Article Dojo

As the parent of an ADHD child, I understand the challenges involved in raising a happy, well adjusted child. It’s not easy and it is frustrating. I’ve found a tool that has helped my family deal with ADHD, Martial Arts training.

The child with ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is gifted. This special child is creative and spontaneous with the ability to hyper-focus on any interesting task.

Conversely, this same child is a challenge to his parents because he can often be aggressive, hyper, distractible and impulsive. The world views him as “hard to handle” which can permanently harm self-esteem.

All children are impulsive, inattentive and easily distracted from time to time, but the ADHD child lives with these attributes frequently. You can aid your ADHD child by showing her how these character traits are an advantage, not a disadvantage.

Notwithstanding, ADHD is not just a shortness of capacity to remain attentive, but also the skill to focus intently on the subject matter of choice. Kids with ADHD don’t actually lack focus but have the tendency to focus unsuitably and are quick to become bored with a task.

A sport can be either a positive or nonconstructive experience for all children, but for the ADHD child even more so. Spending excess energy is always good for the ADHD child; however, playing on a team can be difficult for her if she can’t learn the rules of play or fulfill the role the team needs.

Martial arts, like tae kwon do, can be immensely therapeutic for the ADHD child because it allows aggressive behavior in a safely controlled environment. Directions are given by an instructor and immediately acted upon so there is a sense of relevance and immediate satisfaction.

A martial art like tae kwon do always emphasizes self-confidence, self-esteem and self-control as part of the curriculum. This is important for the ADHD child to have the confidence to believe what many consider negative character issues are actually positives.

Children learn the “right action” at the right moment which tempers impulsiveness and turns it into a positive action. Boredom is negligible due to the fast active pace of a martial arts class that is full of jumping and spinning, punching and kicking; the hyperactive child can unleash behavior in an appropriate way and be praised for it.

Another aspect of tae kwon do training is tolerance and respect for everyone no matter what label society might have imposed.

Many people assume ADHD is primarily a boy problem but this is not true. ADD which is the same disorder without the hyperactivity component, is diagnosed in girls in equal numbers to boys with ADHD. Both disorders are genetic; studies show 25% of children diagnosed have a parent with Attention Deficit.

You do not outgrow ADHD, so finding ways to mitigate its negative influences is critical to your child’s success. Give them the opportunity to learn how to turn these traits into advantages that can carry them throughout life.

Remember that the ADHD child carries positive traits that are often cultivated by successful businesspeople, entrepreneurs and athletes. Spontaneity, creativity, fast thinking, intense concentration, tenacity and high energy describe the most successful in our history like Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison and Mozart. That’s good company.