Physical wellness in children is an issue for our times. Decreasing amounts of time spent in physical activities, increasing amounts of time spent on electronic activities coupled with poor dietary habits has contributed to the explosion of obesity in school-age children. Unaddressed, these children will grow up to reap the rewards of their sedentary lifestyles: heart disease, diabetes, decreased life span. Scarier than anything is the growing body of data suggesting that our children’s life expectancy will be shorter than that of their parents.
Inclusive and accessible playgrounds have come a long way in the Calgary area over the last decade. Playgrounds with accessible flooring have become more common. More recently, playgrounds are being designed that not only allow access for people with mobility challenges, but are places that kids with diverse needs and abilities can truly enjoy and play with their friends.
You've likely heard the phrase, “It's like herding kittens!” It is entirely possible that this phrase first came to use in describing what it's like to parent children with ADHD.
However, it is unfortunate that children with ADHD often get mischaracterized as being difficult or having behavioral issues. While these attributes can certainly be true in some circumstances, children with ADHD are very much like any other children – they are learning and evolving at all times. The intensity at which they evolve, however, can cause adults a great deal of stress and frustration.
You don’t choose to have ADHD. Did you choose your eye color? Your date of birth? Nope! ADHD is something most people identify in early childhood. But! That doesn’t mean you have to let it run your life. There are loads of things people with ADHD can do very well at school and in their friendships. We need coaches to help us and these coaches can be teachers, psychologists, tutors and even your own parents!
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