How to Massage a Child With ADHD

Massage can be very beneficial to a child with ADHD because it can help them to settle down, concentrate better and keep their attention longer. Each child will have a different reaction to the massage; even if it’s a very small, positive reaction, it can make a world of difference. Many children just benefit from the positive touch that they receive during the massage. Because of the disorder, this massage is very simple and not at all invasive to the child, because you will only be massaging their hands, feet and head.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lotion or oil

1. Use a small amount of lotion or oil and rub one of the child’s hands. Gently rub in small circular motions over the palm and back of the hand and then gently roll the fingers with your fingers.

2. Repeat Step 1 on the other hand. The first few times you do this, just spend enough time to rub all the lotion or oil into the skin because it may be all that the child can handle at one time; this may only take a few minutes for both hands at first.

3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until the child is content to sit through the whole thing. You can then start to spend a little more time on each hand. Try to work up to 3 to 5 minutes per hand.

4. Once the child is able to sit through the 6-10 minutes for the hands, you can massage the child’s feet. With a small amount of lotion or oil, rub one of the child’s feet. Do the same as you did for the hand--make small circular motions on the top and bottom of the foot, gently roll the toes with your fingers. Some children may have very ticklish feet so this may not work for all children, if this is the case for you skip to Step 6.

5. Repeat Step 4 with the other foot. Again you will start by just rubbing in the lotion or oil and work up to 3 to 5 minutes per foot.

6. Once your child is set with having their hands and feet massaged you can massage their head. You don’t need lotion or oil for this step. To massage the child’s head, start with the top of their head, with all of your fingers, make circles on their scalp as if you were rubbing in shampoo. Continue this down the back of their head until the entire scalp has been massaged. Then do gentle circles over the temples.

Tips & Warnings

• You don’t need to do the hands, feet and the head at one time. Each child is different--one child maybe can only handle a few minutes at a time and another could sit through the whole thing right away. Only do what the child can handle at one time, don’t do more than that because you want this to be a positive activity for the child.

[jgsmom]

on 7/17/2008 Great article!!!