QUESTION: My seven year-old daughter has AD/HD, and as early as now I'm looking at possible outlets for her energy, which are at the same time productive. I know that sports is great for persons with AD/HD, like Michael Phelps. But my daughter finds it difficult to focus on a task. Right now, she likes playing with our pets for long periods of time and she expels most of her energy. Most of the time the pets give up on her. She also likes playing games on her portable gaming device. But what are the choices that I have besides sports?

MANILA, Philippines — Teacher Genevieve says: A child with AD/HD is first and foremost, a CHILD. Having AD/HD is just one of the things that make her unique along with other traits, strengths and gifts that together make up who she is. Like any other child, she loves to play although her energy may surpass that of her playmates, as well as her pets!

To find out how you could divert her excess energy and translate it to a productive task, it would help to list down what her typical day would be like. Look at her existing schedule first and work around the possibility of doing what she’s already doing in an extraordinary way!

A typical day for the ADHD child
Parents of children with AD/HD know that there is no such thing as a “typical day” for a child with AD/HD. Each day is full of surprises, may it be an unexpected comment to a teacher that has brought the whole class laughing hysterically on their knees (depends on the teacher if she shares the same sense of humor — either her teacher appreciates the joke, or she’s sent to the guidance office!), or an action or reaction that would have just been in everyone else’s thought bubble but your child actually carried out (like dressing up your pet in the most outrageous outfit ever).

Planning productive activities for your child should not necessarily be complicated nor costly. A question you should ask yourself is — “How can I make the ordinary, extraordinary?” How can you insert novelty and creativity in her everyday tasks?

Delegating simple household chores to her can be a way of keeping her busy while instilling values such as responsibility, diligence and independence even at the young age of seven.

You can introduce simple baking and food preparation activities like sandwich-making or making beverages for the family to enjoy. She can also help in setting the table (a great way to use up her energy) or cooking up a theme meal such as a Mexican meal where she could create hats for everyone, to go with their tacos! This would require her to remain focused in completing a task — a behavior that we would want her to learn.

Since she loves pets, assign her to feed, bathe, and clean-up after her pets. Give her an incentive like getting her pet a new collar or bowl, and allowing her to bring her pet to animal-friendly malls on weekends if she does her special role to care for your pets. It would help if you post a visual schedule tacked on your refrigerator or her room so she will be reminded of her responsibilities.

Optimizing strengths
One of the strengths of children with AD/HD is that they think out-of-the-box. They are brimming with creativity and are natural risk-takers.

Optimize these traits by finding ways to spice up everyday activities that she can actively participate in. Even cleaning up her room can be fun! Allow her to express herself freely by decorating her own room.

Give her “motivators” — possible rewards which can be tangible (a desired toy that she has to work for) or an activity reward (playing with her favorite gadget for a longer period of time). These will not only redirect her energies to a productive task, they would also improve her tolerance to frustration, lessen her impulsivity, and on the whole, improve her ability to regulate her emotions.

Now that summer vacation is approaching, you should start thinking of ways to keep her occupied with activities that she would find interesting, may it be engaging her in a sport like swimming, or enlisting her in a summer camp.

Being with other kids in a semi-structured environment where she is expected to follow camp rules, interchange roles of being a leader and a follower in a group, and contribute to the achievement of a goal for the benefit of all can bring out the best in your child. This would be a better alternative to playing with gadgets. It would be like hitting two birds with one stone, serving as an outlet for her hyperactivity, and promoting positive social skills that would benefit her in the long-term.

At the age of seven, there are still many possibilities for discovering her natural gifts. The only way to find out is by relentlessly pursuing what interests her and in the process, finding out where her strengths lie and how best you could hone her talent and potentials.

Having AD/HD is a gift, if only you know where to look.

The author is the executive director of ALRES-PHILS. and the chairperson of the SPED Department of Miriam College. A pediatric physiotherapist and special educator, she is currently pursuing her doctorate studies majoring in Special Education at U.P. Diliman. She is a staunch advocate for children with special needs. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask our SPED specialists. Just send your queries to MByouthsection@gmail.com