Teaching a Skater with Inattentive-type ADD

[CoachPA]

Any fellow coaches or parents up for sharing a few teaching techniques for teaching skaters with inattentive-type ADD?

Just today I took on a new private student (an eleven-year-old girl at the Alpha/Beta level). Her mom later mentioned to me that her daughter has the inattentive-type of ADD. This girl is on medication, but her mom felt her daughter's ADD was just something anyone working with her daughter should know about. And, I'm glad that her mom took the time to let me know this.

According to this girl's mom, this type of ADD should pose no problem at all, but I still want to be sensitive to this girl's needs to better accomodate her during our lesson.

It may help to mention that my sister also has this type of ADD, so I'm fairly familiar with the challenges it can present; I've seen it firsthand with my sister in the school environment. What worked for my sister--and I know things are different with every child--was to give one task at a time and provide short, direct directions. With my sister, her short term memory wasn't too great and she tended to get easily distracted, which is something this girl's mom has mentioned (for instance, talking on the ice rather than practicing).

I can read all day about ADD, but I'd rather hear firsthand about your coaching experiences with kids with this type of ADD. What worked? What didn't work? What can I do as a coach to provide better, more effective instruction?

[teresa]

It sounds like you have some great basic knowledge. I found, like mentioned, that only one or two skill areas should be focused on a time. These kids get overwhelmed easy which often leads to stress and over activity as a stress releaser. I found that talking in a quiet and calm voice helped them to listen. Bending down to their level, looking at them and contact helped them focus. A touch on the arm for example. Having them sit alone when anxiety builds for a few moments can help them reconnect and relax. Over excitement or anxiety can lead to a non-productive situation. I'm not a coach but I have worked as a teacher. I found that often how days went had everything to do with my paitence level on any given day. The more paitent I was the better they did. You learn a relationship with them on what works for them and you. Anxiety leads to over-hyper activity but controlled activity helps them focus and learn. =-) You'll learn from positive and negative days what is working, Negative days, they will happen, are the days you learn and do better.

teresa

[momof3chicks]

My eldest dd has non-verbal learning disorder and presents with some similar behaviors as inattentive type ADD.

Her horse back riding instructor has had a lot of success with making sure that each and EVERY time she says something to her during her lesson (especially in a crowd for example with alot of activity around her), she says her name first. This is a cue for her to focus on her instructor and what she is saying.

She is a national contender in horse showing in several events, so it has only minorly hampered her ability to be good at a sport requiring significant concentration.

[sk8lady]

This is going to sound weird, but when I'm working with an ADHD kid who is starting to disintegrate, I'll hold up a finger and say, "___, look at my finger." They stop and focus and then they can usually go on to do something else.

[sk8tmum]

Chunk the lessons. Don't have 20 minutes of the same thing; switch it up before they start to drift.
Do the stuff they don't like at the beginning before they lose the initial focus. Save the fun and enjoyed stuff for the end of the lesson when they are starting to lose self-management.
If you can, schedule the lessons around the meds cycle, if they are on meds. If they are on meds that cycle off at 8 p.m., then, you're setting yourself up for it if you have a lesson that starts at 8:30.
Similarly, if they are better in the a.m. than the p.m. ... try for the a.m.
Use "cueing" as noted above: start each direction with the child's name, wait until they focus on you, then proceed. Make sure you have the focus before you go forward, or you'll both get frustrated.
Pick freeskate music with clear "pulses" of sound (high notes, louder volume bits) that will help pull their attention back to the program ... helps if they get distracted in noisy environments.

Most importantly: ask the parent for advice. A lot of kids with ADD have had strategies put in place in the classroom and home (behaviour modification is the term often used) and if you are consistent with what they are doing you will reinforce the BMod strategies which the parents will love you for, and you'll have more success. Also ask the parents what DOESN'T work ...

My son has NVLD as well due to an early head injury, and I work with many students with Hyperactive, Inattentive and Combined subtypes of ADD. It makes it interesting sometimes ...

[sk8tmum]

My eldest dd has non-verbal learning disorder and presents with some similar behaviors as inattentive type ADD.

Her horse back riding instructor has had a lot of success with making sure that each and EVERY time she says something to her during her lesson (especially in a crowd for example with alot of activity around her), she says her name first. This is a cue for her to focus on her instructor and what she is saying.

She is a national contender in horse showing in several events, so it has only minorly hampered her ability to be good at a sport requiring significant concentration.

My NVLD kid is also quite successful ... it just took finding coaches who didn't expect him to react exactly the same way as any other kid to coaching strategies that had ALWAYS worked for EVERYONE else. Thinking outside the box ...

[sk8tmum]

Any fellow coaches or parents up for sharing a few teaching techniques for teaching skaters with inattentive-type ADD?

With my sister, her short term memory wasn't too great ...

Videocamera. Tape the skater and let them watch it. Tape jump and spin instructions. If you are choreographing something, skate it for them and tape it. Then they can watch it and help build it into long term memory, particularly if they are visual learners.