Archive for the ‘ADHD’ Category
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
iLs releases Fall training schedule for clinicians & educators.
iLs is a multi-sensory program used in Hallowell Centers, clinics, schools and homes for children and adults with ADHD and sensory processing difficulties. For more information go to: http://www.integratedlistening.com/
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Thursday, August 19th, 2010
The following review of Superparenting for ADD appeared in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY, VOLUME 49, NUMBER 8 AUGUST 2010 issue 854 http://www.jaacap.org/
BOOK FORUM: Deepak Prabhakar, M.D., M.P.H.
Superparenting for ADD: An Innovative Approach to Raising Your Distracted Child. By Edward M. Hallowell and Peter S. Jensen. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 2008. 212 pp, $25.00 (hardcover).
Diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is traditionally rooted in identifying deficits. In an effort to diagnose patients accurately in a time-efficient manner, providers are often dissuaded from identifying strengths and positives that children with ADHD possess. The strength-based approach of this book is like a breath of fresh air in a process of diagnosis and management that primarily relies on exposing weaknesses.
Renowned experts in the field, Edward Hallowell and Peter Jensen have synthesized their combined wisdom into a succinct format. At times it seems that the authors are responding to a worried parent’s questions about effective management of a child with ADHD. Their consultation is as intriguing as it is practical and informative. The authors make a conscious effort to keep the text reader-friendly, particularly for parents of these children. For instance, they use the term attention-deficit disorder (ADD) in place of ADHD due to its wider recognition with the general public.
The authors set the enduring positive tone of this book in the Introduction. The discussion on unconditional love and its attributes is a welcome change. Readers are reminded that love helps us accept children for what they are rather than what we want them to be. So often in dealing with children who have ADD, this message is overlooked.
For years, the focus of treatment in ADD has been correcting the deficits. This approach can be frustrating right from the start. The authors urge readers to go a step beyond and look at ADD with a positive mindset. The diagnosis of ADD is accompanied by negative terms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. However, children with ADD have certain strengths that are often overlooked: creativity, tenacity, energy, curiosity, and imagination. Referring to these strengths has the potential to kindle hope rather than pessimism at the time of diagnosis. The authors offer various positive attributes that go hand-in-hand with associated deficits, for example, curious with distractible, creative with impulsive, and eager with intrusive. Concentrating on deficits while ignoring strengths can potentially contribute to the stigma associated with ADD. Hallowell and Jensen’s approach can help us turn the tide against stigma associated with ADD, because parents and children will be more willing to discuss ADD if the discussion focuses on positives rather than negatives.
The authors offer a practical plan to discover the strengths and hidden talents of children with ADD. While discussing the “cycle of excellence” (p. ), the authors rely on the unifying theme of love. They underscore the importance of love in making the child feel connected to himself and to his environment. Once the child feels connected and loved, he is more able to participate in and master those activities that enlighten the imaginative process in a developing brain. The authors encourage readers to recognize any amount of progress rather than wait for the child to win major awards in a competitive field. This can go a long way toward boosting self-confidence in children who are accustomed to rejection by their peers, schools, and families. The discussion around conative strengths is enlightening and the conative model, if implemented in a tactful manner, can go a long way toward increasing productivity while enhancing the self-esteem of children with ADD. The authors offer several helpful pearls of wisdom for effective management of children with ADD in a school setting.
They discuss several successful school models being implemented across the United States. The readers will find this section helpful and informative, because few parents know how to interact with schools to obtain appropriate services for their children.
Empathy, an ingredient to any successful parent–child relationship, is discussed in a sensitive way. The authors take us through the life experiences of a fictional individual with ADD. This captivating narrative is based on experiences the authors have had with children they have treated. After reading this interesting piece, readers will feel a heightened appreciation for the challenges that these children face in their daily lives. Parents may ultimately feel empowered by their new understanding of their child’s feelings.
This book does not include detailed sections on diagnostic techniques, comprehensive reviews of medications, therapies and alternative treatments, genetics, or classroom management of ADD. The authors reference their previous work and suggest numerous resources on these related topics wherever necessary. However, this book does a great job in discussing the most important intervention of all, love. Just when you thought that you have read every possible book on ADD, you will be surprised that a text on “love” and “strengths” can be so refreshing and effective.
Use of the term superparenting in the title seems appropriate. In our contemporary hectic Western lifestyle, with negligible social supports for families, an extraordinary effort is a prerequisite for rearing any child, with or without ADD. This book leads its readers on an exciting expedition of discovery by offering a strength-based model that will help parents and other caregivers uncover several of these children’s previously unrecognized talents.
Superparenting for ADD is an informative and fascinating text. This book makes an honest attempt to educate its readers about virtues of children with ADD. This approach has the potential to change the way parents, peers, and society in general interacts with these children. I strongly recommend this book to parents, teachers, and providers who are involved in taking care of children with ADD. Ultimately, I hope Hallowell and Jensen have found an effective tool to address the stigma associated with ADD.
Deepak Prabhakar, M.D., M.P.H.
Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Disclosure: Dr. Prager reports no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Storrs reports no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Miller reports no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Prabhakar reports no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
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Monday, November 2nd, 2009
I’m excited to introduce you to the Learning Breakthrough Program (LBP), an effective, innovative, inexpensive, exercise-based treatment for ADHD and reading problems.
I am always looking for new, non-medication treatments for both ADHD and reading problems, and I believe this is one of the best. It is actually not new, in that it has been in use clinically for 30 years. However, some of the science behind it is new. It is based upon the principle of stimulating the cerebellum, a region at the back of the brain that has connections to the front parts of the brain, which is where the symptoms involved in ADHD and reading problems originate.
By stimulating the cerebellum through physical exercises, like standing on a balance board, juggling, standing on one leg with your eyes closed, and a variety of others, you can actually bring about improvement in concentration and reading fluency, by taking advantage of the connections from the cerebellum to the front parts of the brain.
The beauty of the Learning Breakthrough Program is that it makes this therapy affordable, convenient, and actually fun. You order the kit and do the exercises at home. You can demonstrate for yourself that it is working by doing the before and after comparisons the kit shows you how to do. So, you get immediate positive reinforcement, which is a powerful motivator to keep you, or your child, doing the exercises.
One of my sons and my wife benefitted enormously from cerebellar stimulation exercises, my son with a reading problem, and my wife with a coordination problem (yes, these exercises also improve coordination and athleticism!).
LBP can–and should–be used as part of a comprehensive treatment program that also includes education, coaching, tutoring, perhaps medication, and perhaps additional complementary treatments.
I am so enthusiastic about LBP that I have leant my name to endorse the product. I have become a consultant to the company, and while they do pay me for my time, I would never endorse a product I did not totally believe in. While we do need more research to prove the efficacy of LBP, I have seen enough anecdotally for me to be a big-time fan of this effective, convenient, and affordable treatment.
I think LBP is one of the most exciting innovations in the treatment of ADHD and reading problems since the advent of stimulant medication in 1937. And it carries the possibility of going one better than medications, in that it addresses underlying causes.
The only drawback to LBP is that not enough people know about it. I hope to help in the effort to change that soon!
To learn more, go to the LBP web site, learningbreakthrough.com
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Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
People often ask me, “What’s the key to getting the best outcome in working with ADD?”
There is no one key. Watch out for simplistic solutions and the people who offer them. There is no one best remedy, there is no one best system, there is no one best medication or nutritional supplement. And what works for one person will not necessarily work for you or your child.
However, having treated ADD in children and adults for over 25 years now, and having ADD as well as dyslexia myself, I can say with absolute certainty that while there is no one key, we do have a marvelous assortment of keys that open many of the doors untreated ADD can seem to close. The doors to success, personal fulfillment, joy, health, and lifelong satisfaction.
“The key” is to find the various keys that work for you. The best way to do this is to work with a doctor who knows that vast array of available keys. Sadly, such doctors can be hard to find. If that’s the case for you, start with my books. Start with Delivered from Distraction and SuperParenting for ADD. Those books will show you many keys that might work for you or your child. As you read, you will start to smile and fill up with knowledge and knowledge’s sibling, hope.
I can tell you for sure that there is always a realistic chance for major improvement. So don’t settle for mediocre results. People with ADD are champions in the making. I want you to know this just as surely as I know it. You, or your child, are champions in the making. Let me help you get there, either through my books, or through a personal conversation. I have started offering telephone appointments for people who can’t come to see me in person. If you are interested in booking such an appointment, just contact my assistant, Dianne, at hallowellevents@drhallowell.com
The great mistake people make as they work with their ADD or their child’s is settling for less than the best outcome. Please don’t make that mistake yourself.
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Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
I’ve been thinking lately about how much time people spend in negative places emotionally. The power of positive thinking is so well demonstrated that it has become a cliche. However, negative thinking and feeling are just as powerful, if not more so, only in a destructive way. Negative feelings are inescapable, because life is full of pain. But I have observed over and over again the happiest, healthiest people are not those who are lucky enough to avoid most of life’s worst moments, but those who can, no matter what, find something else to celebrate and be glad about. We can’t deny or avoid the hard times. But we can, even in the midst of hard times, seek out and then dwell upon someone or something we love in our lives.
As I deal with my prostate cancer, it has been truly inspirational to me to feel the tremendous support I’ve received from so many, many people. Their support doesn’t take the cancer away, but it surely does stoke me up with positive energy, thoughts, and feelings. I guess what I’m saying is that no matter how hard times are, if you open yourself up to it, positive energy is out there for you. We’re all in this thing called life together, and we all suffer certain pain. But we can be there for one another, no matter what. Being there for each other is the best antidote I know of to life’s pain. —
What does this have to do with ADD, you might be asking yourself? Just that so much of life with ADD can be saturated with negative thoughts and feelings. It can be saturated with pessimism, fear, and shame—all quite well based in reality and truly negative events. But, as much as those painful events can’t be removed from our lives, we can work with one another to lift each other’s burdens. And we can discover that doing this is actually magical. When I was in the Dana Farber Hospital last week planning my treatment, a young woman came by offering books and magazines she had on a pushcart. Even though I didn’t need a book or magazine, just seeing her made me feel like crying tears of joy. How awesome this young woman, likely a volunteer, was making her rounds through the hospital. It was as if she were an itinerant preacher. And then this morning, when I was in church, a woman I barely know came up to me, gave me a kiss on my cheek, and said, “I know you’ll be fine.” Again, I had to blink back tears. — Whether you’re dealing with ADD, cancer, the loss of a job, or just a bad day, keep in mind that none of us has to be alone. Open up, and you’ll find company.
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Friday, July 31st, 2009
Thanks for all your excellent comments. I will go ahead and develop 355 more of these. I welcome your suggestions. Already, some of you have come up with sayings I will use (and give you credit!). — As some of you know, I have prostate cancer, and am having surgery August 18. I’ll have time to write while I recuperate. Luckily, I enjoy writing. One of the interesting facts I’ve learned about people with ADD is that we all do much better when we have a creative outlet. Writing is one of mine.
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