Training and Continuing Education on ADHD

Summary:
In this episode of the Pocket MD podcast, Laura Knouse, PhD, interviews John Mitchell, PhD, about the use of mindfulness skills to help adults with ADHD. Dr. Mitchell explains that mindfulness is a practice that involves being nonjudgmental, describing things with awareness, and acting with awareness in the present moment. He discusses how mindfulness can help individuals with ADHD by improving their ability to regulate attention and emotions. Dr. Mitchell also shares the findings of several studies that have shown the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing ADHD symptoms and improving executive functioning. He suggests that clinicians can introduce mindfulness to their patients by starting with simple practices, such as focusing on the breath, and gradually incorporating mindfulness into their daily lives. Dr. Mitchell emphasizes the importance of finding a good therapist who can provide guidance and support in integrating mindfulness into treatment. He also recommends resources such as clinician manuals and books on mindfulness for ADHD. Overall, Dr. Mitchell encourages clinicians to give mindfulness a try and explore different ways to incorporate it into their practice.

Laura Knouse, PhD
Laura Knouse, PhD, is a clinical psychologist whose research and clinical expertise focus on the nature, assessment, and treatment of ADHD in adults, specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for adult ADHD. An associate professor of psychology at the University of Richmond, she earned her PhD from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her recent research aims to better understand the self-regulation and motivation difficulties of college students with ADHD through the lenses of cognitive and social psychology in order to develop effective interventions. Recent collaborative work with faculty in other disciplines focuses on how leaders can most effectively cope with personal crisis and how growth mindsets are related to mental health and coping.

John Mitchell, PhD
John Mitchell, PhD, is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University. He earned his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2009 and completed clinical internship and postdoctoral training at Duke University Medical Center. His research focuses on ADHD treatment development and ADHD-related outcomes into adulthood. Dr. Mitchell has authored or coauthored over eighty scientific papers and book chapters, and he coauthored the book Mindfulness for Adult ADHD: A Clinician’s Guide. He has led grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. In addition to research, Dr. Mitchell is a practicing licensed psychologist in the Duke ADHD Program, working with adolescents and adults with ADHD.

Learning Objectives:
Listeners will be able to:

1. Identify the symptoms of ADHD that mindfulness can help to improve.
2. Explain what mindfulness-based treatment for ADHD looks like.
3. Understand and explain how mindfulness can be practiced throughout a busy workday.
4. Learn how clinicians can get further training or certification to integrate mindfulness into their practice.

Summary:
In this podcast episode, Margaret Sibley, PhD, and Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd, discuss nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatments for ADHD in children and adults. They define the terms nonpharmacological, alternative, and complementary treatments, and discuss the different categories of treatments available. They also highlight the importance of evidence-based research in evaluating the effectiveness of these treatments. The doctors discuss various treatments such as digital therapeutics, neurofeedback, brain stimulation, physical activity interventions, mindfulness meditation, dietary interventions, and sensory tools. They emphasize the need for better research on these treatments and the importance of patient empowerment in decision-making. They also discuss the challenges and potential risks associated with standard medication treatments for ADHD and the potential role of complementary treatments in addressing these challenges. The doctors provide recommendations for healthcare providers and educators in supporting patients and students with ADHD who are using complementary treatments. They also mention resources such as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and various websites for further information on ADHD treatments. Overall, the podcast highlights the importance of individualized treatment approaches and the need for informed decision-making based on evidence and patient preferences.

Margaret H. Sibley, Ph
Margaret H. Sibley, PhD, is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children's Research Institute. Her work focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adolescents and young adults. She developed a parent-teen therapy for ADHD (Supporting Teens’ Autonomy Daily) that combines motivational interviewing and skills training for parents and teens. She has authored or coauthored more than eighty scientific papers on ADHD and published a book with Guilford Press on treating executive functioning and motivation deficits in teens. She is a member of CHADD’s professional advisory board.

L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd
L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd, is professor emeritus of psychiatry at The Ohio State University, where he formerly was the director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry and vice-chair of psychiatry. He is a co-investigator in the OSU Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology. He has forty-five years of experience in child psychiatric research, including the multi-site NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (“the MTA”), for which he was executive secretary and chair of the steering committee. For his work on the MTA, he received the NIH Director’s Award. A particular interest is alternative and complementary treatments for ADHD. His publications include nine books, seventy chapters, and more than three hundred articles.

Learning Objectives:
Listeners will be able to:

1. Identify the complementary and alternative ADHD treatments that have a higher level of evidence for their effectiveness.
2. Understand how providers can engage in conversation with patients who are interested in trying alternative treatments.
3. Understand the challenges with using standard medication treatments that motivates people to seek alternative treatments.
4. Learn how educators can support students who are using complementary treatments.

Summary:
In this episode of the Pocket MD podcast, psychiatrist Eugene Arnold and pediatric neuropsychiatrist David Marks discuss ADHD and learning disorders. The medical term, "specific learning disorder," is used for clinical diagnosis while the education and legal systems use the term "learning disability." Specific learning disorders frequently co-occur among children and adolescents with ADHD. Around twenty percent of children with ADHD show some accompanying learning delay or challenge. The challenges are most often in acquiring academic skills such as reading, mathematical skills development, and written expression. The co-occurrence of these disorders predicts worse mental health outcomes than if the conditions exist independently. Trained practitioners who can properly diagnose and prescribe interventions that involve the child's parents and educators can help to minimize poor outcomes and improve overall trajectories for the child.

Eugene Arnold, MD, Med
L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd, is professor emeritus of psychiatry at The Ohio State University, where he formerly was the director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry and vice-chair of psychiatry. He is a co-investigator in the OSU Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology. He has forty-five years of experience in child psychiatric research, including the multi-site NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (“the MTA”), for which he was executive secretary and chair of the steering committee. For his work on the MTA, he received the NIH Director’s Award. A particular interest is alternative and complementary treatments for ADHD. His publications include ten books, more than seventy chapters, and more than four hundred articles.

David J. Marks, PhD
David Marks, PhD, is a clinical associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry and the director of educational outreach for the Neuropsychology and Learning Service at the NYU Child Study Center—Long Island Campus. His research activities have focused on the roles of neurocognitive and familial factors in the expression and course of ADHD as well as the development of therapeutic interventions for individuals with the disorder. Dr. Marks has authored or coauthored more than sixty articles and book chapters and has served as a reviewer for scientific journals in the areas of child psychopathology and pediatric neuropsychology. He also conducts and supervises comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations, consults with teachers and school-based support teams, and assists with the identification and implementation of educational and therapeutic interventions.

Learning Objectives:
Listeners will be able to:

1. Identify the different types of learning disorders.
2. Explain how the symptoms of ADHD and learning disabilities can overlap and how they can be distinguished.
3. Learn about the interventions available for a child who has ADHD and learning disorders.
4. Learn how parents can support their children who have learning disabilities.

Summary:
In this episode of the Pocket MD podcast, psychiatrist Eugene Arnold and psychologist Roberto Olivardia discuss ADHD and dyslexia. Dyslexia is a language-based learning disorder that often co-occurs with ADHD. It affects word processing, spelling, and reading comprehension. Many people with ADHD also have dyslexia, and about half of those with ADHD experience some form of learning difficulty. Dyslexia can be diagnosed through neuropsychological testing beginning at age six, but it often goes undiagnosed. It's important to distinguish ADHD symptoms from symptoms of dyslexia and to treat both disorders. Dyslexia can affect a child’s self-esteem because they may struggle to read or keep up with their classmates. Parents should talk with their child’s teachers if they think their child has dyslexia. There are special programs and educational accommodations in school that can help children manage dyslexia.

Eugene Arnold, MD, Med
L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd, is professor emeritus of psychiatry at The Ohio State University, where he formerly was the director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry and vice-chair of psychiatry. He is a co-investigator in the OSU Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology. He has forty-five years of experience in child psychiatric research, including the multi-site NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (“the MTA”), for which he was executive secretary and chair of the steering committee. For his work on the MTA, he received the NIH Director’s Award. A particular interest is alternative and complementary treatments for ADHD. His publications include ten books, more than seventy chapters, and more than four hundred articles.

Roberto Olivardia, PhD
Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Associate at McLean Hospital and Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, where he specializes in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  He also specializes in the treatment of eating disorders in boys and men.  He is co-author of The Adonis Complex, a book which details the various manifestations of body image problems in males.  He sits on CHADD’s Professional Advisory Board, as well as the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and ADDitude. He presents at many conferences, podcasts and webinars around the country.

Learning Objectives:
Listeners will be able to:

1. Define dyslexia and describe common symptoms.
2. Explain how ADHD symptoms and symptoms of dyslexia can overlap.
3. Describe a multimodal approach to treating ADHD and dyslexia.
4. Learn how parents can support their children with dyslexia and ADHD.
5. Learn the importance of interprofessional collaboration in treatment of co-occurring ADHD & dyslexia.

Summary:
This podcast provides an in-depth discussion on the relationship between intellectual disability (ID) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults. The key points are:

• Intellectual disability is characterized by impairment in adaptive behavior and an IQ score of seventy or below. Levels range from mild to profound.
• ADHD and ID frequently co-occur, with around fifty percent of individuals with ID also meeting criteria for ADHD.
• The symptoms of ADHD in individuals with ID may differ from the general population, requiring consideration of mental age when assessing for ADHD.
• Treating the ADHD symptoms in individuals with ID can improve their ability to learn and function, even though there is no direct treatment for ID itself.
• Parents and educators should have realistic expectations and provide structure and consistency to support individuals with both ID and ADHD.
• While the dual diagnosis presents additional challenges, there are effective treatments available, and a reasonable prognosis can be achieved with appropriate interventions.

Max Wiznitzer, MD
Max Wiznitzer, MD, is a pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a professor of pediatrics and neurology at Case Western Reserve University. He has a longstanding interest in neurodevelopmental disabilities, especially ADHD and autism, and has been involved in local, state, and national committees and initiatives, including autism treatment research, Ohio autism service guidelines, autism screening, and early identification of developmental disabilities. He is on the editorial board of Lancet Neurology and Journal of Child Neurology and lectures nationally and internationally about various neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd
Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd, is professor emeritus of psychiatry at The Ohio State University, where he formerly was the director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry and vice-chair of psychiatry. He is a co-investigator in the OSU Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology. He has forty-five years of experience in child psychiatric research, including the multi-site NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA), for which he was executive secretary and chair of the steering committee. For his work on the MTA, he received the NIH Director’s Award. A particular interest is alternative and complementary treatments for ADHD. His publications include ten books, more than seventy chapters, and more than four hundred articles.

Learning Objectives:
Listeners will be able to:

1. Explain the difference between ADHD and intellectual disability.
2. Describe the common causes of intellectual disability.
3. Identify professionals who can diagnose and treat intellectual disability and ADHD.
4. Explain how parents can support their child with ADHD and intellectual disability.
5. Explain the importance of interprofessional collaboration in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and intellectual disability.