Entering College with ADHD
FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS diagnosed with ADHD, reaching graduation day can feel like meandering across the finish line of a marathon. Years of hunting effective strategies for executive functioning, organization, and testing culminate in a brief yet triumphant walk across the stage. As proud (and, perhaps, exhausted) families snap photos, they often wonder and worry…
Read MoreWhat Works for You in the Workplace?
MANY PEOPLE STRUGGLE with the concept of disclosing their disability in the workplace, and for many good reasons. Disclosure involves giving out personal, medical, and disability information to an employer. It can be overwhelming and fearsome. The applicant or employee wonders: • How much information should I provide? • When is the best time to…
Read MoreYou Don’t Know Jack: The Teacher Letter
FOR YEARS, WE APPROACHED EACH NEW SCHOOL YEAR with renewed hopes and rejuvenated expectations. Certainly, we thought, this would be the year when everything clicked and our son Jack would take off like a rocket through the academic stratosphere. The trials and tribulations of the last year would be lost like so many discarded booster…
Read MoreADHD & Rarely on Time? It’s Not Just About Time Management
ARE YOU ALWAYS LATE FOR EVENTS? Do you often turn in papers, reports, or projects after their deadlines? If so, you are not alone. Many adults with ADHD struggle with understanding and using their time well. Despite trying a million different tricks and techniques, they can’t stop miscalculating how long things will take or procrastinating…
Read MoreStrengthen Connection: It’s Their Survival Rope
MOST PARENTS I WORK WITH are genuinely loving, caring people who want the very best for their kids. Some have gone to extraordinary lengths to become parents; others had this greatness thrust upon them. Whatever your path, I ask you to take a moment to consider what you really hope to accomplish as parents. What…
Read MoreChronic Constipation: The Other ADD
Chronic Constipation: The Other Add Craig B.Liden, MD, and Terri West, PA-C EDITOR’S NOTE: This article contains important information about constipation, an extremely common problem for children and adults with ADHD. We’ve learned a lot about how significant a problem it is and how to best manage it from these authors, and we feel you…
Read MoreStressful Experiences and Risk for ADHD
THIS RESEARCH UPDATE focuses on a single overarching question: Does exposure to stressful experiences put children at risk for ADHD? The two studies featured highlight the importance of understanding what researchers are measuring when trying to reconcile seemingly contradictory findings. The first study utilized data from a large study of twins and sought to understand…
Read MoreEnough Is Enough: The Adult ADHD Guide to Saying No
DO YOU AGREE TO DO THINGS and feel resentful later? Can salespeople persuade you to go over budget? Do you “go along to get along” all too often? This happens to everyone occasionally. For adults with ADHD, saying no can be a challenge. Executive function issues and nonlinear thinking make it hard to weigh pros…
Read MoreHow to Talk with Your Child About Starting ADHD Meds
SLOWLY BUT SURELY, the old stigma attached to ADHD and other neurodevelopmental differences is fading into history. Although full disclosure can still be thorny, the diagnosis of ADHD should not be treated as some shameful family secret. You need not feel defensive or conflicted about your child’s need for medication. This does not mean that…
Read MoreTreatment Intensity, Genetics, and ADHD
This research update focuses on the impact of treatment intensity on outcomes among teens and the genetics of sex differences in the prevalence of ADHD. Does treatment intensity matter? In this study, researchers compared the effectiveness of a high-intensity versus a low-intensity skills-based summer intervention in a sample of 325 adolescents with ADHD. The study…
Read MoreGraduating into Adult Life
FOR MANY YOUNG ADULTS, college graduation marks the start of real adult life with balancing a job, living in an apartment or group house instead of a dorm (or navigating living at home as an adult), planning out meals, paying bills, and having other responsibilities as well. For those who went straight from college to…
Read MoreSPACE: A Parent-Based Intervention for Reducing Childhood Anxiety
EXPERTS estimate that up to thirty percent of children with ADHD experience a co-occurring anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, not all highly anxious children will agree to participate in treatment, no matter how effective the treatment might be in reducing their suffering. And even when they do agree to participate, not all of these otherwise effective treatments…
Read More