ADHD is a neurodevelopmental psychiatric condition that occurs in childhood and often persists throughout an individual’s life. While the United States has established diagnostic and treatment guidelines for childhood ADHD (American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics), similar guidance for adults with ADHD remains conspicuously…

Chris A. Ziegler Dendy 1944–2023 It is with sadness that we share the passing of Chris A. Zeigler Dendy, a longtime CHADD volunteer and cofounder of CHADD’s Teacher to Teacher training program, on July 8, 2023. Inducted into CHADD’s Hall of Fame in 2006, she received CHADD’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. A passionate advocate,…

I believe that talking about the “gifts” of ADHD started with physicians and therapists who were uncomfortable telling a child and her parents that she had ADHD. They wanted the diagnosis to be less scary, less awful sounding. They wanted to say something positive so the child and the family would not be downhearted and…

In life, we often find ourselves facing unexpected challenges that push us to our limits. For our family, the loss of our beloved son, Anthony, who battled with ADHD and other learning difficulties, became the driving force behind our vision to make a positive impact on the lives of countless children and teenagers facing similar…

Back-to-school success depends on a great home study space for your kiddos. With the best intention, families often add a desk to their kids’ bedrooms for studying and homework. Adding a desk to their rooms might be the answer to some students’ productivity, however, there are other options for families to consider. Here are some…

Financial stress: it’s in the pile of items-to-be-returned in the hallway, the fees for late or missed payments, the nervous laughter when discussing retirement plans, and the heated arguments with partners or family members. ADHD can contribute to financial stress in many ways: lower expected lifetime earnings coupled with higher healthcare costs, reduced savings and…

Everyday Responsibilities   Excerpted from the book Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities, 3rd Edition by Elizabeth C. Hamblet (2023). Used by permission of the publisher Rowman & Littlefield. All rights reserved. Follow the rules Even if they are registered with their college’s disability services office (DS), students with disabilities are expected…

CHADD is excited to announce that Zoe R. Smith, PhD, and Jess N. Smith, MS, are the recipients of the 2023 Young Scientist Research Awards. Every year this program attracts stellar candidates conducting research on a wide array of topics in ADHD. Applicants select an example of their research for review. Postdoctoral awardee Zoe Smith…

What does the current research show about stigma and ADHD? This research update reviews two recent studies examining stigma surrounding individuals with ADHD. Stigma can include public stigma and internalized stigma. Public stigma involves the negative perceptions of society. Internalized stigma involves an individual internalizing, or taking on within themselves, public stigma. The first study…

Does loneliness cause adults and teenagers with ADHD to people please? Sadly, often the answer is yes. For many of us with ADHD, years of rejection, friendship struggles and generally feeling lonely or misunderstood often affects how we approach making new friends. We worry about things like: Should I say no to the one person…

A 2021 recipient of CHADD’s Young Scientist Research Award, Melissa Dvorsky, PhD, MS, has been drawing upon mobile technology to develop and pilot a program that incorporates tools designed to help middle and high schoolers with ADHD. Known as ATOM—Advanced Tools for Organization—the program is specifically designed to teach students with attentional and organization difficulties…