What sports/extra curriculars is your ADHD child doing?

and are they doing well/able to keep up?

DS has adhd (innatentive with a minor hyper aspect) and some processing issues (no testing yet for auditory processing disorder but we are headed that way I think). Anyway, he is 7. He was in soccer at 5 but we pulled hiim out b/c he wanted to just run the field. He has been in karate for a year now. He has advanced from the kiddie karate to the regular childrens class (you switch when you turn 7). I know it's harder than the kiddie class (paying more attention, putting moves together etc...). DS says he enjoys it and the instructors have not mentioned anything to us about DS not being able to keep up (although it does look to us like he cannot keep up). I'm inclined to keep him in the classes. DH want to pull him out. I do not think we should pull him out of sports etc... even if he seems to be a bit behind (not sure if it's age and maturity or the adhd and the processing issues making it seem like he isn't getting it though).

what have you done with regard to your adhd child and/or child with processing issues with respect to extracurriculars?

If he is enjoying it and the instructors are fine with him in the class, I would not even consider pulling him. Who cares how he is doing relative to the other kids. It's not like he's in training for the Olympics.

My ds has steadfastly refused to participate in most group activities. Sigh. We have insisted on swim, but have done either semi-private with friends or private. I also make him go to after school sports once a week. It is run by the PE teacher and is kids from his school on the school yard. He goes immediately from his classroom. This means he knows everyone already and he has no chance to whine to me about having to go and no chance to have a melt down about it. For the most part I tell him he has to do swim some of the time and the rest of the time he can pick something else, like after school sports instead if he prefers.

I WISH my child WANTED to go to an activity.

Catherine

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HIU8

He was in soccer at 5 but we pulled hiim out b/c he wanted to just run the field.

---

That was DS1 to a T, in soccer, at age 4. We gave up after one season. Karate was a disaster - he liked the kicking and punching part but could not wait for 3- seconds while the instructor gave directions. I pulled him after the 3rd class.

He did okay in swimming - I started him at age 3-1/2. The classes at our Y are pretty small and the teachers get a lot of SN kids. DS's issues were with not listening and splashing, and the instructors would give him timeouts where he had to sit next to the lifeguard, but he did well overall I think.

We did swimming for almost 2 years and then DS1 started saying he didn't want to go. The enitre swim staff knew him by then and they all knew how to work with him. I made him finish out the summer session (since he'd previously been asking to go) and then we took a break for about 6 months, when he started asking to go again.

We also started meds for ADHD in the last few months (he's combined type) and there's a huge difference in the pool. He's still splashing but is much more attentive. Also, he seems to prefer to be out & doing activites rather than at home all the time - a big difference from when he first started kindergarten this year. Because of DH's ongoing health issue I;ve had to ask friends to take DS out for activites and I think he really enjoys the extra stuff, in a way that he wouldn't have before.

DS1 has been asking about gymnastics for a while now, so tomorrow we're going to try out a class. I told the instructor that he's ADHD and she wasn't phased - they offer adaptive classes for SN and disabled kids. So maybe the trick is to find a class that will work with your child..we'll see how it goes. (But it sounds like your kid is doing well, no?)

My DDs with ADHD do swimming and soccer. They have also done lacrosse and horseback riding in the past and they use to ski regularly in the winter (we are no longer close to the mountains, so they only ski once a season now). Do you give meds for extracurriculars? We've found that this makes a big difference. I would say that of all the sports we've tried, swimming is the best. I find it to be very therapeutic. They are in a swim club that swims 3 times a week, and they do great. We started with private lessons, though, and stuck with those year round for a long time.