I think that it’s important to know that as ADHD’rs we need to live in what I call the “Sweet Spot” between being understimulated and overwhelmed. If we are bored or understimulated our brain doesn’t produce the dopamine necessary to pay attention and we effectively shut down. If we are overwhelmed our brain becomes overstimulated, goes into panic mode… and we shut down in a different way. More on being overwhelmed in the next post.

I had a question from a client today. She wanted to know what to tell her nine year old daughter about why she was going to neuropsych testing. My response was atypically brief, so I thought I would just post it too. I would point out that you know she is struggling with lots of stuff. The testing is to see if you she has ADHD just like mom and aunt –––. If she does, that’s actually a good thing, because it can be dealt with and her life can get easier and less stressful.

I talk a lot about not doing a daily list. But a daily schedule is a great tool. I’ll post again soon with more detail on the difference between the two and the rationale. For now, here’s a list I did a few weeks ago. Client names have been redacted. The idea is to illustrate how tasks are put in to time. You’ll notice that there are two things that I didn’t get to. And that constitutes a really good day. Other things came up, and I’m okay with that. I put those things on my schedule for the following day and got them done. Set the bar at a reasonable level, but high enough that you have to push a little and don’t let yourself fall in to the abyss of (perceived) “free” time.

Many of the mundane tasks of life bore us ADHDers to the point that we avoid them, rush through them, or hate them in a way that is totally out of proportion to how much of a bummer they should actually be.   Listening to the radio is one thing that I have found really helps me get though those daily and weekly tasks. I guess it began in high school. I got one of those shower radios and listened to music mostly while I was getting ready in the morning. I found it easier to get out of bed and get in to the bathroom and get on with my day. I started doing it again at some point in my adult life. I listen to the radio, mostly sports now or NPR when I’m in the bathroom in the morning, or when I’m in the kitchen.  Podcasts are also a great thing to take advantage of. I might not survive my hour or two in the kitchen every weekend without NPR podcasts, the Moth, and Risk. They are entertaining enough that I can get anything done without it seeming like a total chore.

I’m back after a few weeks off for the birth of our beautiful baby girl, Delia. There’s nothing like bringing a life in to this world to get you thinking about the big picture.  Life is a funny thing in that we all have our own joys, pains, triumphs, and tragedies. Especially in todays social media world of faux-friends and pretend social interaction, it can be far too easy to forget what lies beyond the walls of our own little world. Not to say that our worlds are insignificant.  On the contrary.  The beauty is that they are all significant.  It has been my experience that, even if we struggle in social situations, most of us with ADHD have a need to be social.  We need to find balance in our lives. This struck me as I looked out the window of our hospital room while my daughter was “on her way.”  I was struck by how seminal that moment was for me.  Yet there were thousands of people out my window who knew nothing of it.  In fact, they all had their own seminal moments: births, deaths, weddings, divorces, accidents, close calls, stunning achievements, bitter disappointments. I guess, looking out that window could make anyone feel small and isolated. But, the love of my wife and my children makes me feel connected to something bigger. The good thoughts and well wishes of friends and family that streamed in that night by text and email, the flowers that waited at the house when we got home a few days later, the gifts that have come in the mail, the offers of help from neighbors, the meals brought over, the love we have received from others has made me feel more connected than ever. We can only make our lives richer by…

I alway considered my self lucky that I’m only dealing with ADHD.  There is no prescription for ignorance.  I get a weekly special ed newsletter from  It is impressively presented.  But about 40% of the articles/links are totally bogus and downright damaging to those of us with ADHD. Last week there was a link to a Jacksonville local new report about parents treating their eight year old’s ADHD with coffee.  Do I even need to say what’s wrong with that? This really just underscores the importance of knowing where you information comes from.  I don’t think that there could possibly be a topic in the American popular consciousness right now that is more often or more thoroughly misrepresented than is ADHD.  You can’t believe how careful you have to be.  Places you would go for reliable information on any other topic may be suspect when it come to ADHD.  We all know we can’t trust the New York Times anymore.  Their bias is appalling.   That brings me to todays special ed post.  There is a link to an OPINION piece by an actual doctor who is clearly against the diagnosis and treatment of young mothers.  In Dr. Gold’s own words: I have concerns about this trend of diagnosing and treating ADHD, particularly in this population of young mothers. If we label this behavior as a disorder and prescribe a pill, we are not placing responsibility (blame) squarely on the mother?  It was always my understanding of the hippocratic oath the the first rule was do no harm.  Is the second rule to judge and blame the patient? Why does so much of our society (including many in the medical field,) insist on punishing instead of treating?  Disturbing!

This is an update to an older post.  I’m not sure the old one was easy to find being an older post and filed under “World’s Yummies Protein Shake.” ADHD kids are often hit with a substantial appetite suppression when on stimulants.  This is a challenging but manageable side effect.  Recent research suggests that kids on long term stimulant therapy eventually reach their ultimate hight and are only a few percentile points behind in ultimate weight.  This is provided their basic nutritional needs are met and you are willing to be patient.  (It can be with as much as a two year lag that they eventually get where they were going.) Here’s the updated recipe: 8 oz Whole Milk (I’m trying not to gain weight, so I use Almond Milk) 1 sm squeeze real chocolate syrup* 1 heaping scoop Vanilla flavored Whey Protein powder** 1/2 a banana, fresh or frozen*** 10-15 Blueberries, depending on size, fresh or frozen 2-3 Strawberries, quartered, fresh or frozen*** Method:  Put it all in a blender until it is smooth! *I like Alaskah organic that I get at Whole Foods.  Good flavor, consistency, ingredients. **I like the Whole Foods 365 brand.  Dissolves well, subtle vanilla flavor, and you can’t beat the price. ****Don’t think you need a $500 Vita Prep to make a shake.  That’s one of the biggest scams going.  I have a retro model Waring 2 speed with a class caraffe that will always do my bidding and is silly easy to clean.  (They run about $100)  I’m sure you could do even better if making a shake is your only criterion. HAPPY SHAKING! Upload Photos

I was glancing at an article in attention by Dr. Hallowell.  It was about “Atentiv.”  Apparently it is a new brain training system.  I don’t know.  LIke I said… I was glancing at it.  The first line was something to the affect of “Not your father’s brain training.  And, yes it is missing the “e” and one of the “t”s…”   I literally started at it for at least a minute trying to figure out how it was missing a “t.”  If not for spell check, I would still be in my sophomore year in high school.

ADHD, when examined through a particular lens can be said to be a disorder of under-stimulation.  As ADHDers we often wander around the world seeking stimulation.  Unfortunately, stimulation can be found in many places that are unhealthy.  I think it is particularly important to be aware of this tendency and to teach our kids to be aware of it as they grow in to teens and adults. I divide stimulation seeking behaviors in to two catagories; 1.  Things that we do not need to do and can effectively manage by not having in our lives at all. Drugs Alcohol Nicotine Gambling Video Games 2.  Thing that we have to do in our lives but need to learn how to do in moderation: Sex  (In all forms including porn.) Shopping Being online/ Using electronic devices Food Interpersonal relationships All of these things occupy a place in our lives that is necessary and important.  But they can all become problems if they are not managed in appropriate ways.

My son is starting kindergarten next year.  I am terrified.  I don’t know if he has ADHD or not.  I do know that he is a wonderful, loving, intelligent, amazing kid who still views the world with a sense of wonder I envy.  I’m pretty sure that school will beat that out of him.  So many really, really smart kids end up in my office having been destroyed in one way or another by the traditional educational system in this country.  If you think I’m overreacting, find a way to see the movie “Race to Nowhere.”   I firmly believe that there is a strong bias in many corners of our society against the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD.  This is terrible and I fight against it everyday.  I could not be further from one of the people who deny ADHD and it’s impact.  However, over the past year or so, I have taken note of several things that are going on in our schools that I find tremendously alarming.  Kids are simply asked to do things that they are not developmentally ready for.  A child who is not ready to learn a given thing or has developed to the point where there brain is ready to manage complex tasks will look like they have a disability.   When I was in elementary school a mere 25 years ago, at the beginning of our societal awareness of ADHD, kids were often diagnosed with ADHD around age 10 or 12 when the demands of school increased.  Now I find many many more kids diagnosed between five and eight.  In many cases, this should be lauded.  We are identifying things earlier and treating them better.  However, I think it is incredibly important to be open to the idea that it is…

People often ask me how I know my medication is working and how I know I will need it forever.  They are especially interested because I haven’t taken a medication “holiday” since the summer after my sophomore year in high school.  The answer is simple.  Every once in a while, a pill gets stuck in the pill container or I get distracted and don’t take a dose when I mean to.  The latter happened today. I will post again shortly on how I manage my meds on a daily basis, but for the purpose of this post all you need to know is that my alarm went off at 11am today.  I was upstairs putting something away and when I came down to take my pills, I must have gotten distracted.  1:42 minutes later, I was Generally lethargic, bored, and tired. I was totally unmotivated to work out (even though it was on my calendar.) I had also struggled to stay focused during a consultation at 11:30 and to use my working memory to schedule a session for next month.  Today was the day that I planned to file my “To File” stack.  I got through my personal stack with great difficulty and quit before I got to the work stack.  And, I avoided making any new folders that needed to be made because It seemed like “a lot of effort.” I ate lunch 3 times, because my brain was seeking stimulation in the form of salty yummy cheesy goodness. I ultimately settled on watching The Following on the DVR, but even that wasn’t stimulating enough so I was playing Angry Birds Star Wars II while watching. At 12:42 I realized I wasn’t medicated and took my pills.  38 minutes later, I mysteriously got off the couch and came in here to…

With a baby due in a matter of weeks and a very very busy couple of weeks for my business.  There are a few things that are helping me keep myself together. Exercise.  I’ve actually been pushing myself harder and going longer.  It has helped me center myself and let go of stress and anger. Communication.  Game-planning with my wife and sharing responsibilities has been key. Making time for social interaction has helped me ‘reset’ myself and not spiral down. Really relying on my list of things to do.  I added a third list for baby-related stuff.  I check them regularly and have managed to be productive through the stress instead of succumbing to it. Not tooting my horn, just hope to share some wisdom.  Hope it is helpful