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ADHD diagnosis

Siblings of Children with ADHD

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The entire family is affected by a child’s ADHD symptoms. Research regarding the siblings of children with ADHD reveals that they are negatively affected by the other child’s behavior. Here are some commonly reported feelings experienced by siblings of children with ADHD:

  • Feeling less important or forgotten about due to the family focus on the ADHD child.
  • Experiencing sorrow because their family is not “normal.”
  • Feeling victimized by their ADHD sibling due to acts of physical and verbal aggression and, therefore, constantly having to keep vigilant.
  • Frustration due to living in an environment with conflict and noise. Siblings often desire a more quiet and peaceful place.
    Feeling as though parents minimize their ADHD sibling’s violence and aggression. Oftentimes, violence is not taken seriously, leaving siblings with a sense of unsafety.
  • Resentful feelings due to ADHD controlling the family’s vacation, parties, holidays, etc.
  • Feeling as though it is their duty to take care of the sibling. For some children, this caretaking role is viewed positively, but for others it is a difficult burden.
  • Feeling as thought their identity is defined as being the sibling of an ADHD child.
  • Wanting their parents to understand what it is like to have a sibling with ADHD.

It is important to remember that one person with ADHD affects the whole family. If necessary, family intervention should take place in order to better maintain a healthy family life despite the struggles with ADHD. Siblings’ concerns regarding the ADHD child’s aggression should be taken seriously as safety is a priority and proper treatment for aggression should be utilized. Siblings should be involved in the treatment of the ADHD and should be rewarded for their help with the care of the ADHD child. Perhaps, most importantly, parents need to spend alone time with the non-ADHD children in order to keep a healthy relationship and give the child as much individual attention as possible.

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

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written by:
 Brianna Malinowski, 
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Kendall, J. (1999). Sibling accounts of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Family Process, 38(1), 117-136. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1999.00117.x

 

ADHD diagnosis

Tokens for Good Behavior

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Token economies have been successful in reinforcing positive behavior in children with ADHD. As the name implies, a token economy involves giving a child a token for each good behavior. These tokens can be in the form of a sticker chart, coins, or anything that physically indicates the child’s good behavior. Be sure to establish a reward for earning a certain number of tokens. Here are some tips for successfully managing a token economy:

  • Begin an economy where, in the beginning the child earns rewards frequently. Over time, the rewards can become less frequent.
  • Make sure the reward is reinforcing to the child. Let the child choose which reward he/she wants to receive upon earning a certain number of tokens.
  • You can take away token for bad behavior. However, the reason for removal of tokens must be clear to the child and consistent.
  • Never remove all tokens or leave the child with a token “debt.” This has been shown to be ineffective.

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

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written by:
 Brianna Malinowski, 
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Reynolds, C., Vannest, K., & Harrison, J. (2012). The Energetic Brain. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

 

ADHD diagnosis

Cavities in Children with ADHD

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Children with ADHD have a higher prevalence of dental cavities than children without ADHD. Specifically, children with ADHD are nearly 10 times more likely to have decayed, missing, or filled teeth.

Different theories exist as to why these children experience more cavities and worse oral health in general. Behavior may be to blame for these problems. Factors such as not brushing enough, lack of motivation to maintain oral health, and/or parents using sugary rewards for good behavior may contribute to more cavities. One possibility is that ADHD medication often causes xerostomia, or dry mouth, as a side effect. Since saliva serves as the mouth’s natural protection against cavities, lack of saliva may lead to an increased number of cavities.

A 2012 study examined 3 groups of children; one group had ADHD treated with medication, one group had ADHD not treated with medication, the other group consisted of children without ADHD. If medication causes dry mouth, which leads to cavities, then the ADHD group of children treated with medication would have the highest rate of cavities. However, both groups of children with ADHD had more plaque than the children without ADHD. This suggests that medication is not to blame for poor oral health in children with ADHD.

What can you do to prevent cavities for your child with ADHD?

  • Shorter intervals between dental check-ups
  • Reduce sugary foods in diet
  • Monitor children when they brush their teeth
  • Use fluoride rinse after brushing at night
  • Do not eat anything after brushing at night
  • Use 2-minute hourglass timer to encourage longer brush time

 

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

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written by:
 Brianna Malinowski, 
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Rosenberg, S., Kumar, S., & Williams, N. (2014). Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication and dental caries in children. The Journal of Dental Hygiene, 88(6), 342-347.

ADHD diagnosis

Why Punishment Doesn’t Work

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People often assume that the reason for ADHD is lack of punishment. This can be very insulting for parents as it is assumed that their lack of discipline is to blame. However, lack of punishment does not cause ADHD and increased punishment does not improve ADHD.

ADHD is a factor of a child’s neurochemistry and physical brain. Just as someone who cannot hear well or see well should not be punished, those with ADHD should also not be punished. Anger and frustration result since punishment often leads to a coercive behavior cycle. This occurs when some authority (a parent, teacher, or boss) gives an order. When the person with ADHD does not listen to this order, the authority becomes angry and frustrated. The authority can either physically force the other person to complete the order or give up and ignore the order. This eventually causes more frustration for all people involved.

The key to dealing with ADHD is not punishment, but increased use of positive reinforcement, skills training and proper use of effective compensatory strategies. An ADD/ADHD coach can help develop and apply these strategies. In order to better cope with your or your loved one’s ADHD, contact Dr. Gordon.

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

Get Started

written by:
 Brianna Malinowski, 
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Reynolds, C., Vannest, K., & Harrison, J. (2012). The Energetic Brain (pp. 28-30). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

ADHD diagnosis

Parenting a Child with ADHD: The A³PC Method

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Although, parenting a child with ADHD can be frustrating, techniques exist to help parents promote their child’s success. The A³ parent-child interactions technique focuses on providing affection, positive attention, and affirmation to help children cope with ADHD.

1. Affection
Children with ADHD typically receive negative attention from peers and adults, which makes it even more important for them to receive affection at home. It may be difficult to show affection when a child’s behavior is frustrating, but take notice of how often you are giving affection to your child and try to increase that number.

2. Positive Attention
Giving affection is part of giving positive attention, but more than affection must be shared with your child. Try to give 10 -20 minutes of undivided attention to your child with ADHD per day. During this time, have your child choose a game to play or allow him/her to simply talk to you. Developing a positive relationship with children allows them to develop higher self-esteem and confidence, which is important for children with ADHD.

3. Affirmation
Praise is essential to encourage good behavior. Saying phrases such as “good job,” is only a start to praising your child. More importantly, praise must target a specific behavior. In order to make sure your child knows exactly which behavior warrants praise, tell them specifically which behavior was good, what that behavior means, and the consequence of the good behavior. For example, “great job (praise) doing all your math homework (specific behavior), that is very responsible of you (meaning of behavior). Now you can understand the math lesson better tomorrow” (consequence of behavior). This kind of speaking may seem awkward at first, but an awkward start is worth promoting good behavior!

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

Get Started

written by:
 Brianna Malinowski, 
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Reynolds, C., Vannest, K., & Harrison, J. (2012). The Energetic Brain (pp. 28-30). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

 

ADHD diagnosis

Strengths of Those with ADHD

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Although, the word “disorder” has a strongly negative connotation, it is essential to keep in mind that those with ADHD do have strengths. Some behavioral characteristics of ADHD can actually help, rather than hinder, successful performance. Here are some strengths that those with ADHD often display:

Energy. When high energy is channeled in a proper direction, it can be a powerful source of work ethic and achievement. Energy gives people the motivation to begin new projects, create innovative ideas, and lead others. Ty Pennington, host of the former show Extreme Home Makeover, attributes his success to his highly creative energy due to ADHD.

Focus, passion, and exuberance. People with ADHD can experience long periods of “hyper-focus.”  This occurs when their high energy and passion leads to becoming completely engrossed in a certain interest. For example, you may notice that a child with ADHD is extremely involved with one activity, such as reading a book or playing chess. Interruption of this activity can lead to anger or irritability; however, such intense focus can be beneficial for completing tasks that demand attention.

Multitasking. Leadership positions often demand that a person be able to switch quickly from one task to another, which many with ADHD are able to do effectively. Those with ADHD are typically able to process lots of information quickly, which is beneficial in all areas of life.

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

Get Started

written by:
 Brianna Malinowski, 
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Reynolds, C., Vannest, K., & Harrison, J. (2012). The Energetic Brain (pp. 28-30). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

ADHD diagnosis

Smartphones Helping to Increase Attention

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ADHD, while commonly known to be a disorder found in children, can persist throughout adulthood, with about 2-4% of adults living with this diagnosis. Adult symptoms of ADHD may include the following:

  • Difficulty paying attention
  • Difficulty controlling impulses
  • Impairments in working memory (temporary storage of information)
  • Difficulty planning and organizing
  • Trouble with multitasking
  • Hard time completing tasks
  • Difficulty with time perception

Improving organizational skills is an effective way to manage ADHD with the use of calendars, shopping lists, to-do lists, and alarms. Results of a 2014 study give insight into a new technology-savvy way for people with ADHD to manage their time and tasks. Participants who used various organization apps on their smartphones and who received support via texts and phones call from coaches, reported higher levels of attention, decreased hyperactivity, and decreased depression than participants who did not use organization apps or receive support.

It may help to try including organizational smartphone apps into your life! Here are some examples used by participants in the study:

  • Google Calendar (Time management)
  • N-back (improving working memory)
  • Evernote (Notes to aid memory)
  • G-tasks (to-do-list)
  • Stayfocusd (block distractions)
  • SimplyNoise (reduce distractions)

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

Get Started

written by:
Brianna Malinowski
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Moëll, B., Kollberg, L., Nasri, B., Lindefors, N., & Kaldo, V. (2014). Living SMART — A randomized controlled trial of a guided online course teaching adults with ADHD or sub-clinical ADHD to use smartphones to structure their everyday life. Internet Interventions, 2(1), 24-31.

ADHD diagnosis

ADHD in Children – ADHD & Homework

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Conflicts over homework are common with children and teens who have ADD / ADHD.

adhd in childrenGiven that students with ADD/ ADHD are often disorganized, forgetful, distractible, careless and lack persistence, it is not surprising that homework time leads to child and parental distress, a deterioration of the parent/child relationship, and eventual academic underachievement.

 

 

The following points may provide useful when assisting children or teens with ADHD in completing their homework:

★ Organizing information and note taking
★ Providing a quiet environment
★ Maintaining a routine
★ Break homework into parts
★ Manage time and set goals
★ Rewarding
★ Consequences
★ Communicating
★ Seek professional help

Get started with Dr Gordon. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.
Get Started
ADHD diagnosis

Self-Regulation and ADD/ADHD

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In many ways, ADD/ADHD can be seen as a problem with self-regulation.  Self-regulation is one of the executive skills that an ADD Coach or Executive Skills Coach attempts to remediate.  Self-regulation involves regulating not only attention and focus, but behavior and mood.  Initially, deficits with self-regulation are addressed by others providing cues, reminders, structure and reinforcement to keep an individual motivated, persistent and on-task towards a future goal.  The goal of the coach is to teach strategies and new habits so that the individual with ADD/ADHD or a self-regulation weakness is no longer dependent on others to keep them motivated and on task.

Some strategies an ADD Coach or Executive Skills Coach may utilize are listed below:

-clearly defining the goal behavior

-breaking the task into parts

-schedule and plan when the identified goal behavior will be executed

-setting up a reward system, and utilizing self reward for successful execution of goal behavior

-Utilize productive self-talk

-Utilize self-monitoring strategies

-Practice self evaluation

-Utilize external cues and reminders

-Create interest and excitement in the tasks involved or goal behaviors

-Positive Mental Attitude (PMT)

-Utilization of mood regulation techniques such as relaxation training or cognitive reframing.


The above mentioned strategies can take time to master.  But with the proper assistance and practice they can go far in helping an individual with ADD/ADHD achieve their personal goals.

ADHD Coaching is available online, by phone , and in-person

 

ADHD diagnosis

Why Smart People with ADHD Make Poor Decisions

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Parents, friends and spouses can become confused and frustrated when someone with ADHD can appear to be so smart in some situations, but still make such poor decisions in other situations.  The problem is that people with ADHD have an impairment with the executive functions.  Some of the executive functions include task persistence, sustained attention and emotional regulation.  Often, individuals with ADHD can reason adequately to solve a problem.

They know what to do. BUT, they just don’t do it when it is time to execute their solution or plan needed to reach their goal!

ADHD is not a knowledge or skill deficit.  It is an execution and self-regulation deficit.  This is why  explaining alone will not be helpful.  Neither will lecturing, nagging or yelling.

When it is time for  ADHD individuals to execute their plan so they can reach some future goal, their reasoning brain becomes hostage to their emotional brain.  The stimuli in the environment trigger thoughts and feelings that override their reasoning brain.  The promise of immediate gratification  which is calling to them right then and there, overrides the part of the brain that had a longer term goal in mind just moments earlier.

An ADHD coach can help  individuals with ADHD overcome their executive functioning weaknesses.  The first step is to have a good understanding of why the problem is occurring in the first place. It is important to take a disability perspective and to work to develop new habits and environmental accommodations that will help  ADHD individuals actually execute what they know they need to do. Review some of these strategies in more detail in future posts.

ADHD Coaching is available online, by phone , and in-person.