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The Magic of Martial Arts
One group of activities that Quinn promotes for nearly all ADHD kids, though, is martial arts such as taekwondo. "Martial arts are all about control. You learn to control your body. The movements are smooth. There is an element of meditation (internal self control) in taekwondo." In addition, she says, teachers instruct rather than coach; when the child is shown step by step how to do something, there's little opportunity for distraction.
A lasting benefit of martial arts comes from its use of rituals such as bowing to the instructor, Quinn believes. "Rituals are good for ADHD kids because they make behavior automatic," she says. "For most of us, daily actions such as remembering to take your medicine are automatic. But without rituals such as 'every time I brush my teeth I take my medicine,' people with ADHD don't remember." Martial arts rituals can help teach kids with ADHD to accept, develop and use rituals in other areas of their lives.
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