Fearless Advocacy
Pro Tips for School Team Meetings FOR MOST PARENTS, school team meetings provoke dread, anxiety, and frustration—especially when you’re still new at this. Some of us charge into the meeting like the mighty lioness defending her cubs. Others feel more like the baby rabbit staring helplessly into the headlights of a speeding car. Having…
Read MoreAre You a Hotline Hothead?
How to Call Customer Service You have a customer service issue that you need to resolve by calling the company’s 800 number. This has been difficult for you in the past, as you struggle to regulate your emotions. Your friends and family may refer to you as “reactive” or possibly even a “hothead.” You are…
Read MoreParenting Skills and Behavior Challenges in Children with ADHD
Any parent of a child with ADHD faces challenges in reacting calmly and consistently to impulsive, risky, and sometimes dangerous behaviors. Our children with ADHD become bored easily, continually seek rewards, and sometimes get angry when we set limits to keep them safe. Eventually, most of us feel frustrated and worn down, and we may…
Read MoreNavigator PREP at Beacon College
Before they left for college, more than a few high school graduates with ADHD truly believed they were ready to handle the challenge—especially the challenge of living away from home. Once they were actually exposed to these new life demands, however, they were disappointed to learn that they were not. After witnessing firsthand the frustration…
Read MoreSo… Just What Is a Virtual Conference?
Good question—we are all about to find out! Not all the details are fixed yet, but at press time, here is what we know about the 2020 Virtual Annual International Conference on ADHD. Instead of flying to Dallas and staying in a hotel, you can attend this year’s conference from the comfort of your home…
Read MoreMy ADHD Got Me Fired!
… And How the Right Tools Can Prevent That Outcome Interactions in the workplace can be daunting for many people—difficult supervisors, impossible expectations, toxic work environments that doesn’t foster support and cooperation between coworkers—the list is long. ADHD brings its own set of challenges in the workplace: having difficulty prioritizing tasks, lagging motivation when tasks…
Read MoreUnderstanding Others, Regulating Emotions
Executive Function, Theory of Mind, and ADHD This research update focuses on how executive functioning relates to how youth with ADHD understand others and regulate emotions. There may be a link between executive function deficits and theory-of-mind challenges in children with ADHD. Theory of mind refers to the ability to infer other people’s emotions, intentions,…
Read MoreImproving Anger Behavior
“I think the issue is we really don’t communicate, even with ourselves, to know what we need in our world, or we don’t communicate well enough with others to tell them what we need and how we can each help to make each other’s worlds better,” says Dayle Malen, LCSW, MEd, a therapist based in…
Read MoreADHD, PTSD, or Both?
It is my tenth month as a clinical psychology fellow in a busy, publicly funded metropolitan hospital. I look over my intake referral for the week, and similar to many referrals I have gotten thus far during my internship, I am being asked to assess a child’s inattentive and noncompliant behavior. Many referrals are made…
Read MoreADHD in Relationships: Finding Intimacy When the World Feels Very Different
A relationshiP IS ALL ABOUT CONNECTION based on shared experiences that solidify and deepen that connection. A feature of this connection is the formation and strengthening of intimacy between the partners. But what happens when that connection is hindered by miscommunication and misunderstanding? The connection falters due to each partner feeling less understood and less…
Read MoreHow Do You Work from Home and Help Kids Navigate Remote Learning?
Many peoplE FOUND THEMSELVES WORKING FROM HOME unexpectedly as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Those with school-aged children also found themselves having to help their kids with remote learning. For many individuals, adjusting to remote work and having their children attend school from home is a big adjustment in and of itself. For adults with ADHD, however,…
Read MoreAfter It’s Over: The Pandemic’s Secondary Effects on Mental Health
During this pandemic, I have listened to parents and children share many common concerns: What about the health and safety of my family, my friends, and myself? How do I balance working and schooling from home? Will my business and family take too big a financial hit? How do I keep up with schoolwork? I…
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