Sports and regular exercise can do a world of good for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Studies show that playing sports is an opportunity for children to learn essential values like teamwork, the importance of following directions, and working hard to achieve a goal.
The physical aspect of sports also gives children with ADHD an opportunity to release pent-up energy.
Although sports can provide numerous social and health benefits to a hyperactive or inattentive child, getting an ADHD child involved is not always easy.
Most children with ADHD are their own biggest opponents on the playing field.
An athlete needs structure, focus, and order to help the team win the game, which means that the issues that plague ADHD sufferers become magnified during training or the game itself.
Children with ADHD also experience learning disabilities that interfere with their spatial awareness, organization, game concepts, and strategies.
They may not be able to understand the rules as quickly as other children, which will make them feel frustrated or alienated from the team.
This will give rise to tantrums, aggression, and other inappropriate behaviors you want your child to overcome.
This is not to contradict the earlier statement about how beneficial sports can be to children with ADHD.
The wrong sports can bring out the worst in an ADHD child, but the right sports can teach them the skills they need to overcome the disorder.
What are these "wrong sports"?Contact sports and team sports are the worst types for children who do not have control over their ADHD symptoms.
In these sports, they are coached to understand the play system and the mental skills need to win the game - keen focus and acute awareness.
Unfortunately, they have not yet developed these mental abilities.
They are likely to be injured or injure their teammates, because they act before they think, are unaware of their teammates' locations, or fail to see the ball coming right at them.
This inability to play with a team will only make a child with ADHD suffer from self-esteem issues and set the stage for more unwanted aggressive behaviors.
On the other hand, experts have discovered that children with ADHD flourish in individual sports like gymnastics, swimming, and martial arts.
Unlike team sports, children in individual sports receive a lot of individual attention and guidance from the coach, leaving very few opportunities to get distracted or bored.
Instead of paying attention to the game and their teammates' movements, they focus on learning to control their own bodies and movements - a habit that they can eventually use in daily tasks.
Martial arts in particular are known to reduce ADHD symptoms, because they use structured rituals and meditation.
Structured rituals make certain good behaviors automatic, whereas meditation helps children to calm down and think before they make the next move.
Finally, even though children playing individual sports have a lot of one-on-one time with the coach, they also receive the social benefits of sports activities.
What's great about individual sports is that you can place your child in a group where he or she can easily form friendships.
Children with ADHD have a lower emotional quotient than expected for their age.
By placing them in a team made of younger children, they'll be exposed to a peer group they can relate to, which will increase their self-esteem and social aptitude.
So if you're thinking about getting your ADHD child involved in a sport, look into martial arts and other individual sports.