Kids with ADD and shooting...

[SavageEagle]

So I have an 8y/o girl with a mild case of ADD. I want to take her to the range with my other 3 kids and teach her responsible firearms handling and to respect the power of a firearm. However, her ADD makes it very hard for her to concentrate on anything for longer than a couple minutes.

I've done a lot to try to teach her about a lot of different things, but I run out of patience with her faster than I should. Granted, I've gotten better with her, but not like I would like.

So my question is, has anyone here had any experience with teaching a child, or your own child, that has ADD or something similar, how to shoot and safely handle firearms? Any tips?

Keep in mind I'll have 4 kids wanting to shoot, mainly, one gun.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

You're just going to have to be in a relaxed, open, yet structured setting.

I'd almost suggest atterbury, but there's probably too much distraction there.

If you could set up your own little shooting range in someone's field, that'd be good. Have structured shoot / no shoot times as well as a few other things for the both of you to do.

 

[SavageEagle]

Atterbury is where I was planning on going. The closest non-range place I know of that I could go shoot is in Rockville. Either way, I have a long drive to get to either place. I considered taking her by herself so she could get more one-on-one time.

Whether I go with all six of us or just me and her, I'd really like to know how others have handled the situation before I take her.

What I'm really hoping for is that I can find something for her that allows her to channel and utilize her ADD and use it to her advantage. Shooting may not be that thing, but I'll never know until we try.

 

[Andre46996]

Judging from some of your post I had always assumed you had ADD..

I would suggest a one on one environment at least the first couple of times, you never know shooting might be the thing that helps with her ADD. Patience on your end is going to be needed. My nephew is HA/ADD his thing is four wheelers and motorcycles. You are going to have to work with her. If she starts picking it up and enjoys it you might have a great outlet to work on her disorder with her.

HA/ADD and ADD has been around for hundreds of years, until we had "Doctors" to tell us about it it was beat out of most kids. I think I have ADD but it takes months for mine. I get all Gungho on something for months then all of a sudden BOOM I lose interest. (Just ask the soon to be ex girlfriend) LOL.

 

[DocBoCook]

My son has the same issue. Not diagnosed, but if he is not "absolutely enthusiastic" about it, he can't focus on it for very long. I figure it's going to be a slow process over many visits to the range until it becomes something he is obsessed with like some of the things he loves. If I can get him to that point, I may never get a weekend away from the range. (Here is to that happening, hopefully)

 

[SavageEagle]

Judging from some of your post I had always assumed you had ADD..

I would suggest a one on one environment at least the first couple of times, you never know shooting might be the thing that helps with her ADD. Patience on your end is going to be needed. My nephew is HA/ADD his thing is four wheelers and motorcycles. You are going to have to work with her. If she starts picking it up and enjoys it you might have a great outlet to work on her disorder with her.

HA/ADD and ADD has been around for hundreds of years, until we had "Doctors" to tell us about it it was beat out of most kids. I think I have ADD but it takes months for mine. I get all Gungho on something for months then all of a sudden BOOM I lose interest. (Just ask the soon to be ex girlfriend) LOL.

Yea, sometimes I think I may have a slight case, but then I realize it's just because I'm cooped up in this house all the time.

I think you may be right about having to do it one on one for a while with her. I started the one on one thing with my son, so no reason to stop, right? And you know, shooting may not end up being her thing. I'll just have to keep trying things until I find what it is is her "thing".

I just hope shooting becomes her thing because when she does concentrate on something she can become pro at it. The few computer games she's tried she's become very good at, and when she learned to ride without training wheels, she picked it up very quickly. There is hope!

 

[misconfig]

The entire term "ADD" is a farce, just get the kid interested; don't make it boring and everything will be fine.

I have "ADHD" or so the doctors have always sa......Do you guys like turkey sammiches?

 

[nova512]

i have noticed kids with add if its something they want to do or that they are really interested in they can concentrate for more then a couple of minutes.i say go for it just make it fun if it isnt they wont pay attention.

 

[E5RANGER375]

ADD is a bunch of bull hockey excuse for doctors and drug makers to make CASH off us!!!!! SE, your daughter is probly just realy smart and she figures things out quickly and wants to move on. i bet shes a sponge. i think kids diagnosed with so called "add" are just little geniouses in their own way. ADD is a farce. teach your daughter to shoot, i bet she will be the best kid you have ever seen shoot!!!! or atleast remember EVERYTHING you say. she still might be bored by it, but hey, no ones perfect, LMAO

 

[OEF5]

I would suggest to have someone you trust instruct your daughter while you are at the Range with her. She may respond better to someone other than Dad telling her something. I know my kids would listen to someone else lol.

With this method you could also teach your other childeren. The one poster about one on one time is a great suggestion. Kid's a Range and not enough adult supervision is just asking for something to happen.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

I'm ADD at the range too. That's why I bring half a dozen guns and still end up shopping for another one.

 

[SavageEagle]

While I do agree that ADD is a bunch of crap, I've yet to come up with an explanation for her behavior. The closest thing I can come up with is that she's the middle child. But it doesn't explain her behavior in school, with her friends, etc. Regardless, I think that this will help her.

I would suggest to have someone you trust instruct your daughter while you are at the Range with her. She may respond better to someone other than Dad telling her something. I know my kids would listen to someone else lol.

With this method you could also teach your other childeren. The one poster about one on one time is a great suggestion. Kid's a Range and not enough adult supervision is just asking for something to happen.

Good suggestions. I do have someone that would be MORE than willing to help instruct, considering he does this for a living in the National Guard. However, I'd like to be the first to acquaint her with the sport. All my kids have shot a crickett, but not a Stevens semi-auto. And they didn't shoot it much.

I'm not worried about having issues with the other kids running around and something happening. My kids are pretty well behaved (or so people keep telling me) and their momma would be there to help.

What I really wish is that I could take them somewhere so we could shoot at something other than paper targets. At this point, hitting the bullseye isn't exactly a priority for them. Me, not them. Unfortunately, the place in Rockville I can go, I was told no no for computers and things that explode...

 

[Brown]

I will respectfully disagree with the idea ADD does not exist. My daughter has a pretty bad case of it. She is now 13 and since 1st grade the doctors and teachers both told us she has ADD. As a father I completely ignored this and arrogantly thought there is nothing wrong with my kid and I am NOT going to drug her out with Ritalin or equivalent (sp). Well after a few years of her grades diminishing down very low I finally agreed to put her on Concerta. Acts something like Ritalin. There are no words to discribe the difference it made. She is now a straight A student,gets along so much better with her peers,and is now even more of a joy than she was before.
She never had the Hyperactivity disorder causing trouble she just could not concentrate on things. almost always "daydreaming"
SE I realize the prescription drug cost may be prohibitive without medical coverage and if it is possible would suggest trying this particular drug if you believe she has ADD
I have taken my daughter shooting before and after she started medication and while she was not a danger to herself or anyone else before she just did not have the drive or eagerness to target shoot. Now,she will go anytime I suggest and has an absolute ball shooting her .22

 

[Bushido Devil Dog]

ADD is a bunch of bull hockey excuse for doctors and drug makers to make CASH off us!!!!! ...ADD is a farce. teach your daughter to shoot, i bet she will be the best kid you have ever seen shoot!!!! or atleast remember EVERYTHING you say. she still might be bored by it, but hey, no ones perfect, LMAO

This whole "ADD" thing has become The New Thing since I've been in Japan, so I don't know much about it, but looking at the Wikipedia entry description of the "symptons" of "ADD/AHDH" I gotta give this post a ...

"Predominantly inattentive type symptoms may include:[33]

• Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
• Have difficulty focusing on one thing
• Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable
• Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
• Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
• Not seem to listen when spoken to
• Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
• Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
• Struggle to follow instructions.

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type symptoms may include:[33]

• Fidget and squirm in their seats
• Talk nonstop
• Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
• Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
• Be constantly in motion
• Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.

and also these manifestations primarily of impulsivity:[33]

• Be very impatient
• Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
• Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games"

This "Ay-Dee-Dee" sure sounds like a condition that almost all of my elementary school classmates had back in the day..., the dreaded "Kay-Eye-Dee" = being a KID!!

*EVERY* single "symptom" in the lists above reads to me like the official job description for children/rugrats/yard apes... They are *supposed* to be this way at that age fer pete's sake! As I recall the official Mission statement in the Kid Work Rules Manual states, "Up until about 10 years old, your Mission is to bounce around your parents all day long like a monkey on crystal meth and crack, break s***, and not pay attention to anyone or anything for more than 10 seconds!"*

*(With the exception of cartoons, which are actually just constantly upgraded software programs to assist you in annoying your parents by begging them to the useless toys they advertise.")

I'd be veerrrryy leary to attribute the above "symptoms" as an indicator of the newest "disease" that modern medicine can solve through spending one's hard-earned cash for the latest pill...

 

[misconfig]

This whole "ADD" thing has become The New Thing since I been in Japan, so I don't know much about it, but looking at the Wikipedia entry description of the "symptons" of "ADD/AHDH" I gotta give this post a ...





This "Ay-Dee-Dee" sure sounds like a condition that almost all of my elementary school classmates had back in the day..., the dreaded "Kay-Eye-Dee" = being a KID!!

*EVERY* single "symptom" in the lists above reads to me like the official job description for children/rugrats/yard apes... They are *supposed* to be this way at that age fer pete's sake!

I'd be verrry leary to attribute the above "symptoms" as an indicator of the newest "disease" that modern medicine can solve through spending hard-earned cash for the latest pill...

Coming from a guy that was on medication his entire childhood, ADD is a FARCE!

I always did well in school but I did get bored easy and I was a distraction but I started programming computers at the age of 10, look at me now!

Got to find something that interests you, for me it was Unix and Linux / C programming; also firearms.

 

[zoglog]

I teach PE and see many cases of ADD and its equivalents.

Meds do help, but the key is keeping the activity/learning experience interesting. If you are enthusiastic, she will be too. If you allow shooting to become dull, she will get bored quickly. She knows that shooting and firearms are serious business. Every student, regardless of what a Doc says about them, understands a serious subject and will act more mature in those instances.

From Ptown to Atterbury is quite a trip especially if she is just using handguns and a .22 rifle. Why not try ECPR? Its a lot closer, plenty of INGO members too. If she is having a bad day, atleast you wouldnt have wasted a super long trip. And clays are a cheap and they break when they get hit. It might keep it more interesting.

 

[thunderchicken]

Frankly, all of you who think ADD/ADHD is a farce your an absolute idiot. Sure, I think it's often over diagnosed and over medicated but it does exist. My son has a few mental health issues one is ADHD. I could tell you some horrifying stories of things he has done simply because he can't stay focused. Medication has helped him drastically. It's my belief that if you have a kid with such a disorder but you yourself won't admit that there is an issue then it is a form of neglect. I have taken my 11y.o. son shooting before he was medicated and it was the shortest range trip I have ever made. After medication and after a short safety reminder I was able to sit in my lawn chair behind him while letting him have complete control of the gun. That day he went thorough an entire brick of Winchester wild cat ammo. Take your daughter shooting. Before any of you shoot get their attention and give them a short safety awareness lesson. As long as everyone is being safe and having fun that's all that is important. Jut try not to treat her differently from the other kids..And of course encourage them all.

 

[misconfig]

Frankly, all of you who think ADD/ADHD is a farce your an absolute idiot.

Whoa that's a bold statement, of course I'll drop my opinions because you know it all.

I stopped reading your comment after the first malformed, poor grammar sentence. I'm sorry some people actually like to use their own heads and make judgments off of their own life experiences and observations. Go ahead and keep giving your kid those meds; take it from me it'll have it's consequences down the road.

If you ask me; ADD medication is the easy answer to the teachers and parents that don't want to handle their own kids.

 

[thunderchicken]

Hey, I'm not an English teacher. It's not just based off my observations and own life experiences. I did an extensive amount of research before I let the doctors medicate my son. It was bad enough that we actually had to put a gate hook on his door when he was three to keep him in his room at night. He would get out of bed, climb on top of the refridgerator to get in the cabinet and get down the butcher knives. It has been so bad that I used to search him with a pat down before letting him go to school. In school it has been poor behavior, poor grades and practically no friends and low self esteem. Since I don't have a choice but send him to public school he has trouble fitting in with the other kids. Partly because of cultural differences and the fact we are tougher on our kids than most of the candy a$$ parents these days. We tried every form of discipline that the doctors and so called experts recommended and even busted his tail and nothing helped much. Everything has consequences but the fact is if it's what is need to help him function as close to "normal" as possible and give him the best quality of life that I can provide for him then that is what I'll do. Your situation sounds much different. There is a HUGE difference between a kid who isn't getting challenged in school and one who has such trouble that they need extra time and help. Medication is not always needed but does make a difference. It's an illness that needs treated in varying degrees based upon the severity of the individuals needs. As for not wanting to handle him, You haven't walked a step in my shoes. I am tough on my kids because the world will be tough on them. You can't let them run rampant through out childhood and then expect them to be mature adults without strict discipline as a child.

 

[1032JBT]

I think both sides of this aurgument need to take a chill pill.

As an LEO and in my personal life I have seen and dealt with both sides. I have a nephew that does need the med's but as a cop I see the kids that are in a drug induced zombie state that is not needed.

I think ADD/ADHD is real......it's just over used as an excuse for some, doctors and parents alike.

The people that are saying ADD is all a farce are wrong and just the same the ones saying ADD is an epidemic are also wrong. It is real........just over used as an excuse for normal childhood issues.

Oh well...........carry on