We All Have Our Parenting Kryptonite
PARENTS ARE MY SUPERHEROES. Who else but a superhero would wake up multiple times every night to help a crying child calm down? Who else would carry a baby everywhere, even when it means that they cannot sleep, sit, or eat? Who else would drop everything and dash to the aid of their child when…
Read MoreSteps to Take Before Sending Your Student to College
SPRING BRINGS NEW BEGINNINGS, and every spring brings at least one new client to my ADHD coaching practice from a familiar new-beginning category: the college student with ADHD who has flunked out. And each time I listen to yet another sad story of decline and failure, I find myself wishing that I’d had the chance…
Read MoreHow Do I Get My Kid to Talk TO Me Instead of AT Me or NOT At All?
CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR KIDS are not always easy. Sometimes it feels as if they just are not listening. Other times it seems that, with all our eff orts, we cannot get our children to share their thoughts, concerns, or even their desires. Or perhaps they are sharing, but not in a way that is appropriate,…
Read MoreA Parent’s Guide to Healthy Video Game and Internet Use for Children with ADHD
THE DIGITAL AGE HAS NOT ONLY ARRIVED, but by now it has settled in. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist specializing in internet and video game addiction, I see the most extreme cases of problematic internet and video game use, leading to catastrophic consequences in grades, social life, emotional well-being, and relationships with family members.…
Read MoreFirst Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask: Be a Better Parent by Caring for Yourself
WHEN WE BECOME PARENTS, our focus shifts from caring for ourselves to caring for our children. While expectant parents may not fully understand how profoundly their lives will change after children, most of them embrace their new role with enthusiasm. As their children grow and find their voices, they learn to be independent and valued…
Read MoreParents, Don’t Let Your Disappointment Defeat You
It’s a taboo feeling you don’t dare discuss: when you’re feeling disappointed by your child. If you are like most parents of atypical kids, you may believe you’re supposed to take your child’s atypical development in stride and be grateful for your uniquely wonderful son or daughter– regardless of the behavioral, learning, or medical challenges…
Read MoreThe Riding for Focus School Cycling Program
THE RIDING FOR FOCUS SCHOOL CYCLING PROGRAM is a fun, well-structured program intended to provide middle schoolers with the many potential academic and health-related benefits associated with aerobic exercise. The program focuses particularly on helping children with ADHD. Sponsored and funded by the Specialized Foundation, the program is the brainchild of Mike Sinyard, CEO of…
Read MoreDo You Know ADHD?
IT’S EASY TO THINK WE “KNOW” ADHD since its diagnosis is related to specific symptoms such as distractibility or hyperactivity. Yet we are not always savvy about how the symptoms of ADHD are expressed in behaviors (called “symptomatic behaviors”). Learning more about this can dramatically improve your life. As an example, the symptom might be…
Read MoreADHD and Criminal Justice, Part One: The Punishment Mindset and School Discipline
INDIVIDUALS WITH ADHD or similar disorders have brains that function differently, in some respects, from the brains of neurotypical individuals. To many readers of this magazine, that is well known and understood. These are our children, our students, our siblings, our parents, and even ourselves. But there are many people who interact with individuals with…
Read MoreAre Concussion and ADHD Related?
WHEN TWO THINGS share similar characteristics, such as looking alike or sounding alike, it is reasonable to ask how they are related. Just because things appear to be similar does not necessarily mean they are. For example, two people may look very much alike, but that does not guarantee they are related. The key to…
Read More2017 Young Scientist Research Awards
DURING THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADHD in Atlanta, Georgia, CHADD presented the 2017 Young Scientist Research Awards to Matthew J. Gormley, PhD, and Jaclyn Kamradt, MA. These emerging researchers were selected from a pool of outstanding applicants for their academic achievements, research studies record, professor recommendations, and planned future contributions to the field. Their…
Read MoreADHD & Teen Pregnancy; Micronutrients & Behavior Improvement
IN THIS ISSUE, we highlight two studies: One focused on risk for early pregnancy among youth with ADHD, and another describing a randomized controlled trial for a vitamin-mineral treatment in children with ADHD. RISK OF EARLY PREGNANCY Are children with ADHD at greater risk for early pregnancy and why? Many prior studies have revealed that…
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