Tai Chi and ADHD

Martial arts practice, such as Taijiquan (Tai Chi), is starting to be considered as an alternative for medication for coping with ADHD and ADD by some experts in the USA. Martial arts can have lasting effects, without the risks of drug therapy, they say.
The concept involved is called Kinectic Linking, a process that connects physical movement to thought to obtain a controlled result. Obviously, that is the basis for Taijiquan (Tai Chi) training, and it has started to be studied recently by such experts as Dr. Paul E. Dennison.

The process of teaching a martial art closely follows a pattern of kinetic linking, a process of associating movement and thought in a way that creates a controlled response. This is not a new idea; kinetic linking is the basis for all martial arts training, developed over many hundreds of years of study. The idea has recently been relabeled and utilized specifically for the treatment of ADHD and ADD.

Taijiquan (Tai Chi) can be an attractive choice, since unless specifically requested, it seldom involves opponent contact and competition. The body-mind link and the meditative aspects are strongly emphasized.