Learn to Unwrap the Gifts of ADD

Beginning Wednesday, April 16, registration will open for a free teleseminar called "Unwrapping the Gift of ADD." The 8-part seminar takes place via conference calls at the end of April, each lasting about one hour.

"In an effort to bring parents of kids & teens with ADD/ADHD, and adults with ADD/ADHD the best ways to unwrap the gift of ADD, we've pulled together 8 top ADD/ADHD experts to share with you the best strategies and tactics to do this..."

Traits of ADD/ADHD like impulsivity and inattentiveness have positive aspects that few parents or kids ever hear about. Drs. Edward Hallowell and Kenny Handelman have developed this seminar based on their report "Find the Genius in ADD" as part of their ongoing efforts to eliminate the stigma associated with ADD and ADHD. Source: PR Web

What will your ADD child be doing this summer? Talisman offers summer camps for children with ADHD other special needs.

The Creative Energy Behind ADHD

Most parents of children with ADHD want desperately to find a silver lining in the cloud of misbehavior, trouble at school, and relational tension. Adults who had ADHD as children offer some of the best encouragement, especially those who have enjoyed unusual success.

"Ty Pennington [of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition] says the negative messages from school can be overwhelming for a child with ADHD... Ty says his life turned after he started medication in his teens and gained maturity and the freedom to develop his creativity. Now, as a TV host, he gets paid for the kind of behaviors that got him in trouble at school."

Kinko's founder Paul Orfalea also has ADHD and says the struggles he faced as a child helped him endure the criticisms he faced when he wanted to start his own business. What started in a modest storefront grew to 1,200 stores and was acquired in 2004 by FedEx. Source: American Psychological Association

There's Genius in ADD

Drs. Edward Hallowell and Kenny Handelman think that ADD/ADHD is often viewed too negatively. To try and combat some of the negativity, they've compiled a special report titled "Find the Genius in ADD."

"'After witnessing so many examples of people taking their 'disorder' and turning it into strengths and success, we decided to create this special report to point people in the right direction,' says Dr. Handelman. 'Although people may feel negative after being diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, there is reason for hope.'"

By pointing out the positives of how an ADHD mind works, Drs. Hallowell and Handelman hope people will begin to realize that traits of ADHD can be strengths if they're nurtured properly. Source: PR Web

Likened to the benefits of ADHD, child with high functioning Autism or Asperger's Syndrome are often dubbed "Little Professors". Learn about Asperger's at YourLittleProfessor.com.

Strategies for Family and Home

Families that include a child with ADHD often have more chaos, more stress, and more frustrations. But there are many things family members can do to ease these emotions.

"It's important to remember that the child with ADD/ADHD who is ignoring you, annoying you, or embarrassing you is not acting willfully. Having ADD/ADHD can be just as frustrating as dealing with someone who has it. Kids with ADD/ADHD want to sit quietly; they want to make their rooms tidy and organized; they want to do everything Mom says to do, but they don't know how to make it happen. If you keep this in mind, it will be a lot easier to respond to your child in positive, supportive ways."

Make a point to recognize and acknowledge positive things. Chances are your child is already aware of his shortcomings. Help him see the good things, too. It's also important to keep things in perspective and remember that when your child acts out, he does so because of a disorder, not because he's willfully disobedient. Read more at HelpGuide.org.

Hyper-focus Not All Bad

Beth Hering's son has ADHD. As a result, though he struggles to focus on some things, he's able to hyper-focus on others. The current object of his hyper-focus is Bigfoot.

"Sometimes the hyper-focusing will grate on my nerves. I am asked at least 10 times per week whether or not I think Bigfoot is real... But hyper-focusing also can have benefits. Need to write sentences using spelling words? Tell him to make them related to Bigfoot and you'll get paragraphs."

Hering believes it will come in handy in college, too, once he finds a subject that truly interests him. Who knows, he may determine to find a cure for cancer. Or he may actually find Bigfoot one day. Read more at ParentCenter.com.

Worried that your child's ADHD diagnosis will prevent them from attending college? Don't be! Cedars Academy offers a post-secondary curriculum that helps children with ADHD transition from high school to college. Learn more at http://www.cedarsacademy.com/cedars-plus.html.

Famous People with ADHD

As a parent of a child with ADHD you want to encourage your child and help him realize that his ADHD doesn't have to determine his future success. To help parents make this point, More4Kids has compiled a list of famous people who had/have ADHD.

"The simple fact that these people achieved what they have in their own fields has to make you wonder, is Attention Deficit Disorder really a disorder or a gift. There are researchers that have posed that very quandary. It is not uncommon for people that have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD to also be incredibly creative, and that helps them excel and succeed in what they want to do in life."

The list is by no means exhaustive, but there are enough familiar names on it to give both kids and parents a more positive outlook on ADHD. Read more at More4Kids.info.

The Gift of ADHD

Most parents (and kids) wouldn't consider ADHD a gift. But authors Dr. Edward Hallowell, Dr. John Ratey and Lara Honos-Webb have written books that label ADHD as exactly that - a gift that carries often unconsidered and untapped assets.

"Chief among the potential assets is creativity. A mind that flits easily from one thought to the next may not be good at mastering the material for a biology test, but the authors contend that a nonlinear mind can excel at combining ideas in new ways. 'While the A students are learning the details of photosynthesis, the ADHD kids are staring out the window and wondering if it still works on a cloudy day,' says Honos-Webb, a psychologist at Santa Clara University."

Such "out of the box" thinking is what drives innovation and creativity; traits found among many artists and CEO's. ADHD can be either a gift or a curse, depending on how it's managed. Read more online.

New Leaf Academy girls Aspergers schools have a campus in Oregon and one in North Carolina. The private middle schools helps girls with Asperger's learn how to manage their condition while they receive accredited academics.