Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Thank you to everyone you who has asked to learn more about ADHD. If your Little has ADHD, we hope that the following information will be a valuable reference for you. For more ADHD resources, visit the websites listed at the end of the article.

Best activities for children with ADHD

• Acting out scenarios or putting on skits - Being able to act out different characters and scenes is a terrific outlet for a child with ADHD.
• Model building, carving, woodworking, or mechanical activities - Children with ADHD often love to solve problems or puzzles. Building models or making things out of wood or metal will help your Little learn how to turn her ideas into concrete reality. Successfully completing a project where she has something solid and visible to show for it can be extremely rewarding to your Little.
• Swimming - Swimming requires physical effort and concentration, plus it's fun.
• Art and music - Art and music are two great ways to help your Little express herself. Just remember that it's not about how well she draws or sings; the most important thing is that she gets a chance to say something about herself. 
• Sports - The physical exertion will keep them engaged, and learning the rules and following them teaches discipline, patience and social skills.
  

Worst activities for children with ADHD

• Excessive television - Kids with ADHD are ill-equipped to choose which messages to pay attention to. Also, watching TV takes time away from developing important learning skills and social interactions, and from physical exercise.
• Video games - Some children with ADHD become addicted to video games and have trouble turning them off.
• Games with long waiting periods - Any game or activity that involves long periods of inactivity, or a long sequence of steps to complete, can be tough for children with ADHD who don't often have the patience necessary to succeed at these games. Common examples include standing in long lines at amusement parks or complex card and board games. If your Little wants to play a game that involves waiting in line or sitting patiently for long stretches, have snacks and small items that he can fidget with (a ball or toy) available, and be prepared to play a talking game or tell a story.
  

What to think about when choosing activities for your Little

• The best activities for a child with ADHD make good use of her time, teach essential life skills, are educational, use surplus energy, are fun, and make her feel good about herself. Activities that are interesting to children with ADHD tend to have the following characteristics:
• Novelty - Children with ADHD constantly crave novelty. They have difficulty isolating single events from all the others in their environment. Many try to compensate for this barrage of stimulation by focusing on the loudest, most exciting, or most novel event. For instance, if you watch an ADHD child channel surf, he'll stop only for the next gunshot, explosion, or attention-grabbing commercial. Activities that are fast-paced or very stimulating are usually best.
• Immersion - Children with ADHD often have a poor sense of past and future and primarily focus on the here and now. For instance, if your Little had a great week at school but had a problem ten minutes ago, she'll focus on the problem and the bad feelings associated with it instead of the successful week she's had. Conversely, if her week was filled with frustrations and failures yet ended with a success, your Little will focus on the good feelings, making it difficult for her to learn from her mistakes. So the best activities are ones that require or allow for your child's complete physical and mental immersion. The more intense the activity, the better your child's chance is of sustaining the attention necessary to complete the activity.
• Reward Activities that provide frequent praise and short-term recognition in the form of awards or healthy treats tend to be the most gratifying for them.
• Physical activity Physical activities are essential to your Little’s well being and also help his brain "normalize" in a way that allows him to focus, remain calm, and stay on task.
  

Adapted from an article at http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/bigkid/gspecialneeds/67358.html

For more information

www.help4adhd.org
Information and current research and allows you to email specific questions to one of their knowledgeable staff members.

www.chadd.org
More general information and resources, geared toward parents and families of people with ADHD.