Happy International Women’s Day

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, first celebrated by Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and Austria in 1911.  The UN began celebrating this day in 1975, recognizing women’s roles in peacemaking efforts. Studies show that populations, in which more than 30 percent of women  are represented in their governments, are more peaceful and more productive societies than those in which...

Denying the Problem

“ADHD is over-diagnosed.” It’s a common statement made in the news, often the undertone in headlines and video articles about the use of stimulant medication.  It’s a real shame, because as any family struggling to accept a diagnosis will tell you- it gives us the perfect out.  If we are not all together convinced, willing or able to reflect on our child’s behavior, and then hear there is a national...

Preparing for the Fall with Prescription Drug Permission Forms

How many times have you gotten a phone call from school, in which an overly polite almost timid voice said “Ahhh, Mrs. M., ahhh, your daughter appears to be struggling this morning…. Ahh, did your daughter take her medicine, this morning?”  Suddenly, you are filled with dread and guilt….guilt that you got distracted and forgot to give out medicine, guilt that you let your child struggle so publically with...

NIMH Research Supports Assertion that Kids with ADHD Catch-up

In a November 2007 press release from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM), brain image studies confirmed that the brains of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), on average, followed a normal pattern of development but was delayed by 3 years in some regions of the brain when compare to their peers without the disorder. The delay occurred primarily in the front of the brain’s...

10 Truths I Have Learned About Being a Family with ADHD

1. Most people won’t believe the stories you tell. 2. Everyone has an opinion about how you should fix your child, some will be helpful: most will be a form of judgment. 3. The hardest part of being a family with ADHD is everyone sees your flaws when you have a bad day. 4. Too many extra-curricular activities disrupts the cadence of managing a houseful of ADHD. 5. Most of the world knows only what the media...