The world is abuzz with the news about Michael Phelps. He who won eight (Beijing) Olympic gold medals in swimming, surpassing and breaking the record of Mark Spitz who had 7 gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics. All in all, he has 14 gold medals, the most any Olympian has ever won.

Need I mention that the predicted fortune the eight gold medals will bring him would be close to $100 million due to product endorsements?

As everybody knows by now, he has ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

So what so special about having ADHD and how does it relate to him winning a lot of gold and breaking world records?

It is NOT just having the ADHD that helped him win these, as the theme of the news reports reporting on this interesting aspect about him. It was a lot more.

His mother, Debbie Phelps was a middle school principal did her best to help her son: “I believe that appropriate treatment, including behavioral therapy and medication, can benefit children and adolescents with ADHD.” Click here to read more.

She was quoted here to have describing Michael as:

“He never sat still. He never shut up; he would never stop asking questions,” his mom says. “He just wanted to go from one thing to another.”

Debbie Phelps is a big help in developing Michael and his skills. She even wrote an article with tips on how to help manage a child with ADHD: Back to School: Help Your Child with ADHD Succeed In and Out of the Classroom.

Michael was diagnosed with ADHD and was on Ritalin until he reached 11 years old. He used to be angered easily when he losses. He focused instead, on winning, on getting his hand on the wall before anybody else does. Click here to read the article.

On dry land, Michael Phelps is said to be unsure of his footing. He even injured his wrist when he had a fall. He was hyperflexible on land, characteristic of those with ADHD who manages to trip on their own feet. Click here to read about the incredible prediction of Michael Phelp’s future victories when he was just 11 years old, written in a 2004 article.

So what does this post of mine have to do with sports and having ADHD?

Children diagnosed with ADHD are always recommended to engage in sports. Some of my students are involved in swimming, basketball, martial arts and even golf, to help them channel their energy and develop their focus and attention.

Developing the focus and attention is very important with those who are diagnosed with ADHD because these will help them use the skills in other areas like in a classroom setting and even social setting.

Sports also teaches them discipline and sportsmanship.

Discipline that will help hem mange their behavior so that they can focus more.

Sportsmanship will help them accept defeat. Most children diagnosed with ADHD that I have worked with have low frustration tolerance and they have difficulty accepting defeat. More often than not, they lose in the games being played not because they do not know how to play by the rules properly but because of their behavior, the lack of focus and the lack of attention to tasks.

I hope that the success story of Michael Phelps inspire families to do their best in helping their children achieve their goals.

As with the tried and tested saying goes: “Its not about the winning, its about how one played the game.” (or something like it)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 1:48 pm and is filed under ADHD, Being a (Special Ed) Teacher, Challenge Yourself, In the News, Lessons in Life, Parenting, Teaching Techniques, behavior modification, special education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.