Winner: Top 20 ADHD Blog Award 2012

Friday, May 18, 2012 12 Comments

Congrats to all my Blogging Colleagues!

How cool is THIS?

Bryan Hutchinson, bestselling ADD author (including One Boy’s Struggle as well as one of the most downloaded ADD eBooks in history), and founder of the ADD playground that I like to call “the ADD Facebook” just announced the winners of the 2012 Top 20 ADHD Blog Award.

ADDandSoMuchMore.com made the list!

So did nineteen other excellent ADD Blogs (and one “up-and-coming”)
– representing some of the hardest working bloggers on the ‘net.

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, Bryan Hutchinson (ADDerWorld), E2. Making a Difference Tagged with , , , , ,

Is Your Child on the TEAM?

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 1 Comment

TEAMS: A New ADHD Treatment for Preschoolers

Guestpost from David Rabiner, Ph.D.
Associate Research Professor; Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University
ATTENTION RESEARCH UPDATE – April 2012

===================================================================
I have been a huge fan of Dr. David Rabiner’s ATTENTION RESEARCH UPDATE since its inception in 1997. Not only do I count on his comprehensive, plain-English explanations of up-to-date research trends and developments as key resources in my drive to keep my information base current,  I also archive them for future reference.  

For those who aren’t already among the over 40,000 people currently subscribed (sponsored now by CogMed, so no longer a charge to you), at the conclusion of this post I tell you how to get your own monthly copy in your very own email box.

I urge any professional working with individuals on the Attentional Spectrum — whether teachers, counselors, coaches, therapists or physicans — to sign yourself up the second you see those instructions, before it falls through the cracks.  (Parents and ADDers themselves can benefit too!)
===================================================================

TEAM Training

In this month’s issue of Attention Research Update I review a recently published study that examined a new intervention for preschool children with ADHD called TEAMS – Training Executive, Attention, and Motor Skills.

The premise of this interesting and important study is that through regular parent-child engagement in games designed to exercise important neurocognitive skills, it may be possible to affect enduring reductions in core ADHD symptoms.

Thus, in contrast to current evidence-based interventions like medication treatment and behavior therapy, the goal of TEAMS is to produce more fundamental and enduring change.

I think this is very important work for the field and I believe you will find this to be an interesting study.

Sincerely,
David Rabiner, Ph.D.; Associate Research Professor
Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience; Duke University; Durham, NC 27708

———————————————————————————————————
mgh note: Although this post is longer than usual, I chose to present the entire April issue instead of writing a summary, in answer to the many requests I have received for more information about non-pharmaceutal treatment alternatives.

Read more of this post

Filed under A2c. Non-medical alternatives, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, David Rabiner, Ph.D., E2c. ADD Community Support, I. Guest Posts Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Money Motivation Mythology

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 6 Comments

Ka-ching!?  Really?

“Money is like manure.
It’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around,
encouraging young things to grow.” 
~Dolly Levi,
(from the musical Hello Dolly!)

I know that more than a few people have come across the quote above, but I always wonder how many are aware of the monologue that accompanies it. Quoting the lines as closely I can from memory, here is the part that captured my fancy:

. . . and all it takes is just a little bit of money.

The difference between no money at all and a little bit of money is very slight — yet it can change the world.

The difference between a little bit of money and a great deal of money is very great – and it, too, can change the world.

“Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around, encouraging young things to grow.” 

Fertilizer of a Different Sort

Since I am in the process of beginning life anew, about to take another big leap, I have hyperfocused on feeding mySelf nutritiously. (Oh no, I still eat the occasional chocolate bunny – I’m not talking about that kind of food. I’m talking about feeding my brain and my soul.)

Beginning a few weeks before leaving to speak at the 5th Annual ACO Conference (ADHD Coaches Organization), held only a few weeks ago, I have been making it a point to begin and end my days with an inspirational video. I’ve been a a relatively positive person for most of my life anyway, but even cheerleaders yearn to have a few cheerleaders of their own from time to time.

Right away, I discovered that I had forgotten how incredibly effective they are on a great many levels.

I can’t begin to describe how much more positive, competent, and ready-for-bear I feel after only a few short weeks of this habit — lighter, happier, more like I felt long before I ever suspected that there might be such a thing as a “school of hard knocks.”

I have found a wealth of inspiring content, which I will share with you in upcoming posts in this “What Kind of World do you Want” series.  If your life could use a bit of feel-good inspiration, take the time to click on a link or two at the end of each of the articles with the small graphic of the globe in the upper right corner.)

In any case, think about this as you read the posts in this series, as a REAL question: 

What kind of world DO you want to live into?

Think about it in the same manner that a 4-star chef asks what he or she wants to create for dinner: as if you could cook up anything you were in the mood to eat.

Meanwhile, let’s spend a bit of time thinking about motivation – in particular, the relationship between motivation and MONEY!

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E2. Making a Difference Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

What Kind of World do you Want?

Friday, March 30, 2012 2 Comments

Living into a Vision You Create

“Don’t be afraid to take a big step.
You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.”
~ David Lloyd George

Allow me to introduce you to a conversation that can change your life.

It was introduced to me by Jim Lord, a visionary I have been following since about the time I created The Optimal Functioning Institute™ with the goal of inventing a new kind of training with a new coaching paradigm — one that would work better with a population near and dear to my heart.

“Imagine,”  Lord asks, on the website dedicated to an inspiring book by the same name (where you can download that REALLY inspiring $35.00 package for free),
“if all the people who want to change the world knew they could.”

In a subsequent post in this new series, I will share my initial answer to this question with you: OFI’s vision, mission and purpose.  I am hoping, in this one, to inspire at least some of you to ask it of yourselves.  You truly have NO idea how much your answer can change your experience of living.

I am again asking that question of myself, as I again reinvent my Self along with a brand new kind of training I have been in the process of developing.  I need an answer comprehensive ENOUGH to sustain me through the next phase of my life if it turns out to be as challenging as the last one.

It was TOUGH!

I don’t mind telling you that, in the beginning and throughout many phases of this journey, asking myself the question that is the title of this post was often the ONLY thing keeping me from throwing in the towel!

There were more than a few times when I didn’t even believe what I kept telling myself, much less believe in the possibility of creating the kind of world I envisioned — even as I clung to my answer to that question like a life raft.

I sacrificed quite a bit personally in service of my belief in the world’s need for the actuation of my vision.  I did without more than any of you can imagine, and more than most of you would believe, many MANY times in the past two decades.  And I do without still.

And I was never really sure if it was worth it.  There were times, in fact, when I was absolutely positive that it was definitly NOT worth it.

From faith alone to EVIDENCE!

This past week, at the 5th annual conference of The ADHD Coaches Organization [ACO], I had the amazing experience of seeing my vision come to life before my eyes. It’s not yet what it will be, and it’s not nearly where it needs to be, but I know that I have DONE what I set out to do.

I felt like Johnny Appleseed surely must have felt when the seeds he planted became trees that finally began bearing fruit.  The emotional wind beneath my wings provided by a view of all those apple blossoms has become a source of new energy at exactly the time I needed it desperately.

And yes, I can now say with a smile on my face as I begin anew to do it all again, it was definitely worth it!

So really, as a REAL question, what kind of world DO you want?

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E2. Making a Difference Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

ACO Conference 2012: reflections on my return

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 4 Comments

Amazing! Start saving NOW to BE there next year!

I just returned from speaking at the 5th Annual ADHD Coaches Organization [ACO] conference at the at the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel in Atlanta.  WHAT an experience!  

Congratulations to 2012 conference chair, Judith Champion, and her conference team, along with my gratitude for a simply stellar experience.  What a banquet!

I have to second Dr. Charles Parker’s comment in the post-conference article on his Corepsychblog, “If you are an ADHD coach and haven’t yet connected with the ACO  . . .  now is the time to get on it and get cracking.”

Silver and Gold

As always, I made new friends as I connected with long-time friends and colleagues. I also had the pleasure of seeing former students “all grown up,” giving those of us who are “old-timers” brand new inspiration.  I am still grinning ear-to-ear now that I am home and [partially] unpacked.

As usual, ADD Coaches came from across the United States and, as expected, many of our Canadian colleagues made the trip.

The surprise was attendance from as far away as Stockholm, Germany and Shanghai, eager to add their voices to the mix and to ask for our help bringing ADD Coaching to their countries.

As the founder of the world’s first ADD-specific coaching curriculum and co-founder of the ADD Coaching field itself, I was and am overwhelmed with gratitude for the beautiful garden that is growing now from seeds I planted decades ago.  I stand amazed at all the “new varieties” being developed all over the world — without my having to lift a single shovel!

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, B. Coaching Concerns, E2c. ADD Community Support Tagged with , , , , , , ,

ADD Empathy – 101

Sunday, February 26, 2012 8 Comments

ADDvice for non-ADDers 

Illustration thanks: Paul Lowry via Flickr

TOUGH LOVE

Those who can SEE will never really “get” the struggles of those who cannot - but hey, could you at least TRY to believe what they say is difficult for them to do?

Could you at least TRY to stop offering advice from your sighted paradigm,
especially in that tone of voice that might as well be adding,
“Listen, you idiot, wrap your simple mind around this?”

And if you can’t do that . . .

Keep a sock at the ready and stuff it in your mouth, if that’s what it takes to keep from shoving your “sighted” platitudes down their “what-part-of-BLIND-don’t-you-get?” throats when they tell you that your idea won’t work for them. (TWO socks if you’re a “vanilla” therapist or non-ADD parent talking to your own ADD-flavored offspring.)

Does that sound harsh?

I promise you that is exactly how your tough-love “helpful” suggestions land with your ADD loved ones.

  • I know that because they tell me (and have – over and over – for twenty years now) – in stories that are different but might as well be the same.
    It breaks my heart.
  • I know because that’s how the  ”helpful” suggestions from a few of the ADD clue-free folk I KNOW care for me greatly almost always land with me – even though I’ve never been talked to in the words that some of my clients have heard from people who claim to care about them.

So I have to believe that you REALLY don’t understand that what you believe will be helpful actually has the opposite effect. I promise.

Maybe you will be able to understand just a little bit better with an uncensored, inside glimpse at my own ADD processing. Maybe seeing it in print from someone who might look, from the outside, like she has it together will open your eyes just a little bit wider to how hard your ADDers are trying.  Really.

And maybe just a little bit of understanding from you might make a great big difference in the lives of your ADD loved ones.

It’s worth a shot . . .

Read more of this post

Filed under E2a. Rants; Ruminations, E2b. Midnight Musings, G5k. TimePeace™ Tagged with , , , , , , ,

PLEASE DO NOT BUY

Friday, February 17, 2012 2 Comments

An open letter to my readers and the advertisers I just realized are using this site to promote their products:

I author a no-fee WordPress Blog on WordPress.com

I can’t opt out of your ads – I get that.

Your right to [attempt to] sell to me exceeds my rights in total.  I get that.

You’ve PAID for the privilege.

  • Our world has devolved to the place where cash is king.
  • I must learn to live with that, regardless of my personal feelings about it.
  • My personal dollars have now become my ONLY personal votes.
    My only choice is where I choose to spend them.
  • I will not buy products from obnoxious advertisers. EVER.

A boycott of ONE, joined by others, which may well build to an internet movement if you and the companies you include in your means of making a profit don’t heed the warning of my words.

I can also purchase and use the products and services of advertisers who deserve my patronage as an acknowledgment of their respect for me and for the value of the time and attention of my readers. Until I can afford to out-BUY you, those are my ONLY options.

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E2a. Rants; Ruminations Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Heartbreaking New York Times ADD Article

Thursday, February 9, 2012 4 Comments

Don’t Drink the Kool-ade

Another wonderful graphic courtesy of aritist/educator Phillip Martin

“Ritalin, like all medications, can be useful when used properly and dangerous when used improperly. Why is it so difficult for so many people to hold to that middle ground?”
~ Dr. Edward Hallowell

Regarding the opinion piece “Ritalin Gone Wrong” by Alan Sroufe, Ph.D.
(NY Times, Jan. 29, 2012):

• You don’t have to believe in medication.
• You don’t have to take it.
• You don’t have to give it to your kids.

You don’t EVEN have to do unbiased research before you ring in with an opinion on medication or anything else having to do with ADD/ADHD.

HOWEVER, when you’re writing a piece to be published in a newspaper with the stature of The New York Times, it is simply unprofessional – of the writer, the editors, and the paper itself — to publish personal OPINION in a manner that will lead many to conclude that the piece quotes scientific fact.  

For a rebuttal, please take the time to read Dr. Hallowell’s blog article in response to Sroufe (linked to his quote, above, and in the “related content” list below). Nothing I could say along those lines could be nearly as eloquent or effective – or charge neutral – as his words.

This post will take another tact, just as soon as I get my feelings off my chest.

I’m appalled.  And bitterly disappointed in what I have always
considered MY hometown paper, regardless of where else in
the United States I lay me down to sleep.

What Happened to the Times?

It’s ironic that this recent article appears in the very paper where, on October 11, 1987, an article in their Magazine Section led to my own diagnosis — and the medication that saved my life.

The day I discovered that article that altered the trajectory of my being forever, I had just spent an hour on the telephone with my best friend Robin, a therapist, sobbing hysterically because my latest attempt to organize my office created such chaos that I found myself in the middle of the room holding a sheet of paper with, literally, no clear space to put it down.

I had, as I’ve learned to describe it, “Boggled.”  Action was impossible.  My whole being was on “TILT,” to use an old pinball term. I was finally desperate enough to stop trying to look good and tell the truth about what life was like for me.

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E2. Making a Difference, E2a. Rants; Ruminations Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

SPARE me your surveys

Monday, January 30, 2012 5 Comments

“Squares and triangles agree: circles are pointless.”
~ source unknown


At the risk of being accused of bobbing while the rest of the coaching universe weaves, zigging while they zag, I have to ask: is anybody else confounded by the plethora of coaching field “opinion” surveys popping up?

What is it, exactly, they are trying to prove or disprove?   And why?

Perhaps THAT is the question!  

In any case, I find it disturbing.

More than a little dismayed, I’ve been watching the linear take-over of the coaching field for over a decade now — sharing my disdain with only the closest of friends and colleagues until this blog post. But when survey results are announced attached to a name like Harvard, I’m more than a little afraid.  I’ve always thought I could count on the Ivy League to turn out thinkers.

No general disrespect to Harvard intended – or to any of the other organizations undertaking these surveys — but it simply astounds me whenever anyone proceeds as if there might be some discoverable “formula” for anything as person-specific as personal and professional coaching.

Clients come to coaching desiring wild success
“outside” the box,
NOT to learn how to climb inside it.

Formulaic technique rarely yields much to tempt the grown-up palate.  And yet, humankind seems driven to make the holographic linear through quantification.

It matters not to me whether those “formulas” are framed as guidelines, competencies, or laws — or how much “data” has been collected in an attempt to “prove” the point of view of the authors — they have meaning ONLY as jumping-off points for discussions of why nobody follows them as written.

At least, in my opinion, nobody who delivers a quality coaching product attempts to follow them as written.  I tend to side with Solomon.

Read more of this post

Filed under E2a. Rants; Ruminations Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Homage to Kate Kelly

Saturday, January 21, 2012 2 Comments

A bit of background on the article below Saturday, January 21, 2012 – 2 AM

UPDATE Sunday-2/19/12

For anyone who hasn’t already heard, dear friend, ADD Coaching colleague, and Interfaith Minister Kate Kelly was in Christ Hospital in Cincinnati when I wrote the article below. She is now recuperating at home, between rounds of chemo for what turned out to be renal shutdown due to a mass in her bladder, which turned out to be cancer.

After a very scary couple of weeks in January, we’re as certain as man is allowed to be about these things that she will ultimately be fine, but her body’s got a bumpy road ahead to carry her to glowing health once again. (This all serves as background for the insight which was the reason for this post – be patient, or scroll down for Small Blessings).

——————————————————————————————————

Even if you think you don’t know Kate, you probably know OF her. I’ll bet you’ve read the ADD classic Kate and co-author Peggy Ramundo wrote.

Cover of "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid o... Do yourself a favor and beg, borrow or buy a copy now if you haven’t already read it – this is one you will definitely want in your ADD library.

If you already have one in your library, and can afford it, buy a brand-new copy as a gift for a friend or to donate to your public library or local Youth Group.

Not only will you be saving somebody’s quality of life, you will be offering support to Kate in a very practical fashion. Cancer-care is EXPENSIVE, and book royalties will probably be her primary source of income for some time to come. Any published author will tell you that the authors see VERY little of the price of each book sold. So let’s put it on the Best Seller’s List together.

Peggy Ramundo is another dear friend, with whom I am working on the ADD in the Spirit Coach Training. Peggy and I have already been dervishes in the past month, setting aside nearly everything else to get materials fluffed by deadline for our presention at the upcoming March ACO Conference in Atlanta. Our session together expands upon the importance of spiritual coaching concepts in a field as pragmatics-focused as ADD Coaching.

Before we had time to refocus on day-to-day work objectives, Kate took a sudden turn for the worse. We have practically lived at the hospital since Kate was taken by ambulance to the Christ Hospital’s Emergency Room,  over a week ago. If you missed me, that’s where I’ve been!

So, in 2012, I’ve barely had time to edit drafts of older content to post here, much less time to write anything new!  Since it’s likely to be another week or so before I am able to resume anything resembling my “normal” schedule — and then comes catch-up – I believe I’ve come up with a novel way to fit it all in: blogging about my hospital insights (very big grin).

Read more of this post

Filed under A5d. Black & White Thinking, A5f. Organization & Task Completion, E2b. Midnight Musings, E2c. ADD Community Support Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Sis-Boom-Bah!

Thursday, January 12, 2012 Leave a comment

We Need a Pep Rally

I’ve been working my tail off over the holidays, putting together binder materials to support a couple of presentations for the upcoming ACO conference in Atlanta this March (The ADHD Coaches Association).

The presentation that started me thinking about a much needed pep rally is entitled Making the Connection: Brain-based Coaching.

In addition to ADD research, I’ve always kept a watchful eye on the comorbid and “overlapping” fields. Before I put together anything with statistics, I make the rounds one last time - just to see if perhaps they’ve published something relatively new that we haven’t picked up on yet.

As I hopped from website to blog, each developed to support those various other communities (from Autism to Traumatic Brain Injury to Affective Disorders of all types), I kept having the same nagging thought — over and over again, like a broken record:

THEY are supporting their disorders better than we are.

By “supporting,” I mean that they are calling for more research, education, and political support as they share information on how to obtain the services that are available, along with general information and anecdotal support.

I don’t think it’s UNRELATED that ADD is the butt of jokes
that would never be tolerated
if made about any other disability.

And I’m not talking about dinner table humor, here!  I’m talking about pot shots taken by the press, in magazines, on talk shows, and even in presentations sponsored by supposedly credible and uplifting orgazations like TED.

(See my post taking Sir Ken Richardson to task for making fun of ADD
in his “educational” presentation by clicking HERE)

Read more of this post

Filed under A1. The Attentional Spectrum, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E2a. Rants; Ruminations Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Tracking the Days of our Lives

Saturday, December 17, 2011 8 Comments

By George, I think she’s GOT IT!

English: 2011 Calendar

I just got off the phone with Kay Odell, the delightful genius who created a brand new way to track time for increased follow-through and productivity: WeekDate: a calendar like no other.

Her relatively new paper-format calendar is the first totally new take on planning and tracking I’ve seen in YEARS

– and this one’s ADD-friendly!  

Here on ADDandSoMuchMore.com, I have already introduced a pending Time Management Series (excerpts from some of my books  in preparation to become e-Books).

In one of the articles in draft, I describe how my own calendar system works for me “out of the box,” and what I need to tweak to fit my own personal flavor of ADD.

(One size never fits ALL very well; that’s why movie stars have tailors!)

That particular article is still on the schedule, but I have a feeling I’m going to have to revamp the “how I use my datebook” portion totally.

My own WeekDate is on order.

I’m going to go way out on a limb here . . .
and say that, sight unseen, Kay Odell’s system just might be
THE answer for a great many of us.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5c. TimeSteps™, A5f. Organization & Task Completion, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E2c. ADD Community Support, G5k. TimePeace™ Tagged with , , , , , ,

Who’s Martin?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 Leave a comment

Noooo . . . not “Martin” –
Phillip Martin!

I’ve been getting more than a few “Who’s Martin?” questions and it finally dawned on me who everybody was asking about.

He is the heartwarmingly generous and world-changing artist and educator who created (and has allowed me to use) the adorable graphics that accompany the majority of my posts here on ADDandSoMuchMore.com.

Since there’s a link to his website on the sidebar of every post on this blog (scroll down to the links on that skinny column to your right), I don’t always caption his artwork — especially since his copyright is already incorporated into the graphic.

Oops! - sometimes sizing makes it tough to read “Phillip” clearly –
thus the repeated “Who’s Martin” questions.  Now you know.

Some of you will CLICK HERE to read his own version of his resume on his site.
The rest of you can read my version below (essentially his, with a few nip-tucks – permission requested and received from his FaceBook page)

IF YOU ARE AN EDUCATOR, you REALLY want to take the time to click around over there – he’s got really cool, totally free, no-strings-attached resources for you as his gift to education.  What a guy, huh?

Read more of this post

Filed under E2c. ADD Community Support, I. Guest Posts, Phillip Martin Tagged with , , , , ,

Reframing Task-Completion

Saturday, November 26, 2011

ADD/ADHD and Unfinished Personal Projects
Guest blogger: Bryan Hutchinson

I have hundreds of unfinished personal projects and I have ADHD.

From what I understand about ADHD, and from what I have read, I should be upset about unfinished personal projects.

However, I am a writer and writing has taught me an extremely valuable lesson, and that is:

 •  Finishing everything I start writing is nearly impossible
and,
 •  Not everything that’s started is meant to be finished.

Sometimes what I start is meant to take me somewhere else, to get me past a hump or lead me to deeper thoughts or inspiration.

Before I go any further, let me clarify that I am talking about personal projects here. Not jobs. That’s for another post.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5c. TimeSteps™, A5f. Organization & Task Completion, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, Bryan Hutchinson (ADDerWorld), E2c. ADD Community Support, I. Guest Posts Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

ADD Thanksgiving Rules

Friday, November 25, 2011 13 Comments

The ADD/ADHD Post Thanksgiving Rules*

——————————————————————————————
*With a nod and congrats to Dr. Charles Parker, whose ADHD Medication Rules
hit #1 on Amazon in both Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology!!  Check it out!
—————————————————————————————————————–

SO THANKFUL for Philip Martin’s generosity with his artwork

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E1. Whimsy Tagged with , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 93 other followers