Parents of ADHD Soccer kids question
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Anonymous
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We suspect our kid, age 10 has ADHD and will get her evaluation once we head back to school next week. She is starting her 4th year of travel, on a high level team. We are noticing, what could likely be an ADHD issue pop up now. She is highly skilled when on the ball, but not focused at all when the play is not near her.
Have any other soccer parents of ADHD kids had a similar issue? Did ADHD medication help? Yes, we will work with last year's teacher and this year's teacher to fill out the evaluation paperwork and return it to her pediatrician. But, now that things are a little more serious on her team this year, we are noticing this issue and the better kids are a lot more focused for the entire session than our kid is. If you have any kind thoughts, I'd likely find them helpful and supportive. Thank you. |
Anonymous
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That was a problem for my kid when he played goalkeeper, which thankfully he no longer does. If the ball was at the other end of the field, he was completely unfocused. It was also an issue when he was on the bench—totally screwing around and not watching the game.
FWIW, we’re just starting meds so I can’t say yet whether that might help, but he does much better playing midfield where he rarely gets a break from the action. Good luck. |
Anonymous
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ADHD etc drugs are one of the most wrongfully highly prescribed medication in the US for kids
$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Anonymous
Meds are absolutely necessary for some ADHD kids. If your looking into an ADHD diagnosis because of sports, I find that very suspect. There would be evidence in all aspects of life, and to medicate your child for a perceived athletic advantage is wrong on many levels. |
Anonymous
| My kid’s sport is the one area where her ADHD isn’t a problem. |
Anonymous
| We found that ADHD issues kept our child from living up to their full potential in their sport. Kid was focused on the field but less attentive when on the bench or listening to the coach. In general coaches don’t care about accommodating. |
Anonymous
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To each their own.
But feel free to Google overprescription, rising diagnosis, financial gains for doctors and drug suppliers. Also, long term impact. |
Anonymous
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First and foremost I agree with the parent that said midfield is ideal. They need to be in a “busy” role.
Our daughter medicates to play, however not all medications work for all people for all situation. Our daughter’s school medication helps her reign in her energy and it also helps her focus by “dulling” the intensity of lots of inputs. That’s great for school but not great for the field. If you are going to medicate done assume it will be one size fits all. Our daughter also does focusing techniques like guided meditation, etc. she’s a HS player so her self-awareness and self-discipline probably is stronger, but really in our experience we needed to throw everything at this and trial and error until we found what worked. For example, she does math puzzles on the way to practices and games because it turns her brain on in a way that works for her. |
Anonymous
This feels like such a great answer. My child doesn’t struggle with ADHD but another issue that we had to decide to medicate or not. We did so much research and tried a variety of things until we decided medicating was best for them. People judging you flat out for choosing to medicate help nothing. Their judging helps no one. People deciding for you what role sport may positively play in your child’s life also not helpful. Getting my child back to playing confidently has helped every aspect of their life. Sport can bring so much to some, everyone has to decide the role it might play for their child. It’s true that many coaches are not super helpful. Often not in their wheelhouse, but if you get one that is, it can be amazingly helpful. I would say don’t assume, sometimes, not always they can surprise you. Good luck. I hope your family can figure out the right course for you. |
Anonymous
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Meds absolutely help. Don’t listen to the judgy-crunchy-stuck-in-the-1990s-antimed opinions, do what you need for your kid, and your home life. They’re extremely well studied at this point, including long term effects. They are safe when used correctly.
My DC was having struggles across the spectrum and while meds aren’t a cure-all, it improved her life even in sport. Good luck! It’s a journey, but getting that diagnosis, and then doing the parental self-education work will be a blessing for your ability to help your DC. That said, getting a diagnosis can be tough. Many many many teachers downplay symptoms because they have their own opinions about ADHD and what is supposed to look like. If your kid isn’t a “problem” for the teacher, they’ll likely mark all theirs observations right down the middle, even teachers who have ADHD kids of their own. It may take some serious advocacy on your part, so just prepare yourself for that. |
Anonymous
| Mine lost focus in goalie but has been a good defender. I think in part because the defenders are sort of calling the plays from back of field so you have to stay really engaged and thinking about the game the whole time. She may still just be too young to be playing that way though. I don’t think I really saw that kind of play until my kid was more like 13-14. |
Anonymous
This. I have a sporty kid who just got diagnosed in 6th last year. We’re trying therapy before meds. It’s totally wrong to put your kid on meds for sports. There are side effects. |
Anonymous
For the love, no one said they wanted their kid on meds FOR sports. Since parents don’t accompany their kids to school every day, the athletic field is one of the places they can observe how their child functions compared to other kids of the same age. |
Anonymous
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This is the OP, thank you all for your thoughtful responses. This issue was brought up by the teacher last year, as in, "she stares out the window often." We are trying to get our arms around other areas where ADHD could be impacting her (we didn't think it was much of an issue, but now at U11 it seems to present as a more significant issue.) Even her previous coach said she is either on or off. regarding attention.
Will get an assessment from her new teacher this year, just to get a more complete picture before pursing helpful modalities. Thank you and Good Day! |
Anonymous
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Make sure you get a formal diagnosis, please. They throw ADHD meds at kids that don't need it and it's awful.
Medication has half-life. It'll wear off before practices at night. My child needs meds for functioning in a classroom but not on the soccer field. It will not naturally fix her playing on the field whether she needs it or not. It can help; but it's not a cure-all. |