Back To School with ADD & ADHD

ADD and ADHD affect each child differently.  The severity of the ADD & ADHD is one reason for this.  One thing each child has in common is the lack of focus for any substantial period of time.  I am the owner  and Master instructor at Victory Martial Arts in Norman, OK.  Many of the children in our program have some level of ADD or ADHD.  We have had great success with these children by designing our program and curriculum around their needs.

Every child and many adults can benefit from increased focus.  I believe that the two main life skills to achieve success are FOUCS and CONFIDENCE.  If you have the ability to block out distractions and concentrate on your work and you believe in your ability to achieve success, you will succeed.

Of course there are other life skills important to success, like perseverance.  But, those are secondary to FOCUS and CONFIDENCE.

The children affected by ADD & ADHD often are victimized by bullies.  There is a direct correlation to lack of focus and lack of confidence.  A child that lacks confidence is the target of a bully.   Children with confidence DO NOT get bullied.

Does you child get frustrated easily with school work?

Does you child make comments or feel like they cannot succeed?

If a child is not able to stay on task they will become frustrated and start to act out in class.  This can and will cause many teachers to verbally reprimand the student.  So, the child is continually being corrected.  The constant correction will cause student to lose Self-Esteem quickly.  Here are a few tips  to help get your child ready for the upcoming school season.

1. Have your child focus on a task like a few spelling words for three minutes.  Then give them a break for 5-10 minutes.  Then repeat the process.  If they have trouble focusing for three minutes, lower the time.  You can use spelling words or a book.  The key it to stop before your child becomes frustrated.
2. Change your child's bedtime to what it will be when school starts.
3. Have home work time in the evening.  Make sure you use Idea # 1 
4. Start talking to your child now about school and what to expect.
5. Some child have a lot of anxiety about going back to school.  Get them up and go through your daily school routine.  You can actually take them to the school just like you would when school starts.  Once, you get to the school, get out and walk up to the doors.  Talk them in a positive manner about school.  If they ride the bus, take them to the bus stop.  This might seem a little extreme, but, it will get your child into the routine.

Usually, we as parents wait until school starts to change routines. This is a serious change for the children.  They are in a class with new kids, they have a new bedtime, homework, and much, much more.  It is important that we implement as many changes as we can slowly over time.  This will help your child adjust to going back to school.  

I have been very fortunate to teach hundreds and hundreds of children over the past ten years at Victory Martial Arts in Norman, OK.  My experience in teaching children has helped me identify some very important techniques that will increase a child's focus and increase their confidence at the same time.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  www.normankarate.com

Steve Swinford
Owner / Master Instructor
Victory Marial Arts
Norman, OK
405-447-3005