My son is 3 years old and goes to a special school full-time because he is very impulsive and hyper-active. But his teacher has been writing more negative things in his "communication notebook" as of lately such as being overly disruptive during activities. He also has some sensory issues which cause him to spin around alot and jump in place. Since it is too early to test for ADHD and to consider medication, the pediatrician had suggested starting him on an extracurricular activity, her example was Karate. I'm just not too sure if Karate would be the best idea since he is already somewhat rough with his peers (not intentionally but becuase he seeks the sensory input) My biggest issue is finding an actiity in which the people who run it are accepting of his special needs and willing to work through them. Does anyone have any suggestions for a once a week type activity outside of school and home for my son? We are in the NYC Queens area.
Re: extra curricular activities for my 3 year old
My son has no attention span and can be crazy. I have been thinking of doing Karate b/c its supposed to teach focus, control etc. I don't think it is centered around chopping each other, I think they are more focused on being in control of yourself and the actual skills. I havne't done it yet though so I can't say if it helps
I did try my son in a sports class, he hated it and would not participate. I think he was overwhelmed with all the kids, the coaches, the yelling for drills etc. We did swimming last winter and he loved that, I may start him up again with that soon. I think he did better with that b/c the class sizes are smaller and of course he loves the water
I think Karate would be good, it would teach them discipline, and to control their emotions.
DH was very hyperactive/ADHD as a child (and still is!) his mom said putting him in tae kow do was the best thing for him. I think he was about 4 or 5 though.
For now, I would stick to classes where the child works mostly with the parent and there is a lot of activity. I liked parent/tot soccer and parent/tot sports class for that reason. Or activities where kids can get a lot of individual attention, like a private/semi private swim class.