sports for adhd?
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Anonymous
| My 5 year old was diagnosed with ADHD. He is still in preschool, but he loves sports so we have signed him up in the past for soccer and basketball. But when he gets into the classes or teams, he refuses to play (even though he plays these sports with his brother and dad all the time). It seems like the chaos of all of the kids and or anxiety around new kids makes him shut down and refuse to play. We know he is young, but he has difficulty with self modulation and we want him to get into a sport or do something athletic b/c he seems to crave it. We also tried karate a year ago b/c people said that was good for ADHD, but he was overwhelmed with the place, the kids, etc. and refused to do it. Does anyone have any ideas? We want him to be confident and don't want to force him into situations per se, but he does seem to have an allergic reaction to a lot of noise and kids (anxiety?). |
Anonymous
| You could try a different karate studio. My DS was in karate at a place where 30-40 kids did it together. He flipped out and we had to pull him out. we switched him to a place where the kids are broken up into smaller groups and he loved it. That was over a year ago. he has since decided he wants to try other things so we are attempting soccer again. |
Anonymous
| Thanks for your post. Can I ask: What studio was it? We tried one in Kensington and my son wasn't into it. He wants to do baseball too, but I have read that that is really hard with ADHD kids b/c it can be so slow.... |
Anonymous
| Single-focus activities like archery, swimming and running are good for kids with ADHD. |
Anonymous
|
12:01 again. My DS did karate at kicks karate in Rockville.
Ironically, he loves to run and we just signed him up for track and field. We are attempting soccer again. It's only 8 sessions so it's not a league or anything--hopefully a year makes a difference........ |
Anonymous
| did you or DH coach the team? five-yo in pre-k is very young with or without ADHD for team sports, and half of the kids melt down a few times i'm sure. if you or DH could participate it might help him with transition a bit. |
Anonymous
| Yes, my husband was an assistant coach. Maybe we have expectations that are too high re: team sports. We just are worried about him going to kindergarten and are trying to encourage him to try new things and meet new kids (outside of his preschool). He happens to love sports b/c his older brother is into it. Maybe we should pursue this karate or gymnastics, which is less of a team thing. |
Anonymous
Where did you sign him up for track and field? |
Anonymous
| Swimming is good. |
Anonymous
| 13:47 +1 Individual sports |
Anonymous
Agree about less team sports and more individual ones but definitely wouldn't give any 5 year old anything metal, pointy, and sharp, so archery's out. OP, many ADHD kids have executive functioning issues, which is why DS can kick the ball around with dad, but it all falls to pieces on the field with the coach, players, ball--too many things to process. I would also add gymnastics to what others have suggested. Maybe also try: https://www.fitnessforhealth.org/default.aspx |
Anonymous
|
I'll also add dance or ballet if your child is so inclined. DS takes ballet and it's great for kids with ADHD. There is a lot of structure and the dance studio environment is free of lots of distractions.
I agree with the other suggestions -- track, swimming. Team sports definitely can be hard, although DS also likes basketball. |
Anonymous
| My 6 yr old w/ severe ADHD does gymnastics, diving and lacrosse. He tried soccer this past fall and it was on again/off again in terms of concentration. I have this strange feeling that the helmet for lacrosse cancels out some of the overwhelming stimulus that flows into his head. He is less competant in gymnastics because he has trouble relating instructions to his muscles, but he is a natural on the diving board. Too bad there is no competitive diving at this age (that I know of!) |
Anonymous
| My 5 y.o DC has severe ADHD. Med's have helped significantly, and he does very well now in tae kwon do and he takes private swim lessons and does very well there. Prior to diagnosis, soccer was a nightmare cause he didn't pay attention (I now know he couldn't) and he was too distracted in swim classes. |
Anonymous
| Are there running groups/clubs for young children in Montgomery County? |