We know that kids living with ADHD and ADD may struggle with impulsivity and executive functioning. But did you know that these same children often struggle with low self-esteem and accompanying anxiety? There is a significant amount of research showing that play therapy benefits children with ADHD. So while there are many options for supporting your child with ADHD, let’s look at how play therapy helps kids living with ADHD.
Play Therapy Helps Kids with Emotional Regulation
There are four universal outcomes of play therapy: increased regulation, increased worldview, increased emotional vocabulary, and increased self-esteem. There are also a variety of additional positive outcomes but these four universal outcomes mean you can expect to see evidence of all of these outcomes in your child when they complete play therapy.
So how does this apply to kids living with ADHD? Kids living with ADHD have a harder time paying attention and focusing on tasks. They may experience anger and frustration and children know that they don’t like that feeling but they don’t know how to manage that feeling. In the playroom, the child can express his anger and frustration in a safe way with a play therapist who is trained to help the child recognize these feelings. The child learns that they can express and process their anger and frustration and there is no judgement in doing so. Children gain a greater awareness of their feelings, process them, and resolve them so that they choose more self-enhancing ways of being.
Play Therapy Helps with Low Self-Esteem
Children are constantly receiving information about themselves through their environment. Kids with ADHD often receive messages from their environment that cause a child to doubt themselves. In response, a child may experience feelings of shame and low self-worth. As a result, children feel less confident, less capable, and this creates a low self-concept. Children often respond to this feeling with self-defeating talk, tantrums, learned helplessness and anger.
In the playroom, children learn that they can create their own experience. They receive self-acceptance and learn that they have value. In turn, children begin to feel more competent and confident. They learn that they can handle things and that they are going to be ok when they struggle. Children learn to trust themselves. Kids learn that they no longer have to return to anger, frustration, or tantrums because they know a better way.
Play Therapy Helps With Impulsivity
Children living with ADHD often struggle with impulsivity. Play therapy increases self-regulation and self-control. In play therapy children have the opportunity to be in control. To a child who is told all day long what to do, this is a significant feeling of liberation. Through this experience, children learn empowerment and that they can handle not always trying to have all the control. They learn that they can oscillate between boundaries and choices.
Play Therapy Benefits Families
As a parent, you may feel like you’re not sure what you are doing. You know you want to help your child living with ADHD but you need some tools too. The great part of play therapy is that we work directly with parents as well. You will meet with your play therapist every few weeks to discuss your child’s progress and learn new ways of responding to your child. Imagine having new ways of interacting with your child that decreases frustration for both of you and preserve the parent child relationship. That’s what our parent meetings offer.
Is Play Therapy The Right Choice For Your Child with ADHD?
As a parent, you have a lot of different options when choosing the best choices for your child living with ADHD. We would love to talk with you and see if play therapy is a good fit for your child. Please feel free to call or text our office at 832-521-8809 for a free parent consultation. We’d love to talk more and help you determine if play therapy is the right choice for your child and your family.
