Your ADD / ADHD News

Parent as an ADHD Advocate

Free ADHD TeleSeminar

Date: Wednesday May 21st, 2008

Time: 8:30 pm Eastern

Who: Dr. Rory Stern Interviews Evelyn Polk-Green

Sign up now>>>
 

Restore Employment and Education Rights for Adults and Children with ADHD

Are you a working adult who has ADHD? Are you a student concerned about receiving appropriate accommodations at your college or university? Does your child attend a private school that does not receive federal financial assistance? 

If the answer is yes, then the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act is crucial legislation for you to know about. The original Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990 and is the major civil rights law for people with disabilities. Since then the courts have significantly narrowed the reach of the law and made it very difficult for a person with any cognitive or mental disability to be protected. 

The ADA Restoration Act, now before Congress, will restore the original intent of the law and protect all people with disabilities. This is particularly important in protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in employment and students in private schools, colleges and universities.

Learn more and find out how you can make a difference>>>

Fidget to Focus Teleclass

On Tuesday November 27, 2007 at 9:00 pm EST ADHD Coach Sarah Wright along with Roland Rotz will be leading the free teleclass Fidget to Focus through ADDClasses.com. Sarah Wright and Roland Rotz are co-authors of the book Fidget to Focus. This teleclass is free and registered participants can either call in using a telephone or listen live over the Internet. Sign up now at www.addclasses.com

Study asks how ADHD teens cope

By PEGGY LIM

McClatchy Newspapers

Paula Luper failed her end-of-third-grade test in 1998, leaving 14 questions blank.

"I remember being very embarrassed I couldn't finish," Luper, 18, said. "I didn't tell any of my friends."

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A.D.D. Awareness Day highlights needs for those with disability

PORTLAND (Sep 22, 2006): Leonardo Da Vinci, Lewis Carroll, Salvador Dali, Winston Churchill, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Benjamin Franklin…these famous names may all have one thing in common: Attention Deficit Disorder, a condition causing difficulties resulting in distraction, inattention, impulsivity and sometimes, hyperactivity.

To promote National Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Awareness Day (A.D./H.D.) – celebrated on Wednesday – the Portland-based counseling service A.D.D. with Ease is sponsoring an essay contest, “How A.D./H.D. Has Impacted My Life,” for which middle and high school students and parents in the southern Maine region are invited to write about their experiences with the disability.

“We’re always trying to work with people’s strengths,” said J.J. Stuart, a coach with A.D.D. with Ease whose child has the disability. “Some people find out that they need practical strategies, which help them through the end of the day. We hope that more people will become more aware that there is a support system out there for them. They’re not alone.”

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Expert Explains the Link between Eating Disorders and Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD/ADHD) in New Book

New Book Reveals a Piece of the Puzzle for Women with Eating Disorders or Attention Deficit Disorder.

In her new book, Pieces of a Puzzle: The Link between Eating Disorders and ADD, Dr. Carolyn Dukarm focuses on the overlap between eating disorders and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and points out how diagnosing and treating both disorders can provide the missing pieces of the puzzle that hold the key to recovery.

People suffer daily from the symptoms of eating disorders. For some, however, eating is not the only area of their life that is out-of-control. “Every day I would see women that did not meet the criteria for either anorexia or bulimia, but clearly had disturbed eating habits, with typically no regularly planned meals or snacks, and an inability to follow dietary plans for any useful length of time,” states Dr. Carolyn Dukarm, an eating disorders specialist in Buffalo, New York. As these patients were more carefully evaluated in her Center for Eating Disorders, it became clear that the incidence of undiagnosed attention deficit disorder was very high.

Celebrity Designer Ty Pennington to Host ADHD Experts on Call Program

To help patients, families and caregivers better understand Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Shire Pharmaceuticals Inc., will host the eighth annual ADHD Experts on Call on September 20, 2006, from 8 A.M. to midnight EDT. Celebrity designer Ty Pennington, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager, is back for the third year in a row to talk about his experience managing the disorder. Some of the nation’s top ADHD experts will answer questions at the toll-free telephone hotline, 1-888-ASK-ADHD.

The hotline will provide live access to English- and Spanish-speaking experts including health care professionals, educators and advocates who can answer questions regarding the disorder. In addition, a confidential, one-on-one on-line forum will be available at http://www.ADHDExpertsOnCall.com throughout the day.

Judge Won't Order School To Give Girl Cheerleader Spot

A federal judge says a Little Rock Central High School student will not suffer irreparable harm if she is not a cheerleader this year and denied a request to order her reinstated to the squad, for which she failed an audition.

While U.S. District Judge James Moody did not grant an injunction, a trial will still follow on the lawsuit.

A lawyer for the family of Little Rock mayoral candidate Bill Walker said that Walker's 15-year-old daughter, who is going by a fictitious name in the case, suffers from an attention deficit disorder and that Central High failed to provide her with educational and behavioral support, in violation of federal law.

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Struggles persist for adolescent girls with ADHD

As they enter adolescence, girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show fewer symptoms of hyperactivity. But they continue to lag behind their peers academically and have a greater proclivity for other behavioral and emotional disorders as well as for substance abuse, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

In a much-anticipated, five-year follow-up study of one of the largest samples of girls with ADHD ever examined, UC Berkeley researchers found not only that difficulties for girls suffering from the disorder persist during their teens, but that insidious new problems can emerge. These findings are published in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

"As girls with ADHD mature into adolescence, on average they don't show as many visible symptoms of the condition, especially the most noticeable form - hyperactive behavior," said the study's lead author, Stephen Hinshaw, who is a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and chair of the psychology department.

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NEW PRINCIPLES FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD

NATIONAL ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER ASSOCIATION RELEASES NEW PRINCIPLES FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD Updated ADHD standards written entirely by ADHD experts for the public

ORLANDO, FLA (April 24, 2006) - The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) is releasing an updated set of principles for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD established by leading ADHD experts specifically for thegeneral public.  The authors describe the new protocols as a significantrevision from the previous version written last decade, offering the public a much sharper and current assessment of ADHD and treatment options in order to improve the lives of persons with the condition, ADDA announced today.

The Guiding Principles for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, to be released at ADDA's annual conference here beginning May 4, is the creation of four members of ADDA's Professional Advisory Board from around the US who specialize as ADHD clinicians. They conducted thousands of interviews involving health care providers, patients and families to help identify the most effective means of assessment and treatment of ADHD.

"ADHD is chronically misdiagnosed and under-diagnosed," says Linda Anderson, president-elect of ADDA.  "It is ADDA's goal to provide these new guidelines to both health care providers and the general public to fill a void of available information and support that leaves many ADHD adults feeling confused, unable to cope, and isolated."

Dr. Terry Dickson, an ADDA board member who co-wrote the new guidelines and also runs an ADHD clinic in Traverse City, MI, says the new principles reflect the most current knowledge of the condition. "We present an overview of the most accepted and effective overall treatment regimen along with newer concepts, such as how ADHD effects executive functioning in the brain," Dickson says.

ADHD is a disorder that can lead to significant educational, occupational and social difficulties, estimated to affect 3-6% of the adult population. The ADDA guidelines, which promote a more balanced approach to treatment of ADHD emphasizing education, medication, lifestyle changes and the consultation of recent and pertinent ADHD literature include:

• Using a qualified professional with the proper licensing and
  experience to conduct the evaluation and treatment of ADHD.
• Tailoring treatment to meet the individual clinical needs of each
  person.
• Basing the diagnosis of ADHD on many factors, not merely a
  positive response to ADHD medication.
• Involving parents, spouses, teachers, and family members in the
  diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. 

Using the guidelines as part of a treatment plan, Dr. Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist at Yale University School of Medicine who specializes in the assessment and treatment of ADHD, says individuals affected by the condition can help them to lead happier and more productive lives. "ADDA's Guiding Principles provide clear and practical information about what is and is not needed for the adequate assessment of ADHD," Brown says. "These guidelines will be a very helpful resource for clinicians and
patients."

                                           
The Guiding Principles will become available to the public at ADDA's 12th Annual Adult ADHD Conference in Orlando, FL, May 4-7, 2006.  ADDA is the world's leading non-profit organization serving adults with ADHD. Established in 1989, ADDA's mission is to provide information, resources and networking opportunities to help the individuals and families affected by ADHD.  By bringing together scientific perspectives and the human experience, ADDA provides hope, empowerment and connections worldwide for both those who have ADHD and professionals who serve them.For more information, visit www.add.org