I think my son has ADD inattentive. He hasn't been diagnosed and isn't on any medication.

He loves all things new but once he's bored it's like pulling teeth to get him to do anything.

He has great potential in baseball and I've been paying for private lessons which he enjoys. But to get him to practice at home is misery. He could be hitting home runs all the time if he would just practice a little.

It's like that for his drum lessons and school also.

Does medication help with sports? I believe it will help him in school and music lessons because he has to sit still for the duration. But sports?

I don't know. Can anybody comment on their child's treatment and its effect on sports?

This is a hard one. It could be ADD, then again, he might just be bored or burnt out. I have seen that a lot with kids and sports and music. If he is bored with it and doesn't like it anymore, medication will not make him like it again. I would highly question any diagnosis or perscription where performance in sports is a high priority.

My daughter is ADHD innattentive type. The meds definately help with sports. For example:

Softball; without meds, when in the field, digging holes int he dirt, looking at the trees, spinning around. With meds - watching the batter.

Swimming; without meds, gets halfway down the lane and slows down to look at the other kids, form goes to crop.

Soccer; similar problems.

We definately make sure we give her meds for the times she is doing sports.

Does medication help with sports? I believe it will help him in school and music lessons because he has to sit still for the duration. But sports?
http://www.addforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=592339&postcount=23

The neurotransmitter Dopamine is necessary for muscular movement. Personally, I found piano lessons much easier when I started taking meds.

Re: motivating kids with lessons:
My daughter is musically gifted and loves the piano more than other instruments she plays. Because she is talented, we knew that it wasn't important how long she practiced, just that she go over what was assigned at weekly lessons.

If I didn't hear music when she decided to practice, I would come from wherever I was in the house and ask if she was having trouble with a piece. If she challenged the necessity of a few minutes of practice, I would calmly say, "Then quit. It will save me a lot of time and money." She hated it when I said that because she knew I truly meant it!! :D

She has now played piano for seventeen years and it has given her, and so many others, much pleasure. She proudly tells people how grateful she is that her mother made her practice and refused to let her quit taking lessons!

My daughter is ADHD innattentive type. The meds definately help with sports. For example:

Softball; without meds, when in the field, digging holes int he dirt, looking at the trees, spinning around. With meds - watching the batter.

Swimming; without meds, gets halfway down the lane and slows down to look at the other kids, form goes to crop.

Soccer; similar problems.

We definately make sure we give her meds for the times she is doing sports.This post reminded me of a conversation with a grandma about her young granddaughter's first soccer season. The little girl would rather pick dandelions than watch for the ball and the coach thinks that's just fine.

MM, what do your son's teachers say about his behaviour in school? Have they identified any problems? Is he consistently showing difficulties in school? How old is he?

The reason I ask this is because, with my kids at least, if they aren't maniacally interested in something forget about practicing, whether they show ability or not. That might be the case with any child, ADD or not. Even if they are maniacally interested in something, like IMNAPL's daughter, they will go through periods of not wanting to practice. Personally, I think that's okay. If they are interested, they'll come back to their choice when it's their choice. I have also found that if they have a break they tend to come back with renewed vigour and sometimes with greater ability.

If he's enjoying the lessons, let him enjoy them. Praise him when he does practice. Praise him when he shows improvement due to practicing. If he doesn't practice, but still takes lessons he enjoys and improves or doesn't decline, let that be. If he is ADD pushing him to practice will alienate him from the activities in which he shows ability. ADDers live with so much disappointment you don't want him to feel he has failed yet again in this way...

Make sure the enjoyment of the activity is really there, and not just novelty. All kids enjoy novelty and positive attention in even areas they may not be interested in. Letting him set his own pace is the best way of knowing his real interest.

I watched an eight year-old chess champion during a match on Sunday. He took a year off. Can you imagine that? I think any parent would be worried about wasted potential! A year later, he's back playing competitive chess and it's his choice. Then there is the parent reality check. How many kids are really going to end up playing professional baseball? Or symphony musicians? Or international grandmasters? If they do, they often do it despite us parents :)

Also, don't forget, the ability to make the choice what, when and how to quit something is an important life lesson. Sometimes quitting is the only intelligent thing to do. If we don't allow our kids that then their accomplishments are ours as parents and not theirs as children, or as fully realized individuals.

I'm ADD(PI). One thing I've noticed is that while I excelled in sports in middle school and high school, I did all individual sports.

That includes track and cross-country, where its just the individual vs. himself for the most part, and then scores compared. And also tennis, swimming, badmiton, etc. Sports where you play against someone else, but still are alone.

Perhaps your son would do better at sports where he can focus more on himself and needs to pay less attention to many people around him. I always found it hard to focus on so many things at once with some team based sports, so I found myself leaning towards individual activities that can be practiced alone (even tennis can, e.g. hitting serves, hitting against wall, etc.).


I also agree with the above post. Well written and echoes my sentiments. I was lucky enough to have parents with the same views.




As for combining meds and sports, I would argue against it. If you are in doubt, take a look at some of the studies showing the strain stimulants + exercise puts on the cardiovascular system. Kids shouldn't be developing heart damage (or at least greatly raising their future risk for such) at such a young age!

As for Meds and sports, i don't know, as J no longer takes his meds and is doing fine:)

However, when J was in hockey, I found that practices =:p

games, more action he can focus