Sensory Classroom Interventions
This research update highlights two recent studies evaluating the drawbacks and benefits of sensory classroom interventions (specifically, fidget spinners and wiggle seats) utilizing reversal crossover-withdrawal designs. Do children with ADHD do better if they can use fidget spinners in school? The first study’s goal was to examine if the use of fidget spinners by children…
Read MoreStaying True to Who I Am
At the end of the summer of 2018, I was faced with a unique situation. I didn’t expect to find myself in such a position. Things were not working out with the company where I worked, and a change needed to happen immediately. For months, I had been expressing my dissatisfaction to my good friend…
Read MoreIs There a “Right Fit” College for My Student with ADHD?
MY COLLEAGUES AND I ARE OFTEN ASKED, “Are there colleges that work best for students with ADHD?” While we wish that we could answer this question with a list of colleges, the process of finding the “right fit” college is complicated. However, there are a few important tips that we share with families to help…
Read MoreCoach Your Child to Play Better
Effective coaching is a way of being with and communicating with your child. THE CORE PRINCIPLES of effective parent coaching for social skills are based on proven strategies and techniques that support positive behavioral change. You don’t have to be some superparent with all the answers. You don’t have to fix your child or fix…
Read MoreTreating ADHD and Emotion Dysregulation
A TENDENCY to experience and express intense negative emotions is among the most significant problems people with ADHD face. Among children, low frustration tolerance, rageful outbursts over seemingly small annoyances, and explosive overreactions to disappointments other kids handle with composure often make peer relationships and family life difficult. These difficulties can lead to a cycle…
Read MoreMore Than Refills: The Importance of Regular Follow-Up Visits
DESPITE LIFE’S COMPLEXITIES, regular ADHD follow-up visits are very important. I recommend scheduling a visit with your ADHD doctor at least once every season; fall, winter, spring, and summer. If your prescriber is your pediatrician, then one of these quarterly visits could be incorporated into the yearly well-child care visit. If your prescriber is a…
Read MoreConnection and Community: ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Groups
EXPERTS often cite the difficulties adults with ADHD have in consistently executing the behaviors necessary to organize, plan, and manage their day-to-day lives. It’s as though they experience a disconnect between their intentions and their actions. The results can be disheartening, if not demoralizing. How can adults who struggle in this way learn to execute…
Read MoreMy First ADHD Conference Changed My Life
WHEN I WAS 45 I felt like my life was falling apart. In truth, my life was not falling apart, but emotionally I was felt like it was. Our son was finishing second grade, and we were coming up on the glorious unstructured summer months. Now, it wasn’t going to be completely unstructured, because our…
Read MoreMy Journey to Okay
“It’s a disease.” “It’s your choice.” “You’re different.” “You’re weird.” “You always lose things.” “Why can’t you remember that? I told you twelve times.” “Why is that so hard for you? It’s so simple, though.” “You’re not like everyone else.” To say I have heard it all may be an understatement. Growing up “different” at…
Read MoreCigarettes and ADHD: A Robust Relationship That’s Hard to Break
SINCE THE EARLY 2000s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has consistently reported good news on the rate of cigarette smoking among adults in the United States—rates are dropping! In 2005, 20.9% of US adults were regular cigarette smokers. The most recently reported results indicated that the number was 14.0%. This reduction is meaningful,…
Read MoreDo Allergies Affect ADHD Treatment?
You may struggle with mental clarity if you have ADHD, but an allergy can affect your cognition even further. ADHD comprises many symptoms and often occurs with comorbid conditions, including seasonal or other allergies and sensitivities. Allergies can muddy our ability to think clearly whether we have ADHD or not. I’ve coached many individuals who…
Read MoreWhat If I’d Been Diagnosed Sooner?
PART OF MY ROLE AS A PSYCHOLOGIST is to complete ADHD-focused evaluations for adults. Clients often come to me after their children are diagnosed, and the child’s psychiatrist or psychotherapist recommends that the parent also complete an evaluation. During an initial visit, we review current symptoms, history of those symptoms, other mental health concerns like…
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