ADHD Tip - How Being In The Wrong System Can Ruin A Pro Football Career & It's Link To ADHD

For those of you who watch or follow professional football, then you will know all about Randy Moss and the career season he is having with the New England Patriots. For those of you do not watch football, or care much about professional sports, there are a few things we can learn about his career success and struggles that relate directly to how a child can struggle with symptoms similar to those in ADHD.

This season, Randy Moss has set individual league records as well as helping his teammates set numerous team records. He has flourished and made his case to become one of the all time best wide receivers in NFL history. Would you believe that just last season, no one really thought that highly of his career or wanted him on their team?

After starting his career with tremendous success, Randy was traded to another team where he did not do so well. He became injured and was no longer a star athlete.

What happened?

In a recent news article, Moss is described as an athlete whose injuries and attitudes hurt his reputation. Many thought his career was done. Yet in the same breath, the writer commented that Moss had disappeared into another team's dysfunction, and no one was certain if he could find his way out. The outcome of the story is that one team took a chance. One team believed in his abilities and brought him into their system.

As a result, the individual player flourished and regained great success, as did his teammates and the entire professional organization.

Lessons In ADHD:

Finding the right fit can be everything. It can make a tremendous difference in a person's success. Bottom line! In a time when ADHD seems to be the featured diagnosis of the week, we need to be informed that sometimes behavior is not about the individual, but instead a response to the system we are apart of.

In no way am I blaming the system, or people responsible for the system. Rather, I want to highlight the importance that different people flourish in different environments and under dramatically different circumstances.

Consider the following:

Your child is doing well in school, and suddenly he or she starts slipping up. His grades drop, her behavior gets worse, and no one knows what to think. Rather than make a jump to suggesting a diagnosis, there are important questions to ask.

What if it were the teacher's style?

What if it where the school's philosophy?

What if it was the classroom environment?

What if your child was preoccupied with someone he or she hasn't yet spoken of?

I don't want to go around blaming other people, but I do want to recognize that children are all unique and special. Each child needs very different supports as they develop and learn about the world. While getting along and managing social situations is an important part of basic human interaction, how a student manages school and his or her peers is not always a sign that something is wrong.

In some cases, we need to consider the environment and system we are apart of, rather than making the jump to suggest a child has ADHD.

And now I would like to invite you to download an almost 60-minute audio interview where one successful professional reveals his personal struggle and success with ADHD for over 15 years.

story links: Blogger