Parents of ADHD Soccer kids question

[Anonymous]

Meds help my child dramatically in all aspects of his life, most importantly school. He takes an afternoon booster dose to help with focusing on homework which helps a lot. It helps a bit with soccer, but that is not our reason for making that choice.

And medication is a decision that is personal and there is no universal right answer but it is absurd to categorically tell someone you don't know it is the right or wrong decision.

My child has gone from barely being able to function at school to becoming a straight A student and he is dramatically happier, better able to navigate friendships, and more confident.

Medication is far from a panacea and it is not the right answer for all kids at all, but can be a helpful tool in addition to therapy and other supports.

And if it helps in soccer too, that's great, but agree it should not be a primary purpose.

[Anonymous]

Kid went from having ADHD to being cured without meds.

Coincidentally, we took away her phone during the same period

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid went from having ADHD to being cured without meds.

Coincidentally, we took away her phone during the same period

PP, what do you suggest for ADHD kids who don't have phones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid went from having ADHD to being cured without meds.

Coincidentally, we took away her phone during the same period

PP, what do you suggest for ADHD kids who don't have phones?

I'm a Mechanical Engineer, not a Doctor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid went from having ADHD to being cured without meds.

Coincidentally, we took away her phone during the same period

Your child never actually had ADHD. Congrats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid went from having ADHD to being cured without meds.

Coincidentally, we took away her phone during the same period

Your child never actually had ADHD. Congrats.

Not according to the school counselors

[Anonymous]

All kids are different but moving our DD with anxiety and ADHD to a defensive position really helped for some reason.

[Anonymous]

No, we haven't experienced that issue, but DS has been on medication for the entire period he has been playing travel (for reasons unrelated to soccer).

[Anonymous]

I have an ADHD kid who plays high-level travel hockey kid, and I can relate. He was diagnosed at 4 and has been on medication since first grade.

Medication is tricky - DS needs a short, short-acting dose in the afternoons, but I watch closely because sometimes it makes him less aggressive.

Focus, what people closely call "hockey IQ," and spatial awareness remain challenges. He has managed to stay on his current team because he's the fastest and most skilled player, but he gets yelled at more than any other player for messing up drills and making the wrong play in a game. I think it will remain a challenge for as long as he plays.

We've worked with a sports psychologist on meditations he can use before games. Unclear if it's helping.

We also work with another coach (a current college player) to watch game footage together. This is definitely helping.

Finally, if your kid is on a stimulant, you have to really push them to eat enough. I make a huge breakfast after school, and after practice, I am ready with protein shakes, peanut butter protein balls, etc. I have to remind him to eat because the stimulants suppress his appetite, and the end result is that he looks depleted in evening practices unless I push him to eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an ADHD kid who plays high-level travel hockey kid, and I can relate. He was diagnosed at 4 and has been on medication since first grade.

Medication is tricky - DS needs a short, short-acting dose in the afternoons, but I watch closely because sometimes it makes him less aggressive.

Focus, what people closely call "hockey IQ," and spatial awareness remain challenges. He has managed to stay on his current team because he's the fastest and most skilled player, but he gets yelled at more than any other player for messing up drills and making the wrong play in a game. I think it will remain a challenge for as long as he plays.

We've worked with a sports psychologist on meditations he can use before games. Unclear if it's helping.

We also work with another coach (a current college player) to watch game footage together. This is definitely helping.

Finally, if your kid is on a stimulant, you have to really push them to eat enough. I make a huge breakfast after school, and after practice, I am ready with protein shakes, peanut butter protein balls, etc. I have to remind him to eat because the stimulants suppress his appetite, and the end result is that he looks depleted in evening practices unless I push him to eat.

Also, we moved him to play center (or winger, depending on the coach) when he was younger because he's more engaged in those positions. He'd "fall asleep" on the blue line when he played defense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid went from having ADHD to being cured without meds.

Coincidentally, we took away her phone during the same period

PP, what do you suggest for ADHD kids who don't have phones?

I'm a Mechanical Engineer, not a Doctor

That's pretty obvious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid went from having ADHD to being cured without meds.

Coincidentally, we took away her phone during the same period

Your child never actually had ADHD. Congrats.

Not according to the school counselors

So, not appropriately tested. Sounds about right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s sport is the one area where her ADHD isn’t a problem.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Let's pause. So your child has ADHD and needs special attention from the coach?

Anonymous wrote: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]

Anonymous wrote:Let's pause. So your child has ADHD and needs special attention from the coach?

Anonymous wrote: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.

DP with an older kid. We got coaching outside of team practice (skills coach, trainer, someone to review game footage). We found appealing to the team coach regarding DC’s ADHD most often backfired. DC learned one one-on-one and tried to keep it together at team practices. I'm guessing this all ends with DC playing the sport recreationally and possibly running track/XC by the end of high school and into college. Great athlete, but the challenges are real.