What did you do at home to mitigate the problems?
Kids with ADHD need medication and behavior modification. I mean, whether they have ADHD or not they need boundaries, limitations, routine and consistency. That's what I tried to do with Michael. Every day after school, he would put his back pack in the same place in our house, maybe go shoot some hoops, come in for a nutritious snack, and then pack his bag for swim practice. He followed his daily schedule on a regular basis. He knew his stuff had to be done in order to go swimming.

So did you say to him "Michael, you can't go to swimming unless your stuff is done?"
The words "no" and "can't" aren't really in my vocabulary, so I would just say "before you go to swimming, you need to do your work. Are you able to accomplish that?"

So swimming helped him get organized.
Absolutely. Any sport teaches kids the characteristics and strengths they need – respect, responsibility, getting along with others, success, and taking unsuccessful moments and turning them around to something positive. The pool was really good for Michael. It's a huge rectangle with boundaries. In a pool, there are only so many places you can go. Just back and forth, back and forth. So he was always within his element, within his comfort zone.

What limits did his ADHD put on him?
I don't like to use the word 'disorder' when I talk about ADHD. A child with ADHD has many gifts -- they just need to channel their energies in the things they love.

Now that he's 23, do you ever notice ADHD behavior that is reminiscent of when he was little, in school, really struggling?
Since he was 11, I've noticed him go to the block with no cap and goggles, or be less focused than he should be. This Olympics, though, I noticed his ability to compartmentalize and focus. He would do his race, then move on to the next thing. It reminded me of when he was little and had to tackle his responsibilities before swim practice. He would do them one at a time, like it was all on a check list.

So that's why Michael could go to the Olympics and win eight straight gold medals in a row – even when people didn't think he could? He was compartmentalizing them?
Yes. It was just swim it. Done. Swim it. Done.

So what can parents do to encourage their kids? What did you do to encourage Michael?
Continuous praise and positive reinforcement. When something was wrong, we'd address it. I am a very open type of mom who likes to talk things out.

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