SPACE: A Parent-Based Intervention for Reducing Childhood Anxiety
EXPERTS estimate that up to thirty percent of children with ADHD experience a co-occurring anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, not all highly anxious children will agree to participate in treatment, no matter how effective the treatment might be in reducing their suffering. And even when they do agree to participate, not all of these otherwise effective treatments…
Read MoreBrain Management as a Developmental Path
FOR THE KIDS, let’s start with marshmallows. Why marshmallows? Because it turns out that the basic cognitive skill of putting off a short-term reward (one marshmallow) for a long-term gain (two marshmallows) correlates with success across a lifetime. It reflects one step on a developmental self-management path called executive function (EF). Understanding the impact of…
Read MoreUnderstanding and Supporting Your Emerging Adult
UNDERSTANDING OUR EMERGING ADULTS is an essential step to supporting their growth and developing independence. Transgenerational expectations for how individuals should “progress” in life don’t apply like they used to, as today’s emerging adults are different than those of any other generation. Cultural, economic, healthcare, educational, and technological changes have pushed back the clock for…
Read MoreFailure to Launch: Treating It as a Process, Not a Failure
A GROWING NUMBER OF YOUNG ADULTS continue to live at home with their parents, appearing to others to be unmotivated to lead more independent, self-sufficient lives. They often feel stuck and unable to move forward, even when provided access to different supports. Their parents are also often at a loss about how best to help.…
Read MoreThe Truth about ADHD and Lying
I HATE TO SAY IT, but children with ADHD don’t always tell the truth. Consider this: What if, every day, you were asked to do all of the things you just weren’t good at—fulfill obligations that you found so onerous, you would gladly pay someone else to do them for you? Scrubbing the toilet, mowing…
Read MoreWe 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 MoreAdvice on ADHD Advice
MY BROTHER SAYS FREE ADVICE IS WORTH JUST WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT. And while most people agree, that doesn’t stop any of us (admit it) from sharing free advice from time to time—with best intentions, of course. Recently, members of Attention‘s editorial advisory board happened to discuss the subject of ADHD advice. We thought…
Read MoreEmotional Aspects of ADHD
THIS COLUMN focuses on emotional aspects of ADHD, including a study on the effects of a preschool intervention on parental negativity and another that examined child physiological markers of emotion and behavior regulation. ADHD & EMOTIONAL UNDERSTANDING How do ADHD symptoms impact emotion understanding, reactivity, and regulation? In this study, researchers compared young children who…
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 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 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,…
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