EmpoweringParents.com

Have you ever been in a situation in public where your ADHD child continues to annoy others (or you) with their inappropriate behavior, even though you’ve given them every cue that they should stop? A recent study* conducted by The University of Western Australia found that ADHD boys had a hard time correctly identifying the emotions of facial expressions in drawings they were shown.

Read more »

Recently, meditation has been featured in Newsweek as a way to help kids to calm down and focus.

Read more »

Summer is that time every kid looks forward to. It is the “light at end of the tunnel” of a long school year. It is a time to “let loose” and have a great time. But for kids with ADHD this is a big change, and not always a positive one. The day-to-day structure goes away, the daily routine is gone. In just a few days or weeks, this long-anticipated break can become a potential nightmare for ADHD kids and their parents. Because fairly soon, these kids are going around whining and saying, “I’m bored.” They come in complaining about an argument with peers or they make a game of tormenting their siblings.

Read more »

I fully understand the concerns of parents regarding medication for ADHD. My wife and I struggled with this when my son was 5. He had a great response to stimulant medication and remained on medication until he was 14. He suffered no observable side effects. He is a 6’4” guy who completed college with honors and has been employed for 5 years in the film industry and currently is an editor for a top rated cable network show. We were at our wits end and what we called “the small vitamin” was a miracle drug. At home we also used psychosocial interventions from time to time during his formative years.

Read more »

The earlier you can diagnose ADHD, the better. Kids often struggle in school and in the community due to a lack of help and from a misunderstanding of their condition. This often leads to frustration, increased inappropriate behavior, poor academic achievement, and eventually low self-esteem and depression, not to mention an increased likelihood for substance abuse. Early and appropriate intervention can prevent these serious consequences, and instead promote healthy development with the prospects for a more satisfying life in childhood and as an adult. If you suspect that your child may have ADHD, start with a trip to a trusted pediatrician and go from there.

Read more »

Many of you have been talking about the effects of diet and food additives on kids with ADHD, so I wanted to weigh in on this topic.

In a well-known UK study last year, the effects of artificial food color and additives (AFCA) on kids found that food additives make hyperactive behaviors more pronounced in children as young as 3 and up to middle childhood, around 9 years of age. The study found that a significant though small group of children exhibited hyperactivity as a result of drinking a specially concocted drink containing food colors and preservatives.

Read more »

I have long believed that behavioral therapy is the key to helping kids with ADHD. In fact, a new study on ADHD said that comprehensive behavioral therapy works as well as medication over the long haul. Also, earlier studies showed that after 14 months, 30% of the behavioral therapy group did just as well as those with medication. Of course, there are no side effects to behavioral therapy—except, perhaps, much happier parents and kids. Read more »

The February issue of Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology features a study that says kids with ADHD are more likely to be bullied at school–or to actually be bullies themselves.

Read more »

There is some new, fascinating cutting edge research that says that kids with ADHD have different brain patterns than those without. Pictures have been taken of the human brain that clearly demonstrate the difference in cortex thickening between those with ADHD and a control group, and significant differences were found. Read more »