Parents of ADHD Children
Football and ADHD
Ok so it’s football season again. This is my sons second year (7 years old) any tips on helping him focus. He really wants to play, but is distracting other plays as well as himself. Dad is the coach and 2 other brothers play with him. He comes home crying and frustrated, but still wants to play. Help! FYI he is on coffee cruda and omega 3.
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Replies
I guess if coffee cruda and omega 3 are not working, and you really want him to succeed, you may need to evaluate a pharma regiman…
It’s not like Micheal Phelps who is in an individual sport and can use hyperfocus on swimming..team sports require ADHD kids to be aware of others..something they are not good at.
I think it’s quite possible that you will find that team sports are not for your son. As a boy I had good soccer skills and loved to play with a couple of friends kicking a ball around, but on team where you are not directly involved in the play all the time, staying focused is very difficult. Please don’t force failure on him. he may be a great athlete, just in the sports you like.
Individual sports work best for my son who is 12. I know this does not answer your question though. He tried soccer and it was a disaster, yet week long soccer camps, skills camps worked pretty well. If he really wants to play, you will have to consider another natural remedy I believe and/or some short-acting meds. Break down the plays with him and give him one or two directions at a time. Don’t expect him to follow complicated plays or multi-step directions. Tell him where his position starts and ends. I am not that well versed in football, but I hope you get the idea I am trying to say. You will have to work a little more individually with him or have a teammate help coach him.
He might be acting this way because his dad is the coach and he’s playing with siblings. Is there another team he could play on? I found that with my son. My husband coached soccer and our son was on the team but it just wasn’t working. Goofing around etc. we found that as soon as we put him on a different team that he listened a lot better. Your son knows what buttons to push with you and what he can get away with. He sounds like he really wants to play but I think it may be to much of a distraction with siblings. Maybe he feels like he’s not good enough or up to their standards and this could lower his self esteem. I know how competitive siblings can be. So his acting out is his way of getting attention. Good luck with this and I hope it all works out.
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