ADHD Body and Brain Work in Tandem

"The Body Affects the Brain as

Much as the Brain Affects the Body"

It is known that half the kids who have attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADD/ADHD are easily distracted, get angry quickly, experience mood swings and cannot focus and concentrate long enough to finish their work at school nor at home.

Inattention in ADD/ADHD Students will result in the following behaviors:

*Has difficulty listening to lectures, instructions, presentations

*Misplaces tools (pencil, eraser, scribbler, books, lunch box)

*Seems disorganized and always rushing, moving

*Has trouble with tasks that require planning ahead

*Forgets things, neglects to write notes, lists, schedules
*Is easily distracted by classmates, outside noises, other family members

Why Fidgeting Works

This urge for constant motion in Hyperactive children is their way of coping. It is believed that these children’s brains are under-aroused and they use motion to stimulate their brain to focus and listen. If these Special Needs children can manage to subconsciously fidget or chew, say with Kid Companions chewelry, it allows their mind to focus on the main tasks. This is exactly like many people do when they doodle while speaking on the phone or when they listen to music while doing another task.

What Accomodations Should be Made in School

In a school environment, all accommodations given to the student with ADD/ADHD must not be disruptive to the rest of the class. Giving these children quieter options in class and organizing movement breaks for this child during long sitting periods will help him accomplish much more. Making him feel it is OK to quietly stand, do wall pushes or chair pushes will be very beneficial. Standing in the back is another option or sitting on a huge ball, swivel or rocking chairs has proven successful with some hyperactive students.

The adults in the life of a child with attention disorders must help him learn strategies to self regulate his energy body so that he can listen, learn and blend in with his peers.

What is the most effective accommodation that has been made for your child with ADD/ADHD?

Michael Phelps~ ADHD Did Not Stop Him

When Debbie Phleps, mom to Michael PHLEPS, the swimming sensation who dazzled the world at the Beijing Olympics, speaks of Michael as a young boy many parents can relate to the first part of her son’s life. "Never sat still, never closed his mouth, always asking questions, always jumping from one thing to another. But I just said, `He's a boy,'"

But he was not just being a boy, because at age 9, in fifth grade, her son's lack of focus and fidgety behavior, was diagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD.

In an interview by MICHAEL WINERIP in The New York Times, Debbie Phleps said that as a little boy, he asked 25 zillion questions, always wanting to be the center of attention. If he wasn’t zooming by on his big-wheel tricycle, he was swinging by on monkey bars.

With preschool, teachers complained: Michael couldn’t stay quiet at quiet time, Michael wouldn’t sit at circle time, Michael didn’t keep his hands to himself, Michael was giggling and laughing and nudging kids for attention.


In elementary grades, Michael would disturb other children and could not sit quietly nor focus on schoolwork. Michael was an attention seeker and he used to talk without even thinking once. His teachers used to call him an immature guy.

Michael ‘s mom, a teacher, noticed that he would be calmer if his activities were tightly organized like the swimming group he belonged to. The sport of swimming is very disciplined. I know very well as my three children have been on swim teams. Even though it is an individual sport, there is great camaraderie at practices and around the pool at swim meets. The swimmers feel they owe it to their swim team, their coach and to themselves to improve their personal best times by practicing daily and by living a healthy life.

My swimmers were driven to channel all their energies and stay focused to shave off those few precious seconds. Early morning practices and some days repeating the same thing after school burns a lot of pent up energy. Swimmers must make the most of every minute at school. With many weekend swim meets, daily practices meaning early bedtimes, swimmers do not want to end up with a lot of homework.  Swimmers must learn to organize and prioritize to survive!

For two years Michael was treated with medications, Ritalin, and behavior modification. “He had to go to the school nurse’s office to take a pill at lunch,” Debbie Phelps said, “and felt stigmatized. Out of the blue, he said to me: ‘I don’t want to do this anymore, Mom. My buddies don’t do it. I can do this on my own.”

By 11, Michael was managing his ADHD without medication. "When you look at the sport of swimming, it's very regimented. There's time management built into that component, there's set things you do sequentially," Debbie Phelps said.

Ms. Phelps watched the boy who couldn’t sit still at school sit for four hours at a meet waiting to swim his five minutes’ worth of races. At the Beijing Olympics, Michael won eight gold medals, breaking the 1972 record set by fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz.

For children with ADHD who do not have, the swimming, the teacher mom, the coaches, the behavior management programs and support... that Michael Phelps had,  professional help and medication should be considered because their lives and school work and their parents' lives and homework can be made much easier.


Do you know a child with ADHD who became more disciplined by adding a passionate activity to his life?