Crossing the Street May Be Riskier for ADHD Kids
Study Shows Kids With ADHD May Face Risk of Being Hit by Vehicles When Crossing the Street
Practice Makes Perfect
So what can parents do to protect children with ADHD when they are crossing streets?
Practicing street crossing may help, she says.
"Parents may need to delay the age at which they allow children with ADHD to cross the street independently," she says.
The American Academy of Pediatrics stares that most children can cross streets on their own at age 10, but children with ADHD may need to wait longer.
Judy Schaechter, MD, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Miami School of Medicine and director of the Injury Free Coalition of Miami, suggests that concrete environmental changes such as street lights with timers and adult supervisors may help.
"Children with ADHD have difficulty weighing the more complicated thinking as how risky is this cross, and can I make it," she says.
Distraction may also be at play, she says. "These kids are at a heightened risk of being distracted and impulsive, so if there was a ball they wanted in the street, it could affect their crossing," she says.
"I was really excited to see that concrete safety behaviors were the same among kids with and without ADHD," she says. "Do look left and do look right. This matters and certainly will reduce the risks."