Conversations with Kids: Helping Young Athletes with ADHD Build Confidence, Focus & Resilience in Sport
For parents and guardians where we give you prompts so that you can have more meaningful conversations with your children to help them build key characteristics such as mental toughness, resilience, confidence, creativity, focus and so on.
A Question for your Kids
Do you ever feel like your brain is moving faster than your sport and that makes focusing, staying calm, or recovering from mistakes hard?
Many young athletes with ADHD share this experience. In my work with children and young adults and through research like Josephine Perry’s ADHD in Sport I’ve seen how the ADHD brain can be both incredibly powerful and sometimes overwhelming. When combined with the pressures of competition, selection, and growing self-expectations, it can affect confidence, emotional control, and enjoyment.
One youngster I supported, often froze after mistakes, struggled to regulate emotions, and replayed errors long after matches ended. But with the right tools, routines, and understanding, everything changed for him, and for many other young athletes.
Improves:
- Confidence
- Focus
Research shows that ADHD athletes often have bursts of exceptional concentration especially when they’re stimulated or challenged. But they may also experience dips in confidence, emotional intensity, or difficulty filtering distractions. Simple strategies like grounding routines, single-focus cues, and CBT-based reframing can dramatically improve how they feel and perform.
When athletes understand their brain, they feel more in control of their sport not overwhelmed by it.
Directions for Parents
Here are a few powerful ways you can support your child with ADHD:
- Keep instructions simple and short
Long explanations overload the brain. One message at a time works best. - Focus on progress, not perfection
Praise effort, bravery, and learning not flawless performances. - Normalise emotions
Let them know that frustration, adrenaline, or disappointment are human, not failures. - Build routines that calm the brain
Pre-match and post-match rituals help them regulate and reset after intensity. - Work with coaches collaboratively
Clear, consistent communication between parents, coaches, and psychologists creates stability and safety essential for ADHD athletes.
Ideas for Kids
- Try a “reset routine”
One deep breath + one positive cue word + one physical action (like tapping your boots). - Use a strengths list
Write one thing you did well after each training session. This builds confidence and rewires your brain for growth. - Break the game into mini-missions
Focus on one goal at a time, like good scanning, quick reactions, or strong communication.
Helpful Resources
>> Read: Book Review – ADHD in Sport: Strategies for Success – Dr Josephine Perry
>> Listen: Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodivergent Players Thrive with Adam Batstone
If you would like to share your experiences as a sports parent or get insights regarding kids sport psychology, you may also wish to join David in The Sport Psychology Hub.
Best Wishes
David Charlton
Online Sports Psychologist for Kids who supports many youngsters and sports parents so that they have more fun and get the most from their talent across the globe from USA/Canada to Great Britain and Ireland to UAE, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, using ONLINE Video Conferencing.
Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence
Host of Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast
Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub
Author of Conversations for Kids
With over a 15 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to transfer their skills from training to competitive situations, under pressure.
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