ADD Student

Archive for the ‘ADD’ Category

You may know about the research that says that music such as Mozart can help kids with ADHD or other learning disabilities retain more of what they learn.

But did you know that music lessons – learning to read music and play an instrument – can also be beneficial for people with Attention Deficit Disorder?

There have been several studies done on the relationship between the brain and learning to read and play music. They show that the combination of skills required to both read and play music helps both sides of the brain learn to work together more effectively, resulting in improved learning.

A few different studies have also indicated that the brains of people who took music lessons for any length of time are larger than those of people who did not take music. One indicated that about 75% of the CEOs in Silicon Valley had taken music lessons as a child.

Music lessons have also shown to increase math and science skills.

Although most of the studies I looked at involved either younger children (12 & under) or interviews with adults about childhood experiences, I believe that music instruction can benefit anyone of any age.

If your child’s school offers music lessons, I would certainly encourage you to check into them. I would also suggest that you check with local music stores in terms of private lessons, which I think would be more beneficial to someone with ADHD. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised at the cost.

Years ago my daughter Caitlin took guitar lessons when we lived in the Detroit metropolitan area. My husband Mark takes lessons where we live now – a much more rural environment. In both cases, lessons were about $15-20 per week.

The other advantage of private lessons is that you have a wider choice of instruments. Talking your kid into learning guitar might be a lot easier than learning to play the tuba in marching band.

In 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps amazed the world by winning eight gold medals in swimming. The fact that he has ADHD just made it that much sweeter for those of us who share Michael Phelp’s diagnosis.

Phelps has said that he started swimming at age seven (shortly after his diagnosis of ADHD) partly because of his sisters, but also to help channel the abundance of energy he had.

Now another Olympic gold medal winner has opened up about his ADHD. Adam Kreek, an Olympic rower, also won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. And like Michael Phelps, Kreek sought out rowing as a way to burn off his excess energy, saying

“Anyone with ADHD can train their mind to control the incredible energy people with ADHD have,” said Kreek, who describes himself as a high energy child who had trouble concentrating. “I found rowing to be an outlet to control my ADHD.”

Kreek, who has a degree from Stanford in geotechnical engineering and hydrology, has decided to speak out
about ADHD in order to shed a more positive light on it and to remove some of the stigma associated with it.

It’s always wonderful when a positive role model who happens to have ADHD decides to share their experience with others. I think as parents of ADHD kids we are especially appreciative.

Your child may not ever be an Olympic athlete, but I think that the experience of team activities such as sports is good for them in so many ways.

ADHD + Teens = Risky Business

The teen years are difficult for everybody – kids with ADHD, kids without ADHD, parents, teachers – everybody.

Growing intro the person you are and dealing with raging hormones can be hard on anyone. But when you add ADHD to the mix, things can get very risky.

People with ADHD often have poor impulse control; they act before they think. ADDers are also risk takers – doing almost anything to get that adrenaline rush. Don’t forget that until they are in their 20’s, ADHD kids are 3-5 years behind their actual age emotionally.

Now consider the things that most teens are exposed to these days: drug use, alcohol use, sex, peer pressure, maybe even gangs or other violence. The simple act of learning to drive – a teen right of passage – becomes way riskier when you have ADHD.

And don’t forget that people who have untreated or inadequately treated ADHD have a need to self medicate. Even kids on ADHD medication have the potential to misuse those drugs.

What can you do as the parent of an ADHD teen? Here are some ideas:

Keep communication lines open. Keep the relationship between you and your teen positive and open. A loving family relationship can often help teens stay on the right path.

Educate your teen. Let them know that as a teen who has ADHD, they are more susceptible to risky business. Forewarned is forearmed.

Make sure the medication (if they take it) is still working. Hormones and growth spurts can affect ADHD symptoms, and they affect boys differently than girls. An adjustment may be necessary.

Make sure they are taking their medication appropriately. Teens often object to taking medication for ADHD for a variety of reasons. They may feel that they don’t need it, dislike the stigma attached to it, or not like the way it makes them feel. Make sure they actually are taking it and not by passing it or abusing it.

Give them alternatives. If you haven’t already, teach them other ways to manage ADHD symptoms, such as meditation or exercise.