HockeyParent15

Found this conversation while googling for a solution for headphones in goalies and I thought I'd provide a different perspective. My kid is a decent goalie who also happens to have ADHD. His brain is going a mile a minute and I'm wondering if having music would actually help him focus during his time in goal. He sleeps better with the radio or story on, generally wants to have music going all the time. While I can appreciate the previous position (banning music) because you want the players to hear what's going on....or you think there might be some safety issue with a player becoming more focused on his ear phones falling out/etc, I do want to suggest that for neurodiverse kids, music may actually be helpful in slowing their brains down to pay more attention to the game. If your brain is wired to be neurotypical -- this will not make sense to you at all. Just the same giving your body a stimulant would send you off the rails. But for neurodiverse kids, we give them a stimulant, which helps boost dopamine, a key neurotransmitter required to help maintain focus. It's likely music may increase dopamine and may also then improve brain function/sports performance. If the earphones are secured to not fall out and the volume is at a level which still permits normal conversation, then why not allow a kid to use headphones. I'd offer a trial to see if performance/concentration was impacted. If the kid's performance is no worse, then let him use them.