Need Opinions Please - 7yo w/ADHD firearms training

[QKShooter]

I went through much of this with a family member.
Try these things below...or at least as many of them as is possible with a 7 year old.
Just curious as to if you've investigated and tried some natural approaches to limit the severity of her ADHD?

>You should also take your child to a qualified allergist to eliminate a possible unknown severe allergic reaction as a possible cause or aggravating factor of her ADHD.

Proper diet is super important. Here are some things that have been proved to greatly help.

> Eliminate artificial colorants, additives, preservatives, and refined sugars as much as possible.
> Artificial sweeteners should be totally avoided as well as drinks containing caffeine.
> Limit dairy products and Kids Type fruit drinks. They are nothing more than liquid candy.
> Switch to whole foods fruit, whole grain cereal, whole grain bread, brown rice, millet and buckwheat.
> Increase Omega 3s, and use only Extra Virgin Olive Oil or unrefined sesame oil.
> Add a flax seed oil supplement and a seaweed supplement.
> Increase her daily intake of raw vegetables AKA leafy green and orange vegetables.
> Increase walking, outdoor activity, and exercise.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[1911NM]

I can't give professional advice in a venue like this, but let's just say as someone who has worked professionally with numerous children who had been diagnosed ADHD, either hyperactive or inattentive type, one of the keys to positive functioning has been structure, ie., structured daily activities, and time at the range, if consistently structured, IMHO, may show benefits on several different levels.

[rabywk]

My son, pictured to the left, has ADHD and he shoots smallbore / air rifle competition. I am an instructor and a couple of the kids have the same. Yes when you start them out, you have to spend more time with them to ensure that they fully understand firearm safety, but I have noticed they make some of the better shooters I have.

Someone said it and I think it is true. ADHD children have one of two problems. They either have problems concentrating on a task or they clear their mind and only concentrate on the task at hand and nothing else. Well most of the kids on the range do that. They go into a "I am shooting" mindset and concentrate completely on it (including the safety aspect).

Now when the clear the line and it is time to go switch targets and turn them in for scoring, yes they are the ones that are hyper, but once they get back to the line they start some awesome concentration again.

[Rob72]

Don't you think you should be asking your physician about this?

Considering where the AMA spends considerable sums of money and thousands of "research" hours, you're likely to get about the same answer as if you asked if heterosexual monogamous relationships are a necessity in replenishing a society- "Absolutely not!"

[imatt]

I don't want to get into the discussion about whether ADHD is a chemical problem, learned behavior, or anything else. I do want to address letting someone that has been diagnosed as ADD/ADHD shoot.

Simply put, a few years ago these children were not medicated. They were considered trouble makers and things were handled from there. Most of the children that would be medicated today had to find a non-chemical way through life. Many of them found that by having something that required intense focus and concentration they could better cope with their "problem." Shooting sports, running, golf, and other things that are basically you against yourself can be a great way to work through the issues.

Only you know if shooting is the right answer for your child. But, I would look to get them involved in some sort of individual sporting/athletic event. Just my three cents, take it for what it is worth.

I was one of these kids. Judging from my social interactions and performance back in school I would have easily fit the mold for one of the add/adhd kids. My dad let me shoot some (a little), and you DO find it easier to focus once you are holding something that has a bit of danger involved. A kid that's going to flip out and turn on you with a gun is NOT add/adhd.

What helped me was getting a computer -- and with it being an outlet to run wide open programming, surfing, hacking, etc. Nothing to slow me down, nobody to tell me to focus on one specific thing. That's what helped keep me in check until a little maturity kicked in.

Heck it still helps to this day.

An easy way to see if your kid can focus well enough to handle a firearm is to observe how they handle an unloaded firearm.

[havegunjoe]

I don't know much about the disorder but I don't see why you can't shoot with her. As with any young child stay in close proximity while supervising the shooting. I'm sure you will have an enjoyable time with your daughter. Good luck!

[Manan]

My son too has ADHD. I think it would be good for your child to learn to shoot. Shooting requires intense concentration. It would be good mind exercise for her. It will also give her added confidence. Spending time with her parent is always a good thing.

My son is 24 and still has issues with this disorder.

[tk4878]

QKShooter, thanks for bringing alternative treatments to the discussion. Our son has ADHD. We tried diet and routine changes, supplements, etc. When DS started taking medicine, everything improved. His grades and self esteem. He was feeling pretty bad about himself and wanted to know why everyone laughed at him. He cried and wanted to know what was wrong with him. He was only 6. I still get furious thinking about what he went through. I was one of those people who said that "those kids don't need medicine, they just need a good spanking." Talk about Karma coming around and biting you in the butt! It is easy for those without children or without ADD/ADHD kids to say medicine is over used. I agree to an extent. But in our case...medicine saved our son. Steve63, the best thing for any child is parental attention. One on one with your daughter will be a special time for the both of you. Teach her about guns and more power to you!

[QKShooter]

Folks might want to try a few alternative in addition to the prescribed meds.

I hear you.
Kids can be so downright cruel to other kids.

[Rock and Glock]

Proper diet is super important. Here are some things that have been proved to greatly help.

> Eliminate artificial colorants, additives, preservatives, and refined sugars as much as possible.
> Artificial sweeteners should be totally avoided as well as drinks containing caffeine.
> Limit dairy products and Kids Type fruit drinks. They are nothing more than liquid candy.
> Switch to whole foods fruit, whole grain cereal, whole grain bread, brown rice, millet and buckwheat.
> Increase Omega 3s, and use only Extra Virgin Olive Oil or unrefined sesame oil.
> Add a flax seed oil supplement and a seaweed supplement.
> Increase her daily intake of raw vegetables AKA leafy green and orange vegetables.
> Increase walking, outdoor activity, and exercise.

Hah! This is a great recipe for all of us! Too true regardless!

[ttpete]

I wouldn't start a 7 year old out on anything but a single shot .22 rimfire rifle. And it needs to have a short stock. I believe there was one purpose built for kids called a Chipmunk. It's also better to find a quiet place without people and distractions so one can concentrate on giving instruction.

[rachilders]

All seven year olds have short attention spans and are easily distracted. What everyone has said about one-on-one sessions and close supervision is correct even without ADD/ADHD. Shooting sports can help anyone to learn to focus better so I would encourage you to work on this with her and enjoy some great time and an effective tool for helping her deal with this problem.

++1

I'm a BB gun/archery/slingshot range master for our local cub scout pack and have three 8 y/o boys (triplets) at home, so I see the truth in the above statement on a daily basis! Just don't mistake the regular hyperactivity and 2 minute attention span of all young kids for something else.

One of my boys has Cerebral Palsy (guess which one in the photo's) and the best way we've found to help him cope with it is to treat him exactly the same as his two brothers. We all - his brothers included - recognize that he has a problem that sometimes requires certain adjustments from everyone, but aside from that he also knows we expect no less of him than his brothers and his condition's not an excuse for not trying. He's a scout, plays soccer and baseball and does everything his brothers can do. It may take longer to do some things and he may not be quite as good sometimes as other kids his age, but he knows we expect him to try his best. If he does that, whether he comes in first or last isn't as important as giving his best effort and not quiting.

[steve63]

Folks, I appreciate all of the replies and the great information, thanks. This is a great forum.

[rabywk]

Folks, I appreciate all of the replies and the great information, thanks. This is a great forum.

Steve,

ADHD/ADD can be a problem on other fronts. Video games is also a way for your child to keep his concentration and once they learn this, it will be all they want to do. Be careful and keep a close eye on the activities that your child chooses. Something simple might become a problem. My son would sit down to play a game and get lost in it for hours. When we would talk to him about it he would say he was only playing it for 15 minutes when it had been 3 hours. Well we started setting a timer and give him a max of 1 hour a day.

The good thing was stated before. My son is addicted to sports also, so that is the good thing. He stays very active and once they day is done, he is exhausted and calm.

Monday nights - Soccer
Tuesday nights - Smallbore Rifle shooting
Wednesday nights - free
Thursday nights - Soccer
Friday nights - Guitar
Saturday - With the old man at the range for IDPA practice
Sunday - free

This schedule keeps him busy. When the schedule clears and he has nothing to do, I see his hyperactivity really start to kick in. This is something you have to learn to deal with. I remember as a young child he would have loads of energy before bedtime. We use to play games were we would set a lot of toys out at the other end of the room and have him run and pick up the one we would say and then bring it back. Then choose another one and this went on until he burned out all the excess energy.

This might sound like we were playing fetch with our child, but we made it into a game and he knew all his colors, letters, and numbers because of this. Make it fun and just remember these children can do anything the other kids can do. You just have to learn how to manage their time.

Good luck to you and if you ever have any questions send over a pm and I will help (if I can). Remember I am not a doctor, but I have stayed in a Holiday Express before.

[phaed]

i'm one of the people that believes it doesn't exist. i'm also a person that would be diagnosed with it if i ever bothered to go to a shrink. there is a great amount of variety in us humans, and not until recently did we feel the need to put labels on everything. kids of all variety have been learning to shoot since guns were invented. no reason to stop now.