Self-Driven Kids with ADHD
IN MY THIRTY YEARS OF TESTING KIDS WITH ADHD, I have seen hundreds of kids like fourteen-year-old Alex, whose homework is an enormous source of stress and frustration for him and his parents. Even with constant parental nagging, teacher reminders, the help of a tutor, and an elaborate home-school communication program, Alex commonly forgets to…
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 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 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 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 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 MoreAsk the Expert: 5 Solutions to Common ADHD Social StrugglesAsk The Expert
Engagement: Making Educational Content “Stick” Through Technology
ENGAGEMENT. IN MY YEARS as a speech and language pathologist working with students with a wide variety of learning issues, I have learned that engagement is half the battle in facilitating success. Students with attention difficulties must struggle with immersion in educational environments not necessarily designed for their needs, in which the material they are intended…
Read MoreGiftedness & ADHD: A Strengths-Based Perspective and Approach
ADHD AND GIFTEDNESS are sometimes described as having the same or similar characteristics. However, one diagnosis is considered a disability and one, a gift. Neither assumption is ideal in supporting the child identified with either ADHD, giftedness, or both, often referred to as twice exceptional or 2e. (Twice exceptional or 2e refers to a diagnosis…
Read MoreEverything I Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Eight Tips for Teachers from CHADD’s 2016 Educator of the Year EVERY PARENT IS A BETTER PARENT WHEN THEY HAVE FRIENDS TO HELP THEM through the challenges of raising a child with ADHD. Mine was a kindergarten teacher, Alicia Solano, who eventually was named the 2016 CHADD Educator of the Year. In an interview,…
Read MoreHarness Fidgeting to Improve Focus
“STOP SHAKING YOUR LEGS. You are making the kitchen table move,” said John’s mother. “John, stop tapping your fingers on the desk, you are disturbing the other students,” said John’s teacher. These and similar comments are probably familiar to many of you as individuals who fidget, as parents of children or teens who fidget, or…
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