my son has been in little league since he was 7 and he’s 9 now. He likes playing and loves the kids on his team, BUT, he struggles playing. It’s very clear he’s not paying attention and has even been made catcher to try and keep him in the game but even that is hit and miss for him. When he’s on he does OK but those off days overshadow the good with errors and goofing off and just not paying attention at all! I feel bad watching it happen cause I know what the parents and coaches are thinking but he likes playing. He’s an only child and loves the socialization. Im just not sure what to do or how to feel. It’s upsetting watching your kid struggle and he doesn’t even seem to realize it. For reference he’s medicated and it helps but I think in games where there’s all eyes on you, it doesn’t seem to do much.
9yr old baseball w/ ADHD: my son has... - CHADD's ADHD Pare...
9yr old baseball w/ ADHD
Thanks for posting this message.
From what I have heard baseball is a sport that takes a long time.
What do you think about getting him to try some other sports that have the team and kids but might be better for him.
Could you look at Tae Kwan Do ( this is more individual) or lacrosse or parkour ( this is more individual)?
Maybe these would be better for him.
Good luck
Hello Willowbee37,It's interesting that baseball is appealing to ADHD but I know several ADHDers who love it.
One suggestion is to get him on a team with younger players. His attention span and impulse control is more evenly matched to kids who are 6 or 7 years old. He may be too big to play with kids that young but even a year younger would match his energy better.
Another thought is to have him start some kind of meditation like Tai chi - a moving meditation. It really trains the brain to focus better and focus on what you want when you want. Even a family quiet time each morning for 5 minutes or to wind down before bed can be hugely impactful. There are some great kid focused guided meditation that keep them engaged.
Last thought is to find a less competitive team if that's an option. Sometimes even in little league there is the serious teams and the not so serious teams.
OK, I'm terrible at last thoughts! Something always pops into my mind. If you haven't already, talk to him about his different wiring. Let him know that when he is being goofy on the field the other kids don't get it, and that's OK it just causes friction when they don't understand. So if he loves baseball and meditation will make baseball more fun for everyone you may more easily get his buy in.
I hope that helps,
BLC89
Full disclosure: I am an ADHD Parent Coach. I have been married to ADHD for nearly 30 years and raised two kids who have ADHD
Good ideas, thanks! If he could play an age group down that would be amazing but it wouldn’t work. He’s really tall for his age and that alone would be an issue with the younger group, but really would be the best solution. It’s such a bummer cause he loves the team so much but I think we will finish out the season and try and find a new sport. Almost feels like a breakup cause he’s spent so much time with these kids!!
We felt the same way, it was hard for all of us to leave baseball. We still get together with all of the kids and families and stay in touch. Life long friends were made! It was difficult to transition but seeing our son so happy with other sports made all the difference. Best of luck to you.
But it's not ok to be goofy on the field. That's how people get hurt and it's not fair to everyone else on the team. They don't need to get it, it doesn't matter, it's still not ok.
Hello Klmamma,I can see how I may stated that in a confusing way. I didn't mean to imply the behavior was ok, I was saying it's ok if the other kids don't get him.
BLC89
I’ve explained that to him. He’s not that out of line though.
Maybe a different sport, like swimming, cross country, or tae kwon do, where he does something individual but it contributes to the group? Our son was the same as yours in these types of sports (soccer, flag football, baseball), and as he got older, he diverged more and more from the group. I would pull him before there's an "incident" that is traumatic or shows him he's not successful, personally (maybe someone else will disagree). Or try the younger kid group. Only issue with that, is that he will be clearly older and bigger and people may wonder why he's on the team---can also identify him as different.
I can sympathize. My son has been playing baseball since he was 5. He is now 12. He is technically good. Can hit the ball far and catch and everything. But he doesn't get the intricacies of the game. I've kept him in rec baseball only for this reason. Trouble is, he has dreams of becoming an MLB player. Without playing with the more advanced kids he probably won't get there. Going to see if maybe he can eventually try out for the high school team and see how that goes. But I really don't think he is wired to have the attention and maturity necessary to play really well.
Yes, that’s our exact problem.
Same, same, same. 😢
Is it possible the meds are wearing off by the time he plays the game? If not, maybe there’s too much noise… if that’s the case, maybe try loop earplugs? Definitely talk to his doc (without him knowing, since you don’t want to embarrass him further).
He does take a booster before games and practices. All the noise is definitely an issue but I’m not sure the earplugs would fly during a game. I was looking at the loops for the lunch room as he’s complained about how loud it is.
The good thing about loop earplugs is that it dissipates noise but not like a full plug. It’s made especially for people who want to keep hearing things, but get overwhelmed by too much at one time. My students use it in the classroom like noise canceling heaphones and are still participating in class discussions like a neurotypical.
We went through something similar in little league with our son. Baseball just wasn’t active enough for him even though he loved the sport and all of his friends on the team. He felt like he would get bored easily and the game was too long. He eventually moved on to other sports that made him happy with more movement and a challenge. He enjoys basketball the most and took up golfing! I wonder if trying something new might benefit him.
Yep, I think you’re right. When he was on machine pitch there were a lot more hits and plays going on. Now that he’s kid pitch it’s MUCH slower. I know we are gonna try swimming and I was thinking basketball as well.
Agree on checking if the medication effect has decreased by the time he is playing baseball. If so, ask his doctor about a short acting 'booster' for days when he plays.
He takes a booster before games and practices. It’s his first season with kid pitch from machine pitch so the games are lonnnnng and boring right now. He’s deathly scared to make a mistake too, which he has and had a really hard time getting over it.
I haven't been on here a lot lately because life has been kicking my butt, but I had to respond to this one. I feel your pain so much. Baseball was my son's favorite sport. He was really good; I used to joke he was better at 5 than I was at 12. But then, last spring, it just became impossible. He's only 7, but, no matter what I did, behaviorally or medicinally, he would sit down, play with the grass or dirt, climb the backdrop, steal snacks from the coaches bag, bat backwards. Having coached before, I felt bad for the coaches because he was fast absorbing all the attention. We ended up switching to basketball, and the pace has been much better; there's just so much stimulation. I miss sometimes coaching him and also taking him to baseball, though; it's such a nice world. (This was the last season before kid pitch, btw.)
Ice hockey!! ASHA is a national organization and will teach him to skate and supply all the equipment. Check out their site. Hopefully they are near you.
I will never understand the people who say have them do TKD, it's an individual sport. NO IT ISN'T. If your kid isn't engaged there, it's even worse than baseball. There is soooooo much standing still. So much listening. Testing to memorize, moves to get perfectly right and then the impulse control to not mess around during one steps so you don't physically hurt someone. It's not a sport that's for the vast majority of ADHD kids. We do it as a family so I can be there to help keep him on task and keep him from being a distraction to everyone around him.
Are his meds working while he's at baseball? I say just give it another year. My son was similar to yours the last two years, he's nearly 10 now and I have never seen him so laser focused on anything, besides Legos, as he is baseball this season. He's always got his eye on the ball, it's crazy. I'd just give it some more time and make sure his meds haven't worn off before games. We had to find a league that had morning weekend games bc evening games were pure torture for him, medicated or not.
my son loves, loves, loves baseball! It’s his “main” sport even though he’s just so-so at it - probably because of his inability to absorb all of the instructions. His problems have always been more behavior related though. Lots of tears when he was younger and lots of anger now. He Also plays soccer and basketball, which are sports where there is less focus on the individual player, and it’s night and day!! He does well bc they’re more active and is more comfortable bc all of the focus is not on him. Just my two cents!
My son has been playing little league since he was 5, and although he LOVES baseball he was often bored or distracted during practice and even games. He is 11 now and the past couple of years he has really gotten more into the game. He is paying more attention and goofing off less. I think it helps he is understanding the game better now that he is older and more experienced. My son is on methylphenidate and I can always tell when he has missed a dose. Sometimes on weekends he will have a medication break, but when he is playing baseball there is a noticeable difference in his performance and attention when he has not taken it. So I try to make sure he doesn't miss a dose on weekends that he has games.
If your son really loves baseball, I think the focus will come with time. 
And if baseball isn't his thing, he will find what really moves him and wow is it impressive how hard they can focus when they find something they love to do!
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