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Happy Post Holidays!!!  

Portland, ME, after Christmas

It is 2013!  You have made it through the holidays.  Congratulations! I hope you had fun. Lots of fun. Speaking of "fun," did you hear the show that Jeff and I did on December 26,  ADHD as a Gift or the Gift of HOPE for Those with ADHD? It was just Jeff and I. No guests.... Jeff asked the question of whether ADHD is the present that I would want to find wrapped under my tree. Here's what went through my head after the show....

Now, I know that there are many experts in the field of ADHD who have said that ADHD is not a gift. I know that systems are set up to meet the needs of the majority and ADDers make up only 6-8% of the population. This can cause some challenges in work and school in particular. I also know that the rate of substance abuse and divorce is high among those with learning differences. So is depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. This is bumming me out just acknowledging this.....

Despite all of that I also know that people with ADHD are born this way. It's not gifted to them later in life, causing them to have to adjust and become wildly aware of all the challenges they did not face before. With support, self-awareness, accommodations, and compassion people with ADHD are capable of living successful, fulfilling, and productive lives. Some are even capable of living spectacular, exciting, awesome lives! So, it may not be the gift I would want if I was not born with it, but it's not one I want to give back now that I already have it.  

ADHD: How Do You Help Kids Who Do Not Think? 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

ADHD as a Gift or the Gift of HOPE for Those with ADHD 

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 

In this episode of Attention Talk Radio, your hosts Jeff Copper and Kirsten Milliken pay attention to the question of whether attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a gift.  Is it or isn't it?  The conversation  incorporates things like hard fought-for accommodations, byproducts of ADHD like developed skills, and, as Mark Katz says, "There's never anything so wrong with us that what's right with us can't fix it." The discussion progresses into a conversation around the gift of hope, its value, and the role it plays in the world with those diagnosed or impacted by ADHD. 

Just Released on Attention Talk Video

Neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, licensed clinical social workers, ADHD coaches, and others deal with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The question is who does what, which do you need, and why would you need more than one. In this episode Dr. Russ Ramsay of the University of Pennsylvania joins Jeff for a spirited interview on the topic. 

 
Click image to view the video. 

Navigating ADHD Professionals: Neurologists, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Coaches & Others

Compassion

by Elaine Taylor-Klaus of Impact ADHD  

Compassion is the expression of sympathetic concern for another's difficulties. On the surface, it seems too simple to be a coaching tip -- shouldn't we all have compassion for our kids? But it's actually a helpful strategy. Hear me out.

As parents, we tend to get frustrated when our kids act like kids - even neuro-typical kids. It can be maddening when they tie their shoes at a snail's pace, or cry over something as simple as spilled milk, or behave immaturely in the car.

That is exacerbated when kids aren't even behaving as maturely as other kids their age, as is often the case with ADD/ADHD kids. "Why can't they just..." is our common refrain.

So take a few minutes to put yourself in your child's place. What do you think it feels like to struggle with the motor coordination of tying a shoe or carrying a plate and glass to the table (when your same-age peers have already mastered the skill)? What must it feel like to know you have a big report to do, but have no clue how to get started (while your best friend -- if you have one -- is already half way done)?  How would you handle the frustration of knowing you're disappointing your parents, but feeling powerless to change it?

As parents, how we approach our kids' challenges sets the tone for how they learn to manage themselves. Your compassion will teach them to be more patient with themselves, and allow them to try harder without feeling like a failure. Give it a try. If nothing else, it feels better to feel compassion for your child than to constantly feel annoyed!

Article originally appeared on ImpactADHD.com and is reproduced with permission of ImpactADHD™.

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