Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)  affects 9.4% of children and adolescents (6.1 million). Not only does ADHD affect cognitive issues, but it also affects behavior and mood. ADHD can be detrimental to students, and they can be perceived as disrespectful and disruptive or inattentive to others due to the symptoms that come with ADHD. One of the best ways to help students with ADHD is to get them involved in a sport or organization that helps foster skills to help them manage.

ADHD has a huge impact on academic performance for students of all ages. The majority of the time, these students will have difficulty focusing on assignments, remembering dates, and other important  things. Teachers who are not able to recognize this will deem students as indifferent toward academics. 

ADHD, for the most part, is obvious in students, but for people who don’t take the time to understand and accommodate, it will develop into something worse for students.

Students of all ages need an outlet to remove the energy left over from the day’s activities; students with ADHD just need more of an outlet since they have more energy left. 

Sports provide the perfect channel for students with or without ADHD to get rid of stress and unspent energy. Not only do sports provide a perfect outlet, they also help ADHD students engage their brain and work around mental obstacles. 

Sports also help ADHD students compartmentalize by making it easier to focus on one action instead of everything at once. 

Sounds chaotic right? Speaking from experience, it’s like turning a switch off and on, allowing focus to be diverted from one subject to the next. 

When I’m about to go to school after morning practice for Shy-Annes, my brain switches gears and immediately jumps to all the assignments that I need to get done for the day. 

I figured out a system to deal with this, by first relaxing and then untangling my brain. I have found that I must separate academics from dance, and then separate everything else from my home life. Putting things in their own mental place is an organization requirement when dealing with ADHD.

People with ADHD have a more difficult time focusing on one task, and instead try to do everything at once, so it may seem that people with ADHD are being forgetful and uncaring. In reality, student brains are trying to shift gears and remember all the information that they have been given throughout the day. 

With interventions and support, students with ADHD can be successful and excel in all of their classes. Like any student, they just need a set of organization and academic skills specific to their needs to help them overcome the obstacles and barriers in front of them.