Organize Assignments with Customizable Apps
APPS ARE AVAILABLE TO DO MANY THINGS, including helping students to keep track of their homework assignments. Each child or teen is different in how he or she wishes to organize and plan out assignments, however. For many students who would benefit from using an electronic method, the use of a structured app specifically designed…
Read MoreThe Downside to Technology for Students with ADHD
IN A STUDY CARREL AT YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE CAMPUS, a sophomore sits with sixteen open windows on his laptop. The latest YouTube video pops up just as he starts to write the first sentence of his International Relations paper. Then three friends text about making weekend plans. Two emails come in regarding campus security alerts…
Read MoreTailored for Young Learners: SMARTS Elementary
HOW DO WE EMPOWER CHILDREN to tackle difficult problems and achieve personal goals, both in school and in life? Lynn Meltzer, PhD, president and director of the Institutes for Learning and Development, says one possible way is to immerse them in a school culture that values, fosters, and celebrates metacognitive awareness. “Metacognitive awareness is the…
Read MoreWhat Makes a Good Accommodation?
PARENTS AND EDUCATORS OFTEN STRUGGLE when it comes to deciding whether or not to provide a child with an accommodation or modification. In giving a child a “leg up” or a “crutch” are we making them more dependent? Are we preventing them from trying their best? Are we giving them a message that they aren’t capable…
Read MoreStudying on Fear and Caffeine
My resume coming out of high school was less than stellar: two suspensions for fighting, dozens of unsatisfactory citizenship marks, poor grades in any subject unrelated to those I liked (math and science), and a reputation as a troublemaker. I know what you’re thinking—my resume doesn’t look that different from the rest of the members…
Read MoreTripping Over Pebbles
”Men stumble over pebbles, never over mountains:’ -Marilyn French Which college course is most frequently failed? It may surprise you to learn that the one-hour college orientation or Introduction to College course is among the finalists. In fact, some students fail it multiple times and must petition to retake it. At most colleges, intro to…
Read MoreThe Challenging Horizons Program and School Success
THE CHALLENGING HORIZONS PROGRAM is a school-based treatment model for middle- and high-school students with ADHD. The CHP specifically targets the social and academic challenges many of these students experience. Students participating in the CHP meet with staff several times during the school week and learn organization skills, study strategies, and social behaviors. Unlike some…
Read MoreThe Gifted Child with ADHD
ADHD affects the ability to manage life–particularly when situations require sustained effort, consistency, and planning. ADHD can undermine health, social relations, self-esteem, efficiency, and far more. Because of that broad impact, grades are not the bottom line for evaluating ADHD, even in school. Educational law states that impairments related to ADHD, not specific grades, are…
Read MoreSmartphones in School? A Voice for Change
AS A PARENT COACH AND TEACHER TRAINER, I deal with the challenges created by electronic devices and social media on a daily basis. Parents struggle to set appropriate limits, kids have a hard time regulating their usage, and educators need to manage the balance between using these devices as tools and the unintended consequences they…
Read MoreWhy Does Sam Struggle with School Projects?
Executive Functions and Academic Achievement WHY DO MANY STUDENTS, including those with average and above intelligence and no diagnosed or known learning or developmental disability, struggle with academic performance? While there is no simple response to this vexing question, the answer is often rooted in executive functioning deficits. Executive functions, often synonymous with the term…
Read MoreDoes My Child Need a Tutor or a Coach?
A tutor who tooted the flute Tried to teach two young tooters to toot; Said the two to the tutor, “Is it harder to toot, or To tutor two tooters to toot?” TOUGH TONGUE TWISTER. . . GOOD QUESTION! But perhaps more importantly, if you’re not into flute instruction, when should you consider a tutor…
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…
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