Brains In The Family

Avoid ADD/ADHD Distractions: Finish the Projects You Start

by Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D., ADD Magazine

Juggling too many projects and can't seem to complete them all (or any)? Avoid stress -- and clutter -- try our attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) guide to crossing off every task on your to-do list.

Are you busy morning till night, and don’t have much to show for it? If so, make “tie the bow” your mantra. You are not finished wrapping a package until you tie the bow, and you aren’t done with a task until you’ve completed it, down to the last step. Mail the bill you just paid, don’t leave it on the kitchen counter. Fold and put away the laundry, don’t leave it in the basket.



Take note of each task you work on during the day and note your excuses for not tying the bow. Believe me, I know all of them. Here is how I dealt with five common ones:



Don’t have time to finish my project. If you can’t “tie the bow” because you ran out of time, add 15 minutes to your morning routine before leaving for work. To stay organized and keep track of time on the job, add in the same 15 minutes to finish up last-minute assignments and to gather items you will need to take home.



Too tired to finish my project. You just want to sit down (or lie down). Figure out ways to get to bed on time -- or to get a better night’s sleep. Go over your schedule: You may be overbooked, so you need to cut back to save energy for more important tasks.



Don’t feel like finishing my project. If you are short on motivation, schedule a task to be done when you have more energy. For example, I left my paper filing to do at the end of the day. The result? A roomful of clutter. When I switched the task to the morning, I filed my papers consistently, and my house was less messy.



Distractions keep me from finishing my project. Ignore interruptions until a task is completed. When your partner makes a non-urgent request, say, “I’m in the middle of something right now, maybe later.”



Need a better system to finish my project. If a system doesn’t work, try a new one. If you are late in paying bills, or forget them, designate two nights each month -- the 1st and 15th -- to tie the bow. Keep everything you need in a basket: the unpaid bills, checkbook, pen, return-address stickers, and a roll of stamps. Walk the bills to the mailbox. And look, you've finished a project!

What are your ideas to "tie the bow" on projects you need to complete?  Post a comment and let us know.

Why People Forget To Take Medication and What To Do About It

There are some "to dos" in my life for which I am very diligent such as replying to emails quickly and documenting clients' progress.  However, there are other things I need to do each day that I sometimes forgetful.  Taking my medication is one of them, and I am not alone.  This is a problem experienced by people young and old, and can impact their mental and physical states throughout the day.  The following article explains a recent study that explores why people forget to take their medication and what can be done about it.  

If you are a parent, caregiver, or as personally forgetful as I am, comment to this blog post below and let us know what you do to remember to take medication each day.

The Link Between ADHD, Poor Sleep, Attentiveness, and Impulsivity

 From ADDitude Magazine, Lynn Hsieh

Does attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) affect your child’s sleeping behavior? And in turn, does poor sleep affect attentiveness and impulsivity? New research points to a connection between sleep problems and ADD/ADHD.

Many parents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) kids are familiar with the problems associated with bedtime: children may start whining and crying before turning in for the night, have difficulty falling asleep, and frequently wake up in fits and starts. Well, according to a recent article published in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there is a possible link between ADD/ADHD and sleep disorders. Researchers found that children with the condition demonstrate significantly more difficulty sleeping at night than their undiagnosed peers.

Are Parents Overmedicating ADHD Children?

There is an article in ADDitude Magazine about Judith Warner's new book "We've Got Issues: Children and Parents In The Age of Medication." The book offers a different perspective about why the media -- and society -- perpetuate the myth that mental health conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) aren't real and that overly competitive, or "bad" parents are to blame for the rise in diagnosing and medicating children.  Learn more...

What Do Girls with ADHD Look Like As Adults?

 by John M Grohol, PsyD

We’ve long heard about the negative impact of attention deficit disorder (ADHD) on children and teens. We know ADHD can lead to academic problems, problems with friends and socializing, significant sleep problems, and serious concerns in other areas of a child’s or teen’s life, such as increased criminality for those with ADHD.

But what does the future hold for them? Do these children grow up to be well-adjusted adults?

We know from previous research (e.g., Biederman et al., 2006; Faraone et al., 2006) that by young adulthood, most people who were diagnosed with ADHD as a child or teen continue to suffer from attention deficit disorder symptoms. Previous studies have also shown that boys with ADHD have a significantly greater lifetime risk for antisocial, mood and anxiety disorders compared to those who were not diagnosed with ADHD.

But what about girls? Little has been known about their lifetime risks if diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. Are they the same, better or worse than boys’?

Physicians Pay Attention To ADHD On College Campuses

From Medical News Today

Can't study. Can't focus. Can't remember what I was supposed to do next. I've got to do this. No, I've got to do that. What was I doing? 

In college, students with attention deficit/hyperactive disorder face an array of challenges-long days and nights of classes, studying and activities, all of which require increasing amounts of concentration. 

Dr. Mark Thomas stands ready to help, both at The University of Alabama's Student Health Services and through his research into treating AD/HD on campuses across the country. That treatment includes prescribing drugs that allow students to focus over long periods of time and training in better study habits. 

ADHD Prevention: Stop Smoking While Pregnant and Reduce Lead Exposure

While most of the focus on attention deficit disorder (ADHD) is about diagnosing and treating the condition, a recent study helps parents understand two steps they can take to possibly prevent children's ADHD.  For instance, mothers who smoke while pregnant more than double the risk of having a child who will be later diagnosed with attention deficit disorder.

The new study also estimated that if pregnant women stopped smoking, up to one-fifth of children could avoid an eventual ADHD diagnosis. The risk of ADHD is even higher if the child was also exposed to lead paint, or high levels of lead from soil or old water pipes.

GPA Not Affected by Social Networking

As a parent, if you ever worried how your kids' online social networking was impacting their grades, you can breathe a sigh of relief.  Based on a recent PsychCentral article, researchers discovered online social networking does not appear to be associated with a decline in grades.

Placebo Effects In Caregivers May Change Behavior Of Children With ADHD

According to a recent article in ScienceDaily, the perception that children are taking medication for ADHD impacts the behavior of teachers and parents.

Stimulant medications such as Ritalin and Adderall are accepted treatments to stem hyperactivity in children with attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and improve their behavior.  Now a recent review of research by University at Buffalo pediatric psychologists suggests that such medication, or the assumption of medication, may produce a placebo effect -- not in the children, but in their teachers, parents or other adults who evaluate them.

A placebo effect is a positive change in symptoms or behavior after a patient receives a "fake" medication or procedure; in other words, the belief can become the medicine.  In this case, the review suggested that when caregivers believed their ADHD patients were receiving ADHD medication, they tended to view those children more favorably and treat them more positively, whether or not medication was actually involved.

"The act of administering medication, or thinking a child has received medication, may induce positive expectancies in parents and teachers about the effects of that medication, which may, in turn, influence how parents and teachers evaluate and behave toward children with ADHD," said UB researcher Daniel A. Waschbusch, Ph.D., lead author of the review.

"We speculate that the perception that a child is receiving ADHD medication may bring about a shift in attitude in a teacher or caregiver. They may have a more positive view of the child, which could create a better relationship. They may praise the child more, which may induce better behavior."

The analysis supported the hypothesis that producing changes in how caregivers behave toward children with ADHD who they think are on medication produces changes in the child.

Read the full article at ScienceDaily.  As a parent, please comment to this post and share how your perceptions of and actions toward your ADHD child may change as a result of your child taking ADHD medication.

ADHD and HeartMath: Methods To Improve Attention Deficit

When working with children, adolescents and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, I use methods that help them strengthen the underlying mental processes that impact and cause ADHD.  If you are a parent with an ADHD child, you know that one mental process that often needs strengthening is the ability to "self-monitor" behavior, thoughts, and feelings so his or her energy level and actions are appropriate to the task at hand.

There are two basic abilities needed for children to effectively self-monitor.  First, they need to develop the ability to be more "self-aware" of how they are feeling mentally and physically.  Second, to have good self-awareness, they need to slow-down, relax, and notice.  These are the foundations needed in order for ADHD children to do basic and advanced self-monitoring.  If these foundations are not mastered, children cannot develop the self-monitoring needed to consistently evaluate how they interact with the world around them.

One technique that has been very effective helping my ADHD clients learn how to be more aware of themselves mentally and physically is HeartMath.  It is a series of techniques and tools for noticing and controlling the heart in order to monitor and adjust energy, stay relaxed, and reduce stress.  HeartMath has been successful in research and practice for helping children better self-manage their ADHD and attention.  I have listed below information from HeartMath about ADHD and links to research studies about how HeartMath has been successful in improving attention. 

For more information about other ADHD services that can improve the underlying mental processes that cause ADHD, please visit the ADHD Intensive section of my website.

ADHD and HeartMath

An estimated 2 million children in the United States have ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, which also reports that 20% to 30% of those have been diagnosed with learning disabilities.

The core symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. All children may at times have difficulty sitting still, paying attention or controlling impulsive behavior, but symptoms such as these often are indicative of ADHD when they persistently disrupt a child’s daily life. If you suspect that a child may have ADHD, you should seek medical diagnosis from a trained health-care professional or assistance through school personnel. Read more about recognizing this disorder and other related information at ADHD Education Application.

HeartMath’s United Kingdom representative, Hunter Kane, along with Plessington Technical College and CDR Ltd, conducted a recent study on the effects of a HeartMath program with 100 students, ages 10-12, who were, as the British legally term it, "statemented" with ADHD. Key among the findings was "a 24% increase in immediate word recall and a 45% improvement in delayed word recall. Particularly significant was a 32% reduction in difficult behaviors after six weeks." Read the Hunter Kane study.

In another investigation, referred to as the Garden of the Heart study, Dr. Shari St. Martin’s use of HeartMath techniques and the emWave^® PC with ADHD children resulted in almost 400 children in Mexico eliminating their need for medication. Download a PDF of the study here: Garden of the Heart.

Share Your Experience

How have you helped your ADHD child be more aware of his or her behavior, thoughts and feelings?  Please share your best and worst experiences.  We can all learn from you.