Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Each child with ADHD is unique. A personalised approach is best to achieve optimum outcomes for your children. At Bodyfit Physio we consider ADHD to be a neurodiversity, not a disability. We look forward to finding ways to make it easier for your child to live the life that they want to live.

Coordination issues present differently in children with ADHD. Despite being on the go, their movement is often miss-directed, and they may not have the focus to be able to learn from practice. This lack of connection with their bodies can exaggerate other functional issues that they have, as well as giving them direct issues with the development of gross and fine motor skills.

Our approach to assessing your child:

The information that we get from you is invaluable. You know your child better than anyone else
Written information is very welcome prior to your appointment, especially if your child does not like to be talked about
In the initial consult we usually assess Fundamental Movement Skills such as:
- Balance
- Run
- Jump
- Hop
- Throw
- Catch
If it is relevant to your child, we will assess their handwriting
The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2) compares your child’s outcomes with normative values for other children their age.
- Your paediatrician can use the results of this assessment to evaluate whether your child has Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
- Details of the assessment and costs can be found here (link to DCD assessment and pricing – I’ve made a letter, need to post as a blog)

Issues that some families with a child with ADHD might want to address with physio can include:

Running
Jumping
Body awareness
Posture
Endurance
Ball skills
Handwriting

Physiotherapy approaches that families with a child with ADHD find useful:

Activities that you and your child can do at home
- Your child may have difficulty focusing on learning new tasks
- Practice in between Physio sessions greatly enhances the benefits of Physio management
- The CO-OP (Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance) approach has been shown in research to achieve excellent results. The essence theory of these approach involves:
  - New tasks are broken down into bite sized pieces before being put together
  - Pieces need to be ‘just right’ for your child. Not too easy, not too hard
Pilates and Physio Fun
- Individual session or ‘groups’ of 2
- Kids love using the Pilates equipment
- We love using our Pilates equipment to build movement skills like:
Finding the midline position and holding it with an activity
- Finding a ‘zero degree’ knee position and holding it with an activity
- Core strength
- General strength
- Standing posture
- Sitting posture
- Classes also include skills such as
  - Balance
  - Throwing
  - Catching
  - Running
  - Jumping
Treatment is tailored to the individual and other approaches can be used
Visits to schools, social or sports activities in the community can be useful. We begin by addressing whatever issues are relevant for your child. We enjoy adapting your child’s environment to make things easier for them, either by suggesting modifications to activities or by working with those who interact with your child to build their capacity to make modifications.