On the flip side, that same child can be difficult to parent due to frequent distractibility, impulsiveness, aggressiveness and hyperactivity. These traits usually define the ADHD child to the outside world and label them as "troublemakers" which can irreparably damage 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.

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 emphasizes self-control, self-confidence and self-esteem as an inherent part of its instruction for all students. For the ADHD student, this emphasis can be crucial to turning negative character traits into positives.

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.

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

ADHD is not a boy problem. An equal number of girls are diagnosed with ADD the counterpart lacking the hyperactivity component. It is a genetically passed difference in character. In fact, a large study found that 25% of children with Attention Deficit had a parent with the problem.

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.

The child with Attention Deficit bears the same positive characteristics that are cultivated by the successful in society. Artists, entrepreneurs, politicians and athletes are a few of the successful people whom history has described with classic ADHD traits. Some of the most creative, intense, spontaneous, tenacious and quick thinking people in history have probably had ADHD; Thomas Edison, Mozart and Winston Churchill to name but a few. That's not bad company at all.