ADHD Help

TEXT: I saw “Avatar” yesterday,
and there’s something that now I must say:
kids with ADHD sat still,
with or without a pill;
too bad ALL life can’t grab them that way.

Just because children can sit still when something really grabs them doesn’t mean that they don’t have ADHD. Children with ADHD have great difficulty doing redundant tasks with they find to be boring, like school work. Now, when I first heard this, my question was, “Doesn’t everyone have that problem?” The answer I received was, “Others also get bored but can still manage to force themselves to do the work. People with ADHD really just can’t do the work. That’s the difference.” So, if you suspect that your child has ADHD, get a good evaluation and come visit us at adhd1.net .

The ADHD Song: There’s three main symptoms in ADHD:
The first one is getting bored easily.
Hyperactivity is number two,
So loaded with energy that you don’t know what to do!
When you act without thinking, that’s impulsivity,
Which is the very final part of ADHD.

What does the Norway Spiral have to do with ADHD?

As I was looking at the video of the giant blue and white spiral lights in the sky over Norway, my thoughts turned to children who have ADHD. What, you may ask, does the Norway Spiral have to do with ADHD? Those spiral lights are a phenomena to which many ADHD children could successfully attend. People who have ADHD are able to attend to things which really grab their attention. Things that are new, different, exciting, or rewarding, can hold their attention. Even though one of the three main symptoms is getting distracted easily, there are exceptions.

Parents often come to see me after being referred by a teacher who believes that their child has ADHD. Many immediately tell me that their child can’t have the disorder because the child is able to pay attention for long periods of time to video games or attractive cartoons. They only seem to have problems with schoolwork.

I explain to the parents that people with ADHD have their biggest attending problems with boring and redundant tasks such as school work. These problems are so severe that they really are unable to stay on task unless someone continually supervises them one on one.
I am writing this short article to remind you that just because your child can play a video game for long periods of time or can complete work when you closely supervise, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that he or she has ADHD.

If you think your child might have ADHD, get an evaluation and find out. The proper diagnosis and treatment can really help.

I am looking forward to my first video ADHD seminar.

You can learn about ADHD without even having to leave your own home.  This seminar is specially designed for parents who have just found out that their child has ADHD.  I will discuss how ADHD is diagnosed, the causes of ADHD, and parents’ responses to learning that their child has been diagnosed.  Frequently parents don’t feel that they have the opportunity to ask questions when they visit the doctor.  After all, doctors are busy and often don’t appear to have much time to spend with the parents.

If you are anything like me, I always remember my best questions after I leave the doctor’s office. Please email me your questions when you think of them.  When you sign up for my email newsletter, you can reply to them and I will get your emails.   The questions will either be answered live, or, for those questions I am unable to answer during the seminar, I will email the questions and answers to everybody who attends.  There will also be a comprehensive discussion guide and a chance for you to win a free magic trick grab-bag for your child.  The Puppet Dr. C., Mr. Splinter, and Mrs. Splinter (Elwood’s parents)  will all participate.  I hope that you will be able to attend my first video teleconference. I guarantee that my seminar will be a unique, enjoyable way to learn about ADHD.

WAIT!!!

If you know you can’t make it, forget, or just want to pre-order the dvd for ONLY $7, you can do by clicking here: “>

You’ll receive the video of the seminar, along with a number of of goodies and surprises (worth over $47.00, including several magic tricks you can learn with and teach your child), among other things. Plus, you’ll receive a FREE 30 day trial to Dr. C & Elwood’s ADHD Club! After your trial, you’ll pay just $17 a month to continue to get members’ only access to seminars like this one, brand new videos you won’t see anywhere else, special mailings, and much much more. We may even do a special video on your particular question, so send them in! You can cancel at any time, AND the gifts are yours to keep, no matter what. So go ahead and pre-order now, or get your copy if you missed the seminar. Thanks!

Click to order now: “>

A few years ago I conducted a work shop on unique play therapy, a technique I developed to help me work more effectively with children and families. Unique play therapy uses unusual toys, magic, balloons, and puppets to help educate and treat children.   Next month I will be at ChADD in Anaheim. I will be demonstrating some of these techniques at my booth. I will also be using unique play therapy when I begin on line social skills training.  By incorporating these techniques, I am able to make the treatment more fun and interesting. This encourages more participation by the child and increases the chance that (s)he will remember the main points.

I use unique techniques on my ADHD videos too. Puppets are a particularly strong technique since they are communication toys. I first started using my puppets this way when I was working at a residential hospital for profoundly and severely retarded people. It has always amazed me how much more attention the patients paid to the puppet than to me.

Now, I would like to claim that I was the first one to work this way, but that would not be true. As a child I used to watch The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show. Winchell also used puppets to teach children lessons. Next I watched Shari Lewis and Lambchop. I actually spent some time with Lambchop last year in Japan. We shouldn’t forget Mr. Rogers and especially can’t forget the Muppets on Sesame Street.
Please stop by my booth in Anaheim next month and meet some of the puppets.

For more information on the videos and the adhd club, go to www.adhd1.net/at-last-the-truth-about-adhd

This weekend Elwood and I led a workshop on social skills training for ChADD in Tucson. About 40 people attended, including 17 children. My goal was to present in such a fashion that it was attractive to the children as well as to the adults. I began with a vignette with Elwood in which we discussed the importance of communication, cooperation, kindness, and conflict resolution. After that Elwood shrunk my head. I am going to try to put the head shrinking up on my page. Everybody seemed to enjoy our presentation.

I have been thinking a great deal about how to conduct attractive and productive video seminars. I think that I will alternate between sessions for the parents and special entertaining therapeutic shows for the children. I will let you know when more information is available.

My thoughts have turned to 9/11. Currently I work at Fort Huachuca, an Army post in Southeastern Arizona. Not only am I remembering 9/11 but also quite aware of the impact the attack has had on young soldiers. I sincerely hope that peace will be with us in the near future.

Ever since I have been counseling children and families, I have tried to combine my entertaining talents with my therapy skills in order to make my treatments more powerful.  I even conducted workshops for mental health professionals on how to use unique toys to improve counseling skills.  I also conducted workshops for ventriloquists on puppet therapy.  In fact, I am an honorary member of the Japanese Puppet Therapy Association.

For a long time I have wanted to use my skills to provide group family treatment for ADHD families.  However, living in a small town, it is difficult to start this type of group.  Also most people accept the fact that it is tricky to run groups for children with ADHD since they tend to set each other off.

That is why I have finally decided to run these groups online.  I am actively preparing them and hope that some of you will be interested in participating.  We can have fun while simultaneously improving the quality of family life.  More information will follow.

I just read that Michael Phelps, Olympic swimming champion, was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 9 years old. His mother reports that swimming helped to calm him down and overcome the disorder. He certainly is an example of someone diagnosed with ADHD who is succeeding amazingly well. Make sure that your children are aware of Michael and his swimming gold medals. It is important that they know that people diagnosed with ADHD can not only do well but be the best. Check out his mother’s website at: http://www.facebook.com/ADHDMoms

I had a difficult day today at work. Working with young soldiers in crisis is seldom easy , and it takes a lot out of me. By the end of my day, I felt dazed and confused. I had a date for tennis after work and was concerned regarding whether I’d be able to focus well enough to avoid getting hurt out there on the courts. My other thought was that when I arrived home, I’d only be able to “veg out” on the couch in front of the television. I had absolutely no desire to come home and write anything for my webpage.

Luckily, the tennis revitalized me. It reminded me of the importance of taking care of yourself before you try to take care of others. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of your children!

When I was a child, (this is when Elwood would say, “Now we’re really talking ancient history!”), one parent, usually the mother, stayed home to take care of the children and the house. Families did not have as many consumer goods, but we also, in those days, didn’t have available all of the amazing technology to attract our dollars.

When I was in graduate school, we were told that we should be trained as leisure counselors since computers would give us all much more spare time. Of course most of us now have much less time.

Almost everybody works. At the end of the day both parents are exhausted. Neither has the energy to spend time with the children and cope with family business.

So, what’s the answer?

One answer is to give up some of the consumer goods and have one parent stay at home. By the way, I am not saying that being a stay at home parent is an easy choice. I think that being a stay at home parent is one of the most difficult, important, underrated, and undervalued jobs in society.

Ok, now I know that most of you won’t follow this suggestion. What’s next?

If you are a single parent, make sure that you have a little extra time for yourself before you return to your children after work. Give yourself a half hour to wind down from your day. That extra time could make all of the difference.

If you have a spouse or significant other, each parent should give the other parent the needed time, even if it is only 15 minutes. It is also important to have a date night once a week. Leave the children with a sitter and go out. Don’t feel guilty. You need and deserve the time to enjoy each other without all of the responsibility. If you can’t afford a sitter, see if you can find another family and swap baby sitting with them. If that is not an option, figure out a way to hire your older children to sit for your younger children while you have a special dinner or watch a movie with your significant other in another room at home. Single parents can try similar strategies/ Where there is a will, there is a way.

If you don’t take care of yourselves, you won’t be able to take care of your children!