It’s a high-wire act without a net when you talk to children, because you never know what will come out of their mouths, and particularly so with ADHD kids. Or is it that ADHD kids have such great insight? That’s the case with Lucy, a seven-year-old, who is very interesting and articulate about sharing her ADHD insights, experiences, and strategies. Continue reading “ADHD at Age 7: Your Child Can Learn from Lucy”
Organizing things is a real challenge, especially for those with ADHD. They think they’ll just jump in and start organizing until they get into a mess and then things seem to explode.
It has been said, if you don’t understand something as a process, you don’t understand it at all. I find this rings true for those with ADHD in the context of organization.
Continue reading “ADHD: Getting Organized about Organization”
As we learn more and more about attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), we find it’s more an issue of self-regulation rather than a deficit of attention. And our podcast, Attention Talk Radio, has highlighted the role working memory plays in ADD/ADHD. Continue reading “ADHD: Thinking and Mental Effort”
Time and again, I have written about attention, and time and again, I have tried to illustrate that whatever seems to be obvious to you is a function of what you are paying attention to. So, if you want to pay attention to the right thing, then you need to pay attention to how things work by focusing on the process, not the result. To demonstrate that I really do practice what I preach, I will share with you an experience of how I put these principles into play a few days ago in my own life. Continue reading “Puberty: My Teenager is Under the Influence!”
Since the early 19th century ushered in the Industrial Revolution, we as a society have evolved from a one-size-fits-all way of doing things to a more highly customizable system of producing consumer goods. Now, humankind itself is finally starting to develop a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the diverse makeup of its people. More and more advocates are focusing on differences in ethnicity, sexuality, and gender. When it comes to neurodiversity, however, for the most part, many are still silent.
Continue reading “A Call for Neurodiversity Coaching Specialists”
In preparing for ADHD Awareness Month in 2014, I realized that ADHD coaching first appeared in print in the book Driven to Distraction by Dr. Ned Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey. This book has been the best-selling book on ADHD of all time. To bring awareness to the public, I reached out to Dr. Ned Hallowell. Together, we did a podcast on Attention Talk Radio, acknowledging the 20th anniversary of the birth of ADHD coaching as an intervention.
Continue reading “ADHD Coaching, the Evolution of the Intervention”
Working with those with ADHD, I find they have a certain processing style that varies by individual. While this is not ADHD specific, those with ADHD are more dependent on a more dominant style. It’s a common occurrence in those with ADHD, as they have a working memory issue in how they process things. Let me give you an example. Continue reading “ADHD and Conflicts in Style”
As an ADHD coach, I am asked almost daily whether ADHD stimulant medications are addictive, but the answer is vague, and I’m not so sure we have all the information. Yet, we do need to understand the pros and cons about ADHD treatment with medications.
While I don’t consider stimulants to be addictive if they are used properly, they are potentially addictive if used improperly, and that’s why they need to be monitored and are available only with a prescription. When carefully managed by a physician, I believe the medications are safe and likely will not cause a physical dependence. Continue reading “Are My ADHD Stimulant Medications Addictive?”
If you’ve got ADHD and truly observe your behavior, you might come to realize that thinking is effortful. It’s very challenging for people with ADHD to actually pause and engage their thinking mind to override their automatic responses. There is value in doing that if you actually make that happen. Continue reading “The Challenges of ADHD in Our Self-Centered World”
Pain! Energy! ADHD! They just don’t seem compatible with each other, but yet, they go hand in hand for those who struggle with chronic pain, no energy, and ADHD.
Those with ADHD often have endless amounts of energy, but when they don’t, they may be suffering with chronic low-level pain that seems to suck their life away. It keeps them from doing what they want to do, and they beat themselves up and blame their ADHD. Continue reading “The Impact of Pain on ADHD and Energy”
