Chapter 7: ADD and ADHD

Attention deficit and Attention deficit hyperactive disorder are two of the most common diagnosed neurological issue in a school setting. This also happens to be near and dear to my heart as I have actually been diagnosed with ADHD. I was young and I struggled in school really bad, like so bad I was refereed to special education my 1st grade year. My mom has worked in the mental health field for 20+ years so she was very well aware of what health impairments constituted a Sped eval and what health impairments did not warrant assistance from special education. Eventually we found out I was not a slow reader, I actually could read very well, but when I was in a class and had 25 new friends to hang out with, there was so much more to worry about than reading about some fox on the pier stealing ice cream! I have never been medicated for my ADHD, I have learned a lot of self regulating tasks to keep my ADHD under control and not make it more of an issue than it needs to be.

ADHD and ADD affect many students in different ways, ADHD by the numbers is below:

* The chart does a great job of breaking down who is affected by ADHD, as you can see men are more affected than women by almost 300%.

The Image to the left, is a personal belief of mine. I believe students with ADHD are marked and are "typecast" into these roles that are not real or organic. I feel as if kids with ADHD have these "labels" even though people react differently to ADHD and how they handle it. Too many kids are unfairly labeled and not given te opportunity to be successful without the help of an IEP or pills. We need to look at teaching regulation skills as well and moving to the pill after unsuccessful attempts at self regulation.

Now to connect ADHD to sports the benefits are immense! The benefits of Sports to a student with ADHD is a huge intervention to assist these students in living a fulfilling life. I want to share story of a young man shared on Academic One File:

"Jon is nine years old and playing in a youth soccer game for the first time. He has wanted to play for several years, but his parents thought he was too immature. As the game proceeds, Jon pulls at the grass and is distracted by nearby traffic and spectators, apparently oblivious to game flow and coach's directions. Impulsively, he runs to the sideline to ask his mother about dinner. On the way to the playing field he runs into the back of a teammate and shoves him out of the way. When the game ends Jon runs to the car without talking to his teammates.

Jon's parents are frustrated by his behaviors and are at a loss as to how to help his participate successfully in organized youth sport activities. Even as a toddler Jon acted impulsively, was easily distracted, had difficulty following directions, and threw frequent temper tantrums. Even now, he seldom finishes what he starts, including play activities.

Much of Jon's time is spent playing alone; friendships are characterized by frequent turbulent disagreements. Return invitations to friend's homes are few; consequently, Jon has unusually low self-esteem.

Overall, Jon is a bright, inquisitive youngster who genuinely wants to please those around him. Unfortunately, sometimes he cannot seem to control his behaviors and has difficulty paying attention to anything." [5]

The researchers who shared this story came to this conclusion:

"Children with ADHD can successfully be integrated into youth sport activities. For example, one parent of an eight-year-old with ADHD reflected, "Of all the activities Bobby engages in, his behavior seems most normal during soccer practice and games!" However, it must be noted that Bobby's successful integration into youth soccer came after failed attempts at other sport activities and only when a supportive coach was identified who regularly communicated with Bobby's parents regarding his progress." [5]

This quote essentially chimes why I do what I do. Coaches involved with students with high needs (ADHD students) can make their sports experience, so this student failed over and over but one coach gave him a chance to succeed, saw the student as more than a diagnosis. This is an important lesson on dealing with ADHD. The benefits are wide spreading as these kids are able to interact with their peers and they can use their hyperactivity as a tool rather than a disability.

We need great coaches, if you are reading this and want to coach check out the following websites:

OSAA.org

NFHS.org

Thanks for reading!

References:

Decker, Jim, & Voege, Debra. (1992). Integrating children with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity into youth sport. *Palaestra,* *8*(4), 16. [5]