Dr. Kenny Handelman, who already authors a blog and runs a social networking site dedicated to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is extending his advocacy to include podcasts. People can now subscribe to his www.ADHD.tv broadcasts through iTunes.

"Handelman, ultimately, sees his mission as a twofold project. Through his practice and his many web-based projects, he seeks to 'improve the quality of life... and recognize the potential' of those with ADHD. But he also wants those who don't suffer with the disorder to realize that ADHD is truly a mental health issue..."

One of Dr. Handelman's first podcasts included an interview with Dr. Daniel Cox of the University of Virginia, during which the two experts discussed the correlation between car accidents and ADHD drivers who weren't taking their medication. Source: 24-7 Press Release

Labels: support, advocacy

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Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who, since 1986, has worked with ADHD children and their families. In this Parenting Ideas article, he offers suggestions for helping kids get the most out of their school experiences.

"Get to really know and understand your child's needs at a deeper level. Keep in mind the difference between real 'needs' and things that you 'want.' Real 'needs' would include resources that your child must have in order to function at acceptable levels. Have documentation to back up what you think is a need. Be able to express this information to his school, doctor, etc.

"Dr. Cowan also stresses the importance of asking questions. Most professions have their own 'language' and parents need to push both doctors and educators to explain things in everyday language. Not only will this help parents understand their child's diagnosis better, but it will help parents determine whether the "professionals" they're talking too really know their stuff or not. Read more at ParentingIdeas.org.

Stone Mountain School, a therapeutic boarding school for boys, is set in a rural area of North Carolina which removes common distractions and allows boys struggling with academics and behaviors a chance to learn how to control their emotions while earning school credits.

Labels: education, schools, advocacy

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A controversial public service advertising campaign ended because of objections from parents of children and teens with mental disorders.

The ads, which appeared only in New York City, were supposed to incite parents to have their children evaluated for autism, ADHD and other disorders.

A typical ad looked like a ransom note that read:

"We have your son. We will make sure he will no longer be able to care for himself or interact socially as long as he lives. Autism."

Air N'eman, president of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, wrote, "You have inadvertently reinforced many of the worst stereotypes that have prevented children and adults with disabilities from gaining inclusion, equality and full access to the services and supports they require."

The New York University Child Study Center pulled their ads and apologized to that group and others.

"We meant well," said Dr. Harold Koplewicz of the Child Study Center, "but we unintentionally hurt and offended some people."

Want to learn more about learning disabilities schools and ways to help your child? Visit LearningDisabilitiesInfo.com for more information.

Labels: mental_health, advocacy, advertising

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Shortly after Allison started kindergarten, she was diagnosed with, among other things, Attention Deficit Disorder. Over the years, as her parents have helped her adapt, study, and grow; as they've advocated for her education  they've discovered a myriad of strengths in amongst her few weaknesses.

"She is wonderfully empathetic, the first one to offer soothing words to those who've had their feelings hurt. She's got a great work ethic and has recently taken to snapping on the light and studying after bedtime. She's a gifted athlete who taught herself to bat left-handed when she realized that's how Hideki Matsui of the Yankees bats."

Her parents have also learned that they experience things many other parents do not; guilt, fatigue, sometimes even envy. But one thing they share with parents worldwide is faith in their child and her ability to "do just fine in life".

New Leaf Academy helps girls with ADHD learn how to control their emotions. New Leaf is a junior boarding school for troubled girls with campuses in Oregon and North Carolina.

Labels: parents, advocacy, girls

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Until now, there's been no official name given to kids who are unusually bright but also struggle with a learning disability such as ADHD. Because there's been no name, no distinct category, there's also been no strategy in place for educating these kids. But a non-profit group called IDL - Individual Differences in Learning Association - has begun taking corrective action on behalf of this unusual group of students that are being called "twice-exceptional learners".

"[Katharina] Boser and other members of IDL spent most of the summer in the county's Television and Media Production studio... interviewing students, teachers, parents and experts to create a two-hour video on twice-exceptional learners."

The video will be used to inform and educate school officials on the unique learning needs of twice-exceptional learners, which are also sometimes referred to as GTLD - gifted and talented/learning disabled. The goal is to help parents and educators learn how to consider not just a child's learning disability, but his learning skills and talents as well.

Schools for children with Asperger's Syndrome can help children get the most out of their education and find the best career path for them. Find one at Your Little Professor.

Labels: schools, learning_disabilites, advocacy

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Canada has launched it's first-ever Awareness Campaign to promote understanding, dispel myths and stimulate advocacy for ADHD. One of the main goals of the campaign is to increase the support that Canadian students with ADHD receive in the classroom.

"Currently in Ontario, a diagnosis of ADHD does not qualify a student for a special needs designation in most school boards. This designation gives these students the right to receive accommodations in the way they are taught and evaluated. There is also no consistency in Ontario on how children with ADHD are serviced or if they are serviced at all."

Heidi Bernhardt, national director for the Centre for ADHD Advocacy in Canada (CADDAC), hopes to use the Awareness Campaign as leverage to convince the Ministry of Education that educational changes need to be implemented. Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education, recently acknowledged that the Ontario Human Rights Code requires school boards to accommodate students with ADHD.

Labels: awareness, Canada, advocacy

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