A few tips for coaching kids with ADHD , whether you are a parent or a youth coach, will help you get the most out of the young athlete and make your life much easier as a parent or coach. Most tips are common sense and are very easy to implement.

Stand Up Coaches

If you are coaching kids, stand up and take a bow. You deserve plenty of praise and understanding. It’s not easy, it’s usually as a volunteer, and it takes up way more time they you think.

You Will be Coaching Kids With ADHD

If you are coaching a team of young athletes, there is a good chance you have a few kids with ADHD on your team. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 11 percent of school-age kids, and 19 percent of high school-age boys have been diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. There are probably another good-sized percentage who have not yet been diagnosed, especially if you are coaching at the younger levels. Some helpful tips for coaching kids with ADHD will certainly come in handy.

6 Tips for Coaching Kids With ADHD

To make the experience more positive for everyone there are a few basic tips for coaching kids with ADHD to consider.

• If you are a parent help your child find the right activity. For example, if your child has poor spatial awareness and emotional triggers caused by ADHD, then a team sport may not be the best choice.
• Always be understanding and patient. This should certainly go for all kids at the younger levels of sports. If you are constantly frustrated with kids and screaming at your team, you may not be cut out for coaching.
• One of the most important tips for coaching kids with ADHD is to make time for one-one-one instruction, this is often difficult if you are the only coach, but if you have help, make sure to take a little extra time to instruct in a one-on-one environment.
• Keep your practices structured and simple. Once again, this is great advice for all levels of sports. Doing this will help all members of your team, but will be especially important for the players with ADHD.
• Here’s a tip for coaching kids with ADHD that you might not hear often – rotate your players to different positions. This is usually done at the lower levels, but as kids advance in age and talent, coaches tend to lock them into one or two positions. However, children with ADHD like to be in different, active positions. For example, it may not be best to put a child with ADHD as goalie for an entire game.
• Educate yourself about ADHD. Learning about the best tips for coaching kids with ADHD is a start. Most parents of ADHD children spend time finding out as much as they can about the disorder. However, most coaches, especially volunteer ones, lack much knowledge of ADHD. If you are coaching kids who you know have the disorder, spend a little time learning more about it and discovering how you can help those kids achieve their potential and most importantly, have fun.

Give this strategy a try and see for yourself that it works. If you liked this coaching tip, leave a comment or use the handy bookmark buttons below to share it with others on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc. Thanks!

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community