Project FOCUS: Helping Military Family Members Grow Stronger
UCLA’s PROJECT FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress) is a trauma-informed, skills-based prevention model designed to build upon the resilient qualities of military family members, many of whom endure enormous stress as a result of their service to our country. Considering the added stresses associated with attention or learning challenges for children growing up in military…
Read MoreSpontaneous or Impulsive? How to Know, What to Do
MOST OF US CRINGE WHEN WE HEAR THE WORD IMPULSIVITY, as it brings to mind what our impulsive decisions or behaviors have resulted in. Impulsivity can cause accidents, inefficiency, poor performance reviews at work, and adversely affect treasured relationships. What is impulsivity and how does it differ from spontaneity? Most of us like being spontaneous,…
Read MoreStressful Experiences and Risk for ADHD
THIS RESEARCH UPDATE focuses on a single overarching question: Does exposure to stressful experiences put children at risk for ADHD? The two studies featured highlight the importance of understanding what researchers are measuring when trying to reconcile seemingly contradictory findings. The first study utilized data from a large study of twins and sought to understand…
Read MoreADHD, Brain Balancing Music, and Mindfulness
New Breakthroughs and Resources OF ALL THE OPTIONS TO HELP PEOPLE WITH ADHD live better lives and be more functional members of society, one of the most overlooked is the use of music. As you will see, there is a good reason for this; “regular” music doesn’t work. Most traditional music is intended for entertainment…
Read MoreCompassionate, Trauma-Responsive Schools
The Heart of Learning RESEARCHERS NOW KNOW that exposure to extreme stress can affect several functions children rely on to succeed in school. It can, for example, affect their ability to concentrate, to retrieve information, to remain focused on their goals, and to control and regulate their emotions and related behavior. In fact, it can…
Read MoreHow ADHD Sometimes Gets Worse
PART ONE WHEN WE SAY THAT A PERSON’S ADHD HAS GOTTEN WORSE, what we usually mean is that the person’s executive functions, his ability to manage himself, have not yet developed enough to meet task requirements usually expected for a person of that age. As a child gets older, family, teachers, friends, and the wider…
Read MoreAnxious, Stressed, Lonely or Bored?
I struggle with picking scabs, the skin around my nails, basically any non-smooth areas of skin on my body. I’m wondering if this is ADHD-related. What can I do about it? It could be ADHD-related, and it could be something else. While picking and fidgeting can be forms of restlessness in ADHD, there is also…
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