ADHD and Tae kwon do - Your Child's Success Strategy
If you have a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, then you have a wonderfully gifted child. The ADHD child is spontaneous, creative and can hyper focus on a task they find interesting.
Conversely, this same child is a challenge to parents because they can often be aggressive, hyper, distractible and impulsive. The world views these children as "hard to handle" which can permanently harm self-esteem.
It is true that all children are inattentive, impulsive and easily distracted sometimes, but the child with ADHD experiences these traits most of the time. As a parent, you can help your child to perceive ADHD temperament traits as an advantage or 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.
Sports can be either constructive or negative for all children but more so for the ADHD child. Expelling extra energy is a positive side to sports, but playing on a team is often frustrating to the child, coach and teammates. It can be difficult to learn to adhere to the rules and fulfill particular needs of the team.
Martial arts can be tremendously therapeutic for the ADHD child. A martial art like tae kwon do provides a safe, controlled environment where aggressive behavior is permitted. The Master gives instructions that are quickly acted on. This provides a relevance to the actions and immediate gratification.
Tae kwon do stresses self-confidence and control which, when mastered, raises self-esteem for any student. ADHD children can benefit from this type of instruction because it increases confidence and they learn to see what some call negative character traits as positive attributes.
The discipline inherent in martial arts begins to form habits which serve to temper impulsive behaviors. It's impossible to become bored because the martial arts class is active with a fast pace. The students jump, spin, kick and punch in controlled ways which delight the hyperactive child and is considered good form in this environment.
An important quality of tae kwon do instruction is respect and acceptance of all people despite the labels society has placed on them.
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 can never outgrow ADHD, so you must help your child find ways to work with the negative aspects to build success. Give her the chance to learn how to change negative traits into advantages to take into adulthood.
There have been many successful people in history who most probably suffered from ADHD. The common traits to all these businesspeople, athletes, politicians, artists and entrepreneurs can be pared down to what some would consider negative traits. Tenacity, fast thinking, spontaneity, intense concentration and creativity were the characteristics of Mozart, Thomas Edison and Winston Churchill. Not bad company to keep.
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About the Author
To learn more on how tae kwon do instruction can benefit your ADHD child, visit Kalynn Amadio's excellent website Taekwondo-Network and read more about the types of classes a reputable school offers for kids tae kwon do lessons.
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by: KalynnAmadio
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