Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 6/22/2008

Question
Christine - case of 14-yr old son:
-high-level competition soccer player
-3 B's, 1 C recent grades (with IEP help for several years)
-takes 30mg Adderol daily

Life Situations:
-despite reasonable bed-time has tough time getting up
-aces soccer tryouts and practices but plays at 20% during play - coaches wonder..."where'd the kid I saw at tryouts go to?"
-general organization at home...not too bad - still needs help

The soccer issue is really hurting the son - ends up sitting on the bench a lot and now wants to leave the team - coach says he can't take chances with son during important games; coach has worked very hard with son solving a lot of problems over last 2 years and sees potential in him.

Son is being managed by his pediatrician.

What do I do to remedy this situation?  

Answer
Without more details of his behaviour profile and rating scales to evaluate the effectiveness of his stimulant medication ,it would be difficult to advise. A sports psychologist might be able to advise why he freezes in a game and not at practice. Does he display exam nerves`as well? Could the coaches attitude be a factor. In any game a star may be off his peak and recover if given an opportunity. The coaches lack of confidence in the player might be denting his self esteem. Is he on medication when he play soccer?