With a heavy heart we I am back to the business of ADHD today… The following is a redacted copy of a letter I wrote for a client recently to help her get the accommodations her daughter needs.  I honestly don’t know if it will be helpful or not.  I don’t know if they even consider the professional opinion of a coach.  I thought it would be interesting to share, both as a practical document and in terms of addressing the larger philosophical issue of what to do with our ADHD children, especially the bright ones.  (FYI: I haven’t met the dumb…

Here’s another conference nugget: Here are some interesting facts about the two stimulant families, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate…) & Amphetamine (Adderall, etc.) Stimulants appear to be less effective on ADHD in children who are also on the Autism Spectrum  and those who’s ADHD is brain injury related. Stimulants don’t directly effect executive function.  (However, it is my non-scientifically validated opinion that being able to concentrate helps ADHD’ers work on their executive function issues.) Metadate CD capsules can be opened and sprinkled on food for kids who have trouble with the pills. New research indicates that there is no statistically relevant difference in hight with medicated…

by theinplace Hey everyone. About 2 weeks ago I attended a fantastic ADHD conference though the MGH Psychiatry Academy here in Boston… well, actually Cambridge. It was geared toward medical professionals — I was probably the only coach in the room, but that’s fine with me. Basically, the conference was a review what we know about ADHD, presentations on all of the new science from the past year, and the implications of how this knowledge helps those of us with ADHD be effectively treated. Topics included stimulant and non-stimulant meds, CBT, neuro-imaging, the genetics of ADHD, managing ADHD in college…

As much as I hate to admit it when I make a mistake… One other thing that I learned at the conference is that a small percentage of ADHD’ers do outgrow it. I would still argue that many people who claim they outgrow it, are just living ADHD friendly lives as adults and don’t realize they are just managing their ADHD effectively. However, the newer brain scans do show that in some cases, the differences in brain size are corrected in adolescence I am endeavoring to track down the actual statistics. (I want to say it was in the low…

I haven’t had time to read that most recent article in the Times.    However, I will say that with in the ADHD community the Times has already become a joke.  They so clearly have an anti-ADHD bias that we all need to take their “reporting” on the topic with a grain of salt, at best.   I imagine that schools wouldn’t dare such a “pop culture” source when considering how to deal with kids and family, especially when such matters can ultimately end in litigation.  But, stranger things have happened.  Certainly worth keeping an eye on. Personally, I do…

This is a fantastic shake for several reasons.  It is great for us who help manage our ADHD with exercise, including lifting, and who want to lose fat and build muscle in it’s place.  I usually have one after my workout at least 4 days a week.  It gets you all those mini nutrients in the fruit as well as really effective protein delivery. But, here’s the thing:  I was a chef for 13 years.  If it don’t taste good, I don’t want no part of it!  I’m a lot like your kids that way.  Which is why this is…

So, If you are one of the six people who have read my blog, you are probably familiar with my standard disclaimer.  It is essentially this: In an effort to avoid my own ADHD perfectionist tendencies, I choose not to edit, proofread, reread, obsess, ruminate,  hyperfocus, and generally get all mental about these posts.  I generally ask for forgiveness for typos, misspellings that spell check misses and the occasional gramatical mistake. My incredibly helpful father (a former high school English teacher) and my helpful and very “detail oriented” mother (who used to be in publishing) have encouraged me to have someone edit my…

I was reading some poems to my 3 1/2 year old last night.  I thought we could all benefit from this one. WOULDA-COULDA-SHOULDA All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas/  Layin’ in the sun./  Talkin’ ’bout the things/  They woulda-coulda-shoulda done…/  But those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas/  All ran away and hid/  From one little did. Shel Siverstein’s Falling Up

I recently met Jaclyn at an ADHD awareness event.  I liked what her organization had to offer.  You decide.  Check it out! “Super Soccer Stars Shine is a unique program that uses soccer as a vehicle to teach life skills to individuals with developmental disabilities.  Our innovative curriculum, designed by licensed educators and therapists, promotes the complete growth and development of each player.  Our low player-to-coach ratios encourage and empower players to increase social potential with teammates, build self-awareness and confidence, and advance gross and fine motor skills — all while having a blast! Our program utilizes a developmentally appropriate…

I consider low self-esteem an epidemic amongst ADHD’ers. This doesn’t surprise me at all. Much of life, particularly the traditional educational system, is structured in a way that makes us feel like failures on a day-to-day basis. It doesn’t matter how strong a person you are at your core, repeated “failures” day after day is soul crushing. So, after years of perceived failure, how do we start to rebuild our self-worth? Or, for parents of younger kids, how can we avoid the poor self-esteem trap to beging with? The answer is simple. Success. Increasingly we live in a society of…

My Standard Disclaimer: In order to outsmart my own perfectionist tendencies and actually make blog entries that I don’t obsess about, I promise not to edit this post [much]. So please forgive any mistakes. It may not be done perfectly, but IT IS DONE, and I’m good with that! So, as of last week I am officially an ACC. (That is another certification. It means that I’m an Associate Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation.) Very exciting, yes. But, that isn’t why I am writing about it. I’m proud of my accomplishment, but not in the way you might…

So, at nine o’clock tonight my Concerta is running out for the day. I’ve gotten the little man to bed. I’m tired but not quite ready for bed myself. I want to get more work done. I know that the only way I’m going to get anything done is to take a bit more Ritalin, and wait for it to kick in. This sort of planning is second nature for me. I have been taking medication to concentrate for 24 years, since I was ten. It is my life. But for some reason it struck me as odd tonight. If…