On July 8, the Suzanne Gresham Center in Muncie, Indiana will hold a noon program about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Ryan Rhoads will educate participants about the myths and facts of ADHD for children and adolescents. Symptoms of ADHD will be reviewed, as well as the criteria for diagnosis of this disorder.

Rhoads is program manager and responsible for FosterHope, outpatient and addictions programs at the Suzanne Gresham Center, which provides complete behavioral treatment to Indiana children and families.(Source: The Star Press)

The program will take place at the Morrison-Mock Professional Center (3620 W. White River Blvd., Muncie, Indiana). Additional information about The Suzanne Gresham Center is available at www.meridiansc.org.

Labels: information

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may benefit from using assistive listening devices (ALDs) in the classroom. ALDs help filter out background noise, making it easier for kids to focus.

Pamela Wilson, special needs children's editor for the BellaOnline website, elaborated on the usefulness of ALDs in a recent post:

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) have been shown to be helpful for students ... with learning disabilities or ADHD who may be distracted by classroom noise, and those with central processing disorders who have difficulty discerning the most important sounds in their environment, whether it is an instructor's voice or an audio-visual presentation.

One of the benefits of assistive listening devices is that the level of the sound of the teacher's voice does not change due to distance or background noise. There is often an environmental microphone on receivers so students can hear classmates' questions or comments, but it is often more helpful to repeat what has been said before responding or summarizing as the discussion progresses.

ALDs do not take the place of other accommodations for students who have hearing loss or other challenges.

ALDs involved a microphone that is worn by the teacher, and a receiver that is worn by the student. ALDs are among many advancements that are helping students with ADHD achieve greater success in the classroom.

Labels: classrooms, schools

A recent study of ADHD medication reported that kids who take certain prescription drugs for ADHD symptoms may be at increased risk for sudden death. The news shocked many parents, and doctors are worried that some may take their children off their medications without consulting their doctors.

Dr. Ellen Schumann with the Ministry Medical Group says, "[ADHD] is also a condition that can be life threatening. Those kids don't have the ability to stop and think before they do. Their accident rate is much higher. They engage in risky behaviors." (Source: WAOW-TV - Wisconsin)

Doctors continue to encourage concerned parents to talk to their children's pediatricians to better understand whether the risk of sudden death applies to their child, and to discuss possible alternatives to medication.

Labels: medications, risks

On his blog, Hunter in a Farmer's World, Chris G. writes about life as the father of two children with ADHD (one of whom has also been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome). On June 2, Chris G. -- who suffers from ADHD himself -- wrote about an activity that he and his family have been enjoying together, and which he believes may be particularly suited to other families who have been affected by ADHD: geocaching.

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt in which the participants use a GPS, or a global positioning system receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers called geocaches or caches, anywhere in the world. Typically, the cache is a small waterproof container holding a logbook and some small trinkets as the treasure.

This game became popular after the GPS satellite systems were upgraded to become more accurate, around 10 years ago. Currently, there are over 814,000 active caches hidden around the world.

So why do these games seem well suited for the ADHDr's of the world? It is suitable for the young to the old. Some caches are considered "park and grabs," meaning that you can practically pull your car right up to the site. Others are more challenging, requiring a hike into deep woods or mountains. They often get us out into the therapeutic, green outdoors.

And lastly, the novelty of each adventure seems to keep the attention of the ADHDr's, with our curiosity getting the best of us.

For more information about this intriguing and innovative activity, check out one of the many websites that are dedicated to geocaching.

Labels: activities, Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, families

Impulsivity is a common symptom in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Impulsivity is simply an inability to stop and think before reaction to something. It is expressed in both actions and words. Someone with ADHD is likely to interrupt others when they’re talking, having thought of something to share without waiting to share it.

To combat this tendency toward interrupting, an article on the Bella Online website advocates on behalf of teaching active listening skills to children with ADHD:

It's important for those who live with [ADHD] to learn active listening. Active listening is the ability to focus and listen to someone who is talking without forming a response to what he or she is saying internally. ... During active listening the person listening should acknowledge he or she is hearing what the other person is saying.

Reflecting or clarifying techniques can also help improved the listening skills of a person with ADHD. These techniques require the listener to restate what they’ve heard, to ensure they understand. This type of listening and thinking can help someone with ADHD stay involved in the conversation.

Labels: communication, listening

In a culture that thrives on defining and categorizing people, education experts warn that labeling students can do more harm than good. Malcolm Gauld, President of Hyde Schools (prep schools in Maine and Connecticut and public schools in Washington D.C. and New York), said he encourages creating a character culture, rather than a performance-based one.

"In a character culture, achievement is valued, but principles are valued more," Gauld said in an article on the website of Minnesota's Review Messenger. "That is, what you stand for is more important than merely how you stack up against the others."

"Labels and categories register deeply in our children, and they can be difficult to overcome," Gauld said. "And it doesn't end in early childhood. Later, children will likely face additional labeling due to the peer pressure of cliques, and perhaps the name-calling of bullies. And then there is the educational system itself."

Parents of children with ADHD have personal experience with both the benefits and dangers of labeling students whose issues can significantly impact their educational progress.

The good news is that programs such as Stone Mountain School (a residential school for boys with behavior problems) provide highly effective educational experiences for children with ADHD, learning disabilities, and other disorders.

Labels: Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, schools

A new study that was released in the American Journal of Psychiatry has caused concern among officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, who are worried that parents will take their kids off ADHD medication without warning -- and without considering the risks. The study found that kids who take ADHD medication were six to seven times more likely to die suddenly for unexplained reasons than their peers.

The study was partially funded by [the] Food and Drug Administration, but agency experts said its methods -- which relied on interviews with parents years after a child’s death -- may have caused errors. The agency urges parents to discuss safety concerns with their doctor, but to keep children on the treatments. (Source: The Associated Press)

The FDA also said that it is in the process of collecting larger amounts of data for a more in-depth study of the benefits and dangers of ADHD medications, though it gave no timeline for when that study might be completed.

Labels: dangers, medications, research