouldn’t have to be.
Parents need to identify what particular youth sports are beneficial for their ADD child and weed out others that may present too many challenges.
As with any ADD child, the prominent foe on the field is the child itself. Distractions during a game or practice means they won’t be able to comprehend instructions or rules because they’ve become sidetracked. Their inability to follow structure and order in the classroom only becomes magnified on the athletic side.
For any ADD child, strenuous exercise and activity in organized sports is a good thing. It reduces stress and promotes well being. Social and emotional skills are developed and enhanced.
To avoid embarrassment on the playing field for the child, parents should inform the coach that their youngster has ADD. The coach is not a mind reader, and although he or she is probably not trained to specifically address that learning disability, they’ll at least know the situation.
Giving the coach guidelines on how to treat certain problems that arise can be very helpful and will help the child avoid any undue ridicule. Don’t wait for things to unfold. Be proactive.
Finding a sport that your child likes, can perform adequately in and can be fun for them, as well as you, is a quest. The question is: Should the choice be a team or individual sport?
Difficulty following directions, impulsiveness and a low-tolerance frustration level are all characteristics the ADD child has. You have to take these traits into consideration when trying to distinguish which sport is best.
Kids with Attention Deficit Disorder often want to skip the rules and engage in the activity. They tend to play instinctively, rather than applying strategies for that certain sport. They don’t like to lose which sometimes leads to anger and other improper behavior.
When ADD children are young and selecting a sport to play, parents are the absolute key. Parents must identify what their kids are good at and what fits their personality. However, no two ADD kids are alike.
In studies by various organizations nationally, individual sports like martial arts get the nod over team sports. The reasoning behind that finding is that karate, for instance, promotes self-control in addition to automatic rituals and reactions, something an ADD child can address and use in other areas of life.
That doesn’t mean that team sports, even with all their pitfalls, are the wrong choice. Kids want to join teams for various social reasons and athletic interests. You can’t deter that desire. Encourage, help and guide them.
Coaches should make some alterations to practice once they know about a child’s ADD. Those alterations shouldn’t be unfair to the team, but they should address the individual’s needs. Keep the child engaged in practice by changing drills frequently, changing positions, using multiple stations and putting the ADD player in an active position. (Right field is not that position!) A little one-on-one time won’t hurt either.
Individual sports need a little modification, too. Eye contact is imperative when instructing an ADD player, as they will listen and comprehend better with a focus on the coach. Frequent breaks are essential.
In making a sport decision, the highly recommended sports are swimming and diving, martial arts, tennis, gymnastics and wrestling. Coming in behind that group is soccer and track events. The goalie position in soccer is one to stay away from. Baseball comes in next, as long as modifications are applied.
Two sports that are not recommended for the ADD child are football and basketball. Researchers took into consideration opportunities for distraction, level of physical contact, frustration factor, complexity of rules and strategies, and use of overall motor skills in making their recommendations.
One final thing to consider is determining if your child does indeed have ADD at all. If focus issues are a problem, you may want to have your child tested by a professional. Most schools have someone on site or can get someone to administer testing.
This will alleviate any problems down the road and enable your child to enjoy sports, conform to rules and structure, and most of all, have fun.
