Benefits of Outdoor Play for Kids With ADHD and Mood Disorders

Kids have lots of energy. Kids with ADHD have even more energy. And when you mix in a mood disorder with the ADHD and multiply that by two because there are two kids dealing with the same things, it can really get interesting. 

One of my favorite ways to deal with this is to get outside. Get outside and move. A lot. For hours. As often as possible. Spending time outside is simply part of our routine and it is expected. It is non-negotiable. If the weather is nice we are going outside. And when the kids get used to the idea it becomes a welcome part of the day. As you can see from our schedule here we currently have around four hours a day scheduled to be outside. This varies with the seasons of course but as much as possible we try to get out of the house. 

Being outside offers a lot of benefits for a child with abundant energy and the need to move a lot and make a lot of noise. There are fewer restrictions to constantly have to be reminded of. There is room to run and jump and throw things and climb things. There is freedom from the constant reminder to "use your inside voice." For a child who is struggling with remembering all the rules while dealing with all the erratic brain signals this can be very freeing. 

Many children with ADHD and mood disorders may also benefit from the neurotransmitters and endorphins that are produced in the brain during exercise. The neurotransmitters dopamine, neurepinephrine and seratonin are lower in children with ADHD. These substances can also benefit those with symptoms of mood disorders. So all that running and jumping and throwing and riding has not only the benefit of burning off some energy but also producing some pretty important substances in the brain. 

Studies have also shown that some children's ADHD symptoms are milder after playing in green spaces. There is something about being out in nature that seems to quiet the brain and help control the random impulses that are so problematic for children with ADHD.

And all these benefits are free for the taking. Just open the door and head to the backyard or nearest park or playground and have fun!

SOURCES

ADHD and Exercise

Exercise and Bipolar Mood Disorder

For Kids with ADHD, Regular 'Green Time' is Linked to Milder Symptoms

Looking Beyond the Labels

We are a unique family. Probably unique in several ways (Isn't every family?) but one of the ways I want to write about today is the presence of all the labels we live with in our house and my love/hate relationship with them (the labels, not the people.)

In our family we carry the following labels - ADHD (3 people), mood disorder (2), Noverbal Learning Disorder, also known as NLD (1),  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD (1), Intellectual Disability or ID (1).  And some days I think maybe we could throw a few more labels in there just for good measure but I'm really not sure I want to pursue it. 

On one hand, I know these labels are necessary, and help to identify what is going on and give a clearer idea of what we can do to help make things better. 

But, there are also times when these labels frustrate me. They frustrate me because once a label is applied it is far to easy to look at the label rather than the unique, wonderful person who is really there. It is so easy to get so caught up in medications, and therapies and services and appointments and evaluations of every kind and to lose sight of the child. It can also become easy to use these labels as excuses instead of expecting each child to be the very best version of themselves they can be. 

More and more I find myself looking away from all these labels and everything that comes with them and simply asking God who it is He meant for this child to be and how I can be an instrument to help them become that person. And often  that does include therapies and medications and I have no problem with that. But I also believe it is only a small part of the total person.

Of course, this means I have to spend time truly understanding and knowing each child. Sometimes it means working really hard to find ways of doing things that will work for this person. Often it requires looking at some things from a totally different perspective, a complete paradigm shift. And that's okay. That forces me to grow and learn and change and become more than I would ever have become without this mental exercise. And then, because I know how hard it can be for me make that shift, I have a better understanding of how hard it for the child to make the shift from his/her way of perceiving the world to understand mine. 

I often remember what a doctor told me one day when I was on a quest to make things "better." He reminded me that end of the day (or month, or year) regardless of the official diagnosis, each individual is just that, an individual, and they deserve to be loved and respected as that unique individual. Not as a label, but as a person.  


So my goal is to help each child, whether they have a "label" or not, to become the person they were created to be. I want to provide them with a life that is rich and full of experiences that stretch and enrich the mind, body and spirit. I want to see each of these kids soar. 


Jeremiah 29:11 applies to each person equally regardless of labels.


"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

No Kidney for Child With Disabilities?

As I sit down to write this I cannot even remember where I first saw this story - I think it may have been on twitter. But once I read this story I could not get it out of my mind.

If you haven't read it yet I would strongly suggest you go and read it now at the following link - Brick Walls. Basically, it's about a little girl with disabilities who's parents were told she would not be approved for a kidney transplant because she is mentally disabled.

As a parent and caregiver to children with a wide variety of disabilities - NLD, ADHD, mild cerebral palsy, mild to moderate developmental delays, possible mood disorder - this is both very sad and very scary.

It is sad to think of a parent having to hear these words. It is sad to think of a beautiful little girl being denied the gift of life simply because she is disabled. It is sad to think of a family hurting because of the decisions callously made by others who think they have the right to decide who has a chance at life and who does not.

And it is scary to think that there are those in the medical profession who would make decisions like these based on these criteria. Because if it can happen to them, can it happen to my kids too? Will they at some point be denied care because of their disabilities? What if the disabilities listed on paper overshadow, in some doctor's mind, the reality of the awesome kids they are in real life?

These are real and important questions that cannot be ignored.

To be totally fair, we have not heard the hospital's side of the story and probably will not. Privacy laws, if nothing else, would keep them from being able to share all the details. However, it is hard for me to understand why there would be a need for the parents of this little girl to make up a story like this.

The good news is that this story is not being ignored and there are a number of other bloggers and other writers who are sharing this story.

Here is a partial list of those articles:

My Worst Fear . . . Is Coming True

Who Deserves a Kidney? CHOP Says No Kidney for Amelia

Hospital: No Kidney Transplant for Girl With Disabilities

Sign Petition to Fight Hospital Denying Transplant to Developmentally Disabled Child

Human Rights, Going Viral, and What Next?

I hope the doctors realize that this story will not go away and rethink their position on this. And I hope that sharing this will help doctors everywhere who have this mindset realize that parents and caretakers of children with disabilities will not take this kind of treatment sitting down.