Inattentive ADHD and Team Sports - Any Success Stories?

[Anonymous]

I'm starting to feel like we're wasting our time and money on DC's sport, because no matter how fast and technically competent they are, slow processing speed plus inattentiveness seem like insurmountable obstacles in team sports. DC is already medicated and playing at a high level but puts in a ton of extra time with private skills lessons to keep up. Does anyone have a success story in a sport like soccer, hockey, lacrosse or basketball? For example, an athletic kid who struggled with inattentive ADHD but still managed to play a team sport in college? Would a sports psychologist with experience in this area help?

[Anonymous]

I'm starting to feel like we're wasting our time and money on DC's sport, because no matter how fast and technically competent they are, slow processing speed plus inattentiveness seem like insurmountable obstacles in team sports. DC is already medicated and playing at a high level but puts in a ton of extra time with private skills lessons to keep up. Does anyone have a success story in a sport like soccer, hockey, lacrosse or basketball? For example, an athletic kid who struggled with inattentive ADHD but still managed to play a team sport in college? Would a sports psychologist with experience in this area help?

Whose interest is this sport? It sounds like my son is younger (he is 14), but he has combined type ADHD, and is fairly successful in travel soccer - because he's highly interested in it. If he weren't, he would definitely not be able to be successful.

[Anonymous]

Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Michael Jordon, to name a few

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Michael Jordon, to name a few

I haven't seen anything that specifies that those three have inattentive type, rather than combined, or hyperactive. Do you have a link?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting to feel like we're wasting our time and money on DC's sport, because no matter how fast and technically competent they are, slow processing speed plus inattentiveness seem like insurmountable obstacles in team sports. DC is already medicated and playing at a high level but puts in a ton of extra time with private skills lessons to keep up. Does anyone have a success story in a sport like soccer, hockey, lacrosse or basketball? For example, an athletic kid who struggled with inattentive ADHD but still managed to play a team sport in college? Would a sports psychologist with experience in this area help?

Playing in college is a really high bar. I know lots of kids with ADHD -- PI who enjoy and get things out of sports, but playing in college is a whole different thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm starting to feel like we're wasting our time and money on DC's sport, because no matter how fast and technically competent they are, slow processing speed plus inattentiveness seem like insurmountable obstacles in team sports. DC is already medicated and playing at a high level but puts in a ton of extra time with private skills lessons to keep up. Does anyone have a success story in a sport like soccer, hockey, lacrosse or basketball? For example, an athletic kid who struggled with inattentive ADHD but still managed to play a team sport in college? Would a sports psychologist with experience in this area help?

Whose interest is this sport? It sounds like my son is younger (he is 14), but he has combined type ADHD, and is fairly successful in travel soccer - because he's highly interested in it. If he weren't, he would definitely not be able to be successful.

DC is the one interested in the sport, and is younger than your son. I unsuccessfully tried to push DC toward individual sports like tennis and swimming because they seemed better suited. We spend a lot of time and money supporting DC's sport - things like regular private lessons (because learning in a group is a challenge), and driving all over the place for training, camps and tournaments, and to what end? Some days I think DC's best hope is a successful high school career, or maybe playing at the club level in college, both of which are great, but if that's the case, I think I could pull way back on all the extra stuff that we're doing to keep up with DC's current level of play. All this said, DC really likes all the extra training - I'm the one that is burning out.

[Anonymous]

Whose interest is this sport? It sounds like my son is younger (he is 14), but he has combined type ADHD, and is fairly successful in travel soccer - because he's highly interested in it. If he weren't, he would definitely not be able to be successful.


DC is the one interested in the sport, and is younger than your son. I unsuccessfully tried to push DC toward individual sports like tennis and swimming because they seemed better suited. We spend a lot of time and money supporting DC's sport - things like regular private lessons (because learning in a group is a challenge), and driving all over the place for training, camps and tournaments, and to what end? Some days I think DC's best hope is a successful high school career, or maybe playing at the club level in college, both of which are great, but if that's the case, I think I could pull way back on all the extra stuff that we're doing to keep up with DC's current level of play. All this said, DC really likes all the extra training - I'm the one that is burning out.

Then don't do it any more if you are burning out. That's perfectly reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Not a sport, but my daughter dances with a professional ballet company and her training hours are similar to a high level sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting to feel like we're wasting our time and money on DC's sport, because no matter how fast and technically competent they are, slow processing speed plus inattentiveness seem like insurmountable obstacles in team sports. DC is already medicated and playing at a high level but puts in a ton of extra time with private skills lessons to keep up. Does anyone have a success story in a sport like soccer, hockey, lacrosse or basketball? For example, an athletic kid who struggled with inattentive ADHD but still managed to play a team sport in college? Would a sports psychologist with experience in this area help?

Playing in college is a really high bar. I know lots of kids with ADHD -- PI who enjoy and get things out of sports, but playing in college is a whole different thing.

Agree it’s a high bar - most student athletes in general never achieve that level.

[Anonymous]

things like regular private lessons (because learning in a group is a challenge), and driving all over the place for training, camps and tournaments, and to what end?

PP here. So private lessons can be helpful with some skills (e.g. learning to head the ball, improving the accuracy of your shot). But for other skills, there really is no way to learn them except working with other kids. This may be why the private lessons are not paying off. Can you get one or two other kids interested in joining the sessions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a sport, but my daughter dances with a professional ballet company and her training hours are similar to a high level sport.

Makes sense. Individual expressive sports like gymnastics, figure skating and ballet (I think ballet is just as athletic as any sport) seem to be a good fit for inattentive ADHD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

things like regular private lessons (because learning in a group is a challenge), and driving all over the place for training, camps and tournaments, and to what end?

PP here. So private lessons can be helpful with some skills (e.g. learning to head the ball, improving the accuracy of your shot). But for other skills, there really is no way to learn them except working with other kids. This may be why the private lessons are not paying off. Can you get one or two other kids interested in joining the sessions?

OP here. Private lessons thus far have been necessary for DC to keep up on the individual skill components of the sport because group learning is a challenge. DC does some small group training, and is really strong in privates, small group training and small area games like 2v2 or 3v3. However, DC is inconsistent in actual games - body language often suggests DC is bored or disinterested during games, which I believe goes back to ADHD, and wonder if the ADHD is an insurmountable obstacle to play a team sport at a high level. DC is still young so maybe as a teenager focus will improve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm starting to feel like we're wasting our time and money on DC's sport, because no matter how fast and technically competent they are, slow processing speed plus inattentiveness seem like insurmountable obstacles in team sports. DC is already medicated and playing at a high level but puts in a ton of extra time with private skills lessons to keep up. Does anyone have a success story in a sport like soccer, hockey, lacrosse or basketball? For example, an athletic kid who struggled with inattentive ADHD but still managed to play a team sport in college? Would a sports psychologist with experience in this area help?

Whose interest is this sport? It sounds like my son is younger (he is 14), but he has combined type ADHD, and is fairly successful in travel soccer - because he's highly interested in it. If he weren't, he would definitely not be able to be successful.

DC is the one interested in the sport, and is younger than your son. I unsuccessfully tried to push DC toward individual sports like tennis and swimming because they seemed better suited. We spend a lot of time and money supporting DC's sport - things like regular private lessons (because learning in a group is a challenge), and driving all over the place for training, camps and tournaments, and to what end? Some days I think DC's best hope is a successful high school career, or maybe playing at the club level in college, both of which are great, but if that's the case, I think I could pull way back on all the extra stuff that we're doing to keep up with DC's current level of play. All this said, DC really likes all the extra training - I'm the one that is burning out.

I think that investing in sports at any age on the off chance that it will pay off in college is a mistake.

At the same time, if I had a kid, particularly a kid with a disability, who was busy with a healthy activity they loved, then I'd think hard about giving that up. It's really common for kids with this diagnosis to struggle in high school, and stopping something he loves because he's not in the top 2% seems like it could be really hurtful.

Could you rethink your goals. Maybe your goal is for him to be happy, and active, and busy, and have a strong body, and strong self esteem, and social connections? Then, provide whatever level of support you think those goals warrant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a sport, but my daughter dances with a professional ballet company and her training hours are similar to a high level sport.

Makes sense. Individual expressive sports like gymnastics, figure skating and ballet (I think ballet is just as athletic as any sport) seem to be a good fit for inattentive ADHD.

I asked her and she said it’s the interpretation of the music that keeps her going which I thought was interesting.

[Anonymous]

How does your kid do in school? All that extra money you're spending on private coaching may be more useful for private tutoring. College sports is a really lofty goal, I would suggest focusing on having fun, staying active, and keeping up with school work.