Share Your Positive Parenting Tips
Learning to pay positive attention to your child is very powerful, particularly for a child with ADHD who may often experience negative feedback. It can sometimes be difficult, however, to find the positives especially if disruptive and oppositional behaviors are taking over at home.
Parents, please help other parents by sharing your advice and tips for positive parenting. What have you found to be most helpful?
CLICK HERE to share your parenting tips.
The Importance of One-on-One Time
Days are often so busy. Our to-do list can sometimes be pages long. It may seem difficult to fit one more thing in, but regular one-on-one time with your child is very important. How often do you sit down with your son or daughter with no distractions, just focusing on him or her, listening without correcting, being together and soaking up positive one-on-one attention?
Learn more about Positive One-on-One Time
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What Accommodations Can Help Me Manage My ADHD at Work?
"I have a very supportive boss who has been understanding about my ADHD and how it can affect me at work. Though I am managing, sometimes I feel like I am running at full speed, but just not getting all my work completed and am forgetting important things. I want to be proactive because I really like my job and know I can perform better. What are some accommodations that may help me at work?" --About.com Reader
Click on Work Accommodations to read response.
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Share Your Work Experiences and Tips
Distractibility, disorganization, procrastination, poor time management, forgetfulness, restlessness, boredom, careless mistakes, incomplete projects, interrupting others, saying things without thinking - these are just a few of the challenges adults with ADHD may face at work.
What areas of work are most difficult for you?
What strategies have you found to be most helpful for improving your productivity and performance at work?
PLEASE CLICK HERE to share your experiences and advice with others.
Keeping Track of Your Keys
Never waste another second looking for your keys around the house - or sitting on your stoop waiting for a locksmith. Use these tips for keeping track of your keys, and you'll have an easier time opening your front door.
To watch video click on Avoid Losing Keys
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Friendly Settings and Tasks at School and Home to Support Children With ADHD
Children with ADHD have a greater than average need for stimulation. They seek change/novelty and high interest activities and do best with an engaging active school and home environment.
To read more click on Helping Children With ADHD Succeed
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Dealing With the Naysayers
Do you ever struggle with people "not believing" in your (or your loved one's) ADHD? Unfortunately many people, particularly adults with ADHD, will run across others in their life, including coworkers, friends or even family members, who think that ADHD is not a valid or real condition. How do you deal with the misperceptions and inaccuracies? Please share your experiences by CLICKING HERE
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Join in on the Discussion
I would love to invite you all to join in on our ADD/ADHD Discussion Forum. We have had a lot of posts recently - some with people struggling and needing support or looking for answers, others with messages of hope, another from a Dad with ADHD wondering about his son who is beginning to display symptoms that are so familiar to this Dad, one from a Mom whose son has just been diagnosed and she is feeling a little shell shocked about the whole process, and many others.
If you would like, please take some time to browse through our ADHD community forum and offer your words of encouragement, as well as your ideas and advice. It makes a difference to hear from those who have been there, done that and understand.
To visit the discussion forum, click on About.com ADHD Forum
Thank you!
Our Teen Is Resisting ADHD Medication. Any Advice?
"My teenage son has been diagnosed with ADHD. We have gone through parenting classes and some counseling. The doctor is recommending a trial of stimulant medication, but my son doesn't want to take drugs. I think he is more embarrassed about having to take them than anything else. My husband and I are at our wits' end. We don't want our son to continue to go downhill. He is a very good boy and we think medicine may help, but we don't want to force him to take it if he doesn't want to." --About.com User
Click on Resisting Medication to read response.
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Reader's Email: A Point of Inspiration
With her permission, I am sharing a recent email that I received from a reader who has struggled with undiagnosed ADHD all her life, until recently. The changes she is experiencing with treatment and understanding about ADHD have been uplifting. Though she continues to take things day to day, life finally feels brighter and clearer. It makes a difference to hear from others and so I am hopeful her message will be inspiring and hopeful to you.
"I have had issues with clinical depression and anxiety since puberty. I wasn't officially diagnosed with either until the age of 16. I have been on some sort of anti-depressant for 18 years. Several months ago, I was also diagnosed with ADHD, the inattentive type, and have begun on Adderall. My original concern with the Adderall was that because it was a stimulant, it would wreck havoc with my panic disorder. Surprisingly, I have actually calmed down! Now, with my latest increase in the Adderall, we are beginning to slowly reduce my anti-depressant medication.
The thing I find interesting is the strange duality of how much I have changed since beginning treatment for my ADHD, yet I have not changed. I am much calmer and clearer, but I am still me with the same sense of humor and character. My boss, who luckily is very supportive of me, has been off site for the last 3 months, returning to our office this past Monday. He hasn't quite adjusted to the 'new, calmer' me, seemingly over-reassuring me and expecting me to 'freak out' about stuff that honestly, 3-4 months ago I would have. I have to tell him that I am fine, taking everything in stride. I understand this will take some time to figure out, like I said, he hasn't been interacting with me on the same level as usual for 3 months, so he wasn't able to adjust to the changes in me as they became stronger and stronger. He is simply presented with 'Me 2.0' and hasn't caught up on the upgrades yet!
I had two crises 'present themselves' this week. Again, 3-4 months ago, these types of things would have caused me to freak out, panic, have racing obsessive thoughts and caused sleeplessness. It's almost a 'light bulb' moment, being able to clearly see how I am reacting. Honestly, I have to say I am proud of myself and this is not something I am used to feeling.
One crisis occurred at work, which I was surprisingly able to handle rather well. The second crisis involves a home situation. Again, surprisingly, I am the 'voice of calm and reason' of the three adults involved in this particular situation. While I am feeling overwhelmed at times, I haven't tipped into a panic attack. Though at times now, I feel like I am walking a razor's edge. Part of me wants to run and escape, but I know I can't. I am trying, for the most part succeeding, at just taking it as it comes and dealing with issues as they come up, as opposed to obsessive 'searching' for future issues.
I am proud and feel good about the progress I am making in my life. I am finally headed in the right direction."
Feel free to share your own stories of hope HERE
If you'd like to respond with encouragement to the reader who wrote the above email, you can post your words of support in the comments section below.