Sports & ADHD

The positive benefits of sports participation are well known, yet children with ADHD face unique challenges in that regard. Learning a sport requires focus and attention to detail---exactly what ADHD kids struggle with. "ADDitude Magazine" lists difficulty following directions, impulsivity, inattention and low frustration tolerance as four factors that impede sports success for children with ADHD. But with your help as a discerning parent, these children can succeed in sports.

Studies

• A study published in the "Journal of Attention Disorders" evaluated the sports behavior of 12-year-old boys with and without ADHD, playing both team and individual sports. The boys with ADHD showed more aggression, frequency of disqualification and emotional reactivity than the non-ADHD boys, though these were not necessarily of great intensity. The authors of this study encouraged parents to direct their ADHD children toward individual sports. Yet a study by researchers at the Lewis-Gale Clinic Department of Psychological Medicine, (commissioned by the U.S. Fencing Association Sport Medicine and Science Committee), found that, when properly treated, children with ADHD can effectively participate in a variety of sports activities.

Team Sports

• "ADDitude Magazine" states that team sports, especially contact sports, often are not the best choice for a child whose ADHD is not well controlled. Dr. Patricia Quinn, a developmental pediatrician at the Pediatric Development Center in Washington, D.C., says the experience is often "terribly deflating" and opposite of the sports experience children should have. Medication and/or behavioral intervention therapy, however, can contribute to successful participation.

Individual Sports

• Children with ADHD thrive with individual attention, whether from parents, teachers or coaches. For this reason, individual sports like swimming, wrestling or tennis are a good fit. Often, these sports also bestow some of the benefits of a team sport, without the pressure that comes from having to be aware of what teammates are doing. For example, the child may be part of a tennis team, yet the "effort and instruction are individual," according to Quinn.

Matching Child to Sport

• Dr. William Sears, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine and a parenting consultant, suggests parents use their knowledge of their child to encourage success in sports. For instance, ADHD children are prone to distraction, so playing outfield on a baseball team might not be the best idea. Maybe playing the infield, where there is a lot of action, would be better. Or perhaps running up and down a soccer field is a better choice for your child. Private or semi-private swimming lessons may alleviate problems encountered in group lessons. Consideration of an ADHD child's temperament when choosing a sport is crucial for a positive experience.

Considerations

• For most children, treating ADHD with medication, or not, will remain a family choice, without consideration of outside factors. There will be those, however, for whom being an athlete will become a major part of their lives, and the stimulants that are the medical drugs of choice for treating ADHD are also banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the International Olympic Committee. According to the researchers at the Lewis-Gale Clinic, while there are many mental training interventions that might have effects on ADHD similar to those of medication, not much research has been done on athletes using these methods.