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doi:10.1111/jpc.12537

BRIEF COMMUNICATION

Good sport Sport: an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.1 Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used to refer to something it does not literally denote in order to suggest a resemblance.1 As I take in the summer spectacle of an Ashes cricket mauling for England, I am reminded of the capacity of sport to provide verbal expressions that encapsulate many of the experiences of our patients and their families. In my own clinical field of developmental and behavioural paediatrics, opportunities abound for the use of such figurative links to explain diagnostic and management concepts. For example, behaviours that fall within the normal range for age are ‘par for the course’. Planned ignoring of low level misdemeanours (‘letting some things go through to the “keeper”’) while focusing on the positives (‘you really have kicked some goals today’) is the order of the day in behaviour management. The use of time out (‘a few minutes in the sin bin’) can be considered for higher priority behaviours. When aiming to improve a child’s emotional regulation skills, it may sometimes seem like a series of ‘false starts’, but it takes time to ‘get into the swing’. Parents should be supported and encouraged to ensure they do not ‘throw in the towel’ prematurely. It is well to remember this undertaking is ‘a marathon, not a sprint’. ‘Going in to bat’ for our patient describes an act of advocacy. In doing so, it is best to be ‘on the front foot’. For example, the provision of appropriate classroom accommodations for those with specific learning disorders is to ‘level the playing field’. Families appreciate having ‘someone in their corner’ as their child strives to ‘raise the bar’.

At times, one can feel ‘snookered’ when unforeseen obstacles arise. Perhaps our initial diagnostic impressions were unfounded (‘off base’). Eligibility criteria may have changed (‘moving the goalposts’). A re-evaluation of the situation should prompt a review of management priorities (‘for a kick off, let’s try. . . .’). Some may feel that such metaphors are trite, hackneyed or likely to alienate members of our target audience. I beg to differ. Used judiciously, sporting metaphors help me explain the unfamiliar and make the abstract tangible, particularly for families for whom sport is a second language. I believe the range of expressions now at my clinical disposal justifies the countless hours of diligent couch-based research involved in their acquisition! So step up to the plate folks. In the words of Roy Slaven and HG Nelson;2 ‘too much sport is barely enough’!

References 1 Farlex, Inc. Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. Available from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com [accessed 2 January 2014]. 2 Doyle J, Pickhaver G. This Sporting Life. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Sporting_Life_(radio_program) [accessed 2 January 2014].

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 50 (2014) 331 © 2014 The Author Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2014 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians)

Dr Mick O’Keeffe Developmental-Behavioural Paediatrician Child Development Service Child and Youth Community Health Service Brisbane, Queensland Australia

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