Home Especially For ParentsSocial Skills for Children Sports Sports, Exercise, and ADHD Exercise is good for all of us. Not only does it add to our health and well being, but striving to be physically fit teaches us many other skills as well. For the child or adult with ADHD, exercise and sports can help reinforce teamwork, discipline, cooperation, and how to work toward a goal. Plus, physical activity often increases self-esteem and satisfaction with life. But which sports are best for the child or adult with ADHD? And how do we help ourselves and our children persevere when the novelty wears off? Articles with a key are available to CHADD members. If you are a member, please log in. If you are not a member, join CHADD today. More about social skills Social Skills in Children Teens Adult Relationships Girls and Women School and Social Behavior Summer Vacations Holidays Anger Management Dealing with Stigma Children and ADHD Causes Treatment Coexisting Disorders School and ADHD

FAQ: Will NCAA Rules force a student to stop taking ADHD Medication? - NCAA Rules prohibit the use of stimulant medication for performance enhancement, but there is an exemption process for those with legitimate medical need.

Five Popular Approaches to Treating ADHD - Experts generally accept that the most effective treatment plans for children with ADHD combine parent training, behavioral intervention strategies, an appropriate education plan, education about ADHD, and carefully managed medication when necessary. While these treatments work for countless people, there are others who claim that approaches such as diet and exercise have helped them.

On the Move: ADHD-Friendly Sports - The discipline of an athletic sport can, for some, bring order to a busy mind. For people affected by ADHD, being active in a sport can help to improve symptoms and build self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment that could be lacking in other areas of their lives.

Does Competition Build Kid's Self-Esteem? - In our culture, competition is a fact of life from early childhood through retirement. How does it affect our children? And more specifically, how does it affect our children who have ADHD?

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy: Fostering Resilience and Self-Esteem in Children and Adults with ADHD and Related Disorders - Activities with horses can be beneficial for some people with ADHD. Children in a social skills group, for example, may be given activities in which they have to work as a team. They may act out a metaphor-based scenario that requires them to lead horses, ponies, or miniature horses through an imaginary adventure.

Keeping Up the Motivation to Exercise - Exercise is especially good for individuals with ADHD. It builds self-esteem, improves focus, and can help in relieving depression.

Tae Kwan Do - The benefits of Tae Kwon Do are, in large part, identical to those enjoyed by any and all dedicated martial artists: physical fitness, self-confidence, discipline, and the ability to protect oneself if necessary. A child with ADHD is apt to reap several benefits that are especially important in the context of the disorder.

Is Exercise Transformative? - A review of John Ratey's book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.

Professional Sports and ADHD

The treatment of ADHD has been fraught with controversy for sports professionals and Olympic competitors. Yet there are many professional athletes who have ADHD. Read CHADD's policy stance and some stories from those who have excelled in sports and managed their ADHD symptoms effectively.

CHADD Statement on ADHD and Sports Participation - Recognition of the value of participating in sports, as well as requests from professional athletes and Olympians, encouraged CHADD's board of directors to adopt a statement of issues, considerations, and philosophy when thinking about children and adults under medical treatment for ADHD and their participation in organized sports programs.

Finding Their Way: A Major League Baseball Family Deals with ADHD - Jeff and Cindy Conine agreed to share their experience with Attention readers because they recognize the impact ADHD has on their family. They also recognize, as Cindy observed, “People who don’t have it in their family, don’t get it.”

Scott Eyre Finds Relief - “I only wish I’d been diagnosed sooner,” says the former San Francisco Giants relief pitcher. Scott Eyre freely shares with the public his experience of living with and getting treatment for ADHD.