ADHD in the News 2020-04-16

Four Lessons We’ve Learned from Moving Online

For students with ADHD, executive function challenges, anxiety, and learning differences, “doing school” can be stressful. Our students benefit from the stability, routines, safety, and connections that being together in one physical space allows for. A question started to emerge in conversations between peer-school leaders. Could the students do it?...Here are four lessons we have learned moving to online teaching that have allowed us to do so smoothly.



Helpful at-home school resources for kids with learning and attention difficulties

For those looking to help your kids with learning and attention difficulties or disabilities grapple with extended school closures, Elgersma shared some digital tools that you might incorporate into their schooling routine, as well as some overall tips. The tools and tips suggested here can primarily assist with completing assignments, maintaining daily schedules, and incorporating educational activities into your family routine if you have a kid with learning or attention difficulties and disabilities.



Study Looks at Everyday Experiences of ADHDers Over 50

Researchers in Sweden interviewed ten people with ADHD over the age of 50, asking them about life with ADHD and looking for patterns in their responses. Specifically, participants were asked: “Could you please share openly what it is like to live with ADHD at your current age?” The researchers found several commonalities in people’s responses.



Effects of childhood and adult persistent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on risk of motor vehicle crashes: results from the multimodal treatment study of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Researchers recruited a total of 441 individuals with and 239 without (local normative comparison group) childhood ADHD from the Multimodal Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Study. They calculated driving experience as the number of months since licensure. Compared with childhood-limited ADHD, persistence of ADHD into adulthood is a stronger prognosticator of MVC risk.



ADHD and Screen Time During the Quarantine

Sitting in front of a screen all day. During the coronavirus quarantine, it’s a dream come true for some kids with ADHD. While they need to get through a few hours of schoolwork each day, much of the rest of their time can be spent playing video games or watching YouTube...I have two suggestions for screen time for kids with ADHD during the quarantine.



Nourishing Nutrition: ADHD and Nutrition — Is There a Link?

As with most conditions, nutrition can be helpful for those struggling with ADHD symptoms. Foods and nutrients can have direct effects on the development and functioning of the human brain. Sometimes these foods (or chemicals in the foods) have a negative effect and act like an irritant, but more often they are nurturing to the system, which can often be deficient in certain nutrients.



For those with ADHD, social distancing presents both major challenges and opportunities

During a group Zoom call the other day, two of my friends happily bonded over how clear their skin has been recently, thanks to the fact that they haven’t been putting on makeup for work. I smiled as I listened, but I didn’t chime in—because while I, too, have been going foundation-free these past few weeks, my (ADHD) symptoms have been flaring up, meaning I’ve been picking at my skin like nobody’s business.



What Is ‘Time Blindness’ and Do You Have It?

Time blindness is a term coined by doctors who treat people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dr. Ari Tuckman, a Pennsylvania-based psychologist who specializes in ADHD, said adults typically develop an innate awareness of time and an ability to track its passing.



Efficacy and safety of guanfacine extended-release in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

This study was sought to investigate guanfacine extended-release (GXR) efficacy and safety in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers designed a phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (conducted between October 2016 and July 2017) including Japanese patients aged ≥ 18 years with ADHD (DSM-5).



Meta-analysis reveals shared genetic factors between childhood psychopathology, adult depression

Childhood psychopathology traits starting at age 6 years and adult depression and its associated traits share genetic factors, according to results of a meta-analysis published in JAMA Psychiatry.



Telemedicine is not enough

It’s 2020, and millions of Americans—now bound to their homes—still don’t have reliable internet access. In a pandemic, that’s a public health crisis.