Symptoms

Some of the symptoms one may see in children with ADD is restlessness, which can bother other students and instructors. They may also have a short attention span and easily be distracted, hindering their ability to follow directions and perform consistently. Students with ADD may also be impulsive, blurting out answers and starting tasks before the instructions are completed. They may also act before they think or procrastinate on tasks. They also may be stuck on a single task. These actions can cause obvious distractions but also possible injuries if directions aren't followed or tasks are begun before others are ready.

As an illness, ADHD is 5 to 7 times more common in boys than girls and affects up to 5% of children making it the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder in children.

There are three types of ADD:

• Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity: busy, moving, inattentive, impulsive, and energetic.
• Attention Deficit Disorder, Inattentive Type: distracted, daydreaming, bored, unmotivated.
• Attention Deficit Disorder, Combined: distracted and moving.

There are also three sub-types of ADD:

• ADD, Over-Focused: gets stuck on one thing
• ADD, Depressed: irritable, and as the title suggests, depressed.
• ADD, Explosive: exhibits bursts of anger.

Strategies

Since we all know of the enjoyments children have in the martial arts classroom, we need to simply make some modifications to the learning environment in order to help children with ADD succeed.

• Reduce Distractions: Place students in the front of the room to reduce distractions. That way they don't have to watch all their fellow students and forget to watch you. Now consider the various visual and auditory stimuli in the room. Are there posters all over the wall? Are the parents being a bit loud? Are the phones, air conditioner, heater, and traffic loud? Reduce the amount of distractions to create a better learning environment. One piece of visual information will help the ADD student: the rules of the school; a visual reminder is recommended to assist them as well as placing students who are the role models in the classrooms near the ADD student.
  
• Expand Time Frames: When learning a new skill, expand the time given to this new skill to give the ADD student a better chance at fully comprehending it. ADD children often have a sense of failure and frustration because of the disorder, but giving a bit more time can help alleve this.
  
• Compliment: Since children with ADD tend to feel a sense of failure and frustration, positive reinforcement is a must. Give them positive reinforcement when it is merited. If they are doing excellent kicks, or sparring well, or can get through a form without any problem. Reward them for their good work. If they deserve Student of the Month, announce it to their peers in class and award them with the honor. If they do well at a tournament, let others know. By succeeding at their tasks, they will begin to put their martial arts attitude into effect in everyday life.
  
• Keep It Simple: We tell our adults to do this when creating techniques and improvising. Keep it simple. So apply this elsewhere. For example: you do not tell the kids to "Line up facing the front feet together hands at the side." You tell them to "Line up." This applies to ADD students. Keep the directions simple and direct. If you gave an ADD student a direction like the former, they'd be thinking about supper before you got to the word "feet". That being said, keep your directions simple throughout. Phrase directions and instructions to describe what you want the child to do and keep it short and sweet.

Works Consulted

• WebMD.com- articles on ADD/ADHD


• National Institue of Mental Health. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)- Questions and Answers. NIMH