Brought to you by Anne J. Ford, MSW, LICSW

If you’re a mom with ADHD who is struggling to raise a child, or    children, with ADHD, it’s time to take heart. Here are ways to ease the journey of parents who share a diagnosis with their kids.  Several authorities share similar advice:

• Keep your cool when clueless people tell you to “just stay calm. This is an extremely challenging task and mom needs to find some stress reducing ways such as yoga, walking, friend’s time consistently.
• Monitor yourself and self correct when needed. Sleep, exercise and eating habits can help or put you into the “upset zone.”
• Medication is not magic. Meds most likely will not solve all of your problems, they may reduce hyperactivity and inattention, they do little to lessen parenting difficulties. Behavioral therapy among others is needed to improve social interaction including family relationships.
• Hold “fire drills’ with your kids. Handle conflict at a no conflict time. Talk about what you all can do next time you aren’t calm. Then act it out, go to time out, use problem solving strategies.
• Avoid finger pointing. Don’t blame everything that goes wrong on one family member. Family members influence each other, it’s best to acknowledge the ways which everyone contributes to a conflict, everyone learns.
• When you find you’re in a power struggle, back out. No more destructive battles, find a way to discuss the limit setting at a calmer time.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. Parents consider which power struggles should be pursued, as matters of safety and which should be let go for the sake of the family’s sanity.
• Manage bad behavior. Sometimes a parent who shares a diagnosis will identify so closely with a child that she or he will fail to set appropriate limits. There’s a fine line between explanation and excuse, be specific.
• Outsource what ever you can. Find out if your school offers help with homework or if your child has accommodations, request a lighter homework load. If you can afford it, hire a tutor.
• Maintain your SENSE OF HUMOR.

ADHD never goes away, but you can make improvements by managing
symptoms and learning new therapies that can increase skills for
processing, pacing and improve self control.

Adapted from Kathleen Nadeau Ph.D and Andrea Chronis-Tuscano Ph.D
article, "The Double Whammy Game Plan."

Paying Attention to the Problem of Attention

Without a doubt, there has been an increase in the prevalence of concerns related to attention management in pediatric patients. Distinguishing ADD/ADHD from attention problems that are related to learning issues, anxiety, depression, or conflict with peers or family is not easy, and often requires more than one set of eyes and ears to make an accurate diagnosis. Obtaining a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is often a critical step to arrive at a clear diagnosis and generate an appropriate treatment plan.

A Synopsis of ADD/ADHD Facts

• There has been a 20-fold increase in the prescription of stimulant medication in the past 30 years
• Stimulant medication clearly produces short-term benefits in the ability to focus attention
• A diagnosis of ADD/ADHD needs to be based upon multiple sources of information about other causes of attention management difficulties
• There is strong evidence that use of stimulant medications alone is limited in its ability to effectively address co-morbid problems with anxiety, depression or the effects of intra-familial conflict or distress

A Clear Diagnosis Supports Positive Outcomes

Disruption of attention is one of the most common features of numerous cognitive and psychological conditions. While detection of inattention is important, it does not provide a complete picture to provide an accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause of the inattention.

At the Institute for Brain-Behavior Integration (IBBI), our comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation process generates a detailed picture of:

• Attention management skills
• Learning and information processing abilities
• Behavioral and emotional self-regulation skills
• Family history and current family functioning factors
• Relevant medical concerns, including dietary factors

The information derived from the evaluation is designed to diagnose the specific factors that activate, maintain and/or exacerbate each child’s or teen’s attention difficulties. These can include primary learning or psychological challenges, as well as ADD/ADHD. We will provide the referring physician with thorough evaluation results within 1-2 weeks after the evaluation is conducted.

Collaborative Responses to Multiple Challenges

The problems that go along with attention difficulties include academic performance concerns, family and peer relationship strife, sleep disturbances, and mental health concerns related to anxiety and depression. The co-morbidity of attention problems and learning disabilities is also quite high. Therefore, the biggest challenge lies in how to respond to the concerns regarding attention and behavior when the concerns are brought up with the child’s or teen’s health care provider.

A Multi-disciplinary Health Care Team Can Help—

At Partners in Healing of Minneapolis and the Institute for Brain-Behavior Integration, our integrated health care team consists of professionals trained in:

• Neuropsychology
• Health Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Child and Family Therapy
• Nutritional Medicine

Our experienced team of professionals actively collaborates with the pediatric team and the family to discuss the diagnosis, and then develop and implement the treatment plan that works best for each child or teen. Beginning with the diagnosis of causes of inattention through treatment of the child’s or teen’s needs, our collaboration with the pediatric medical team allows us to serve as true Partners in Healing. We look forward to working with you.

We are very happy to welcome Anne J. Ford, MSW, LICSW, to Partners in Healing of Minneapolis.  Anne brings over 15 years of therapeutic experience working with children, teenagers, parents, adults, couples and groups.  She specializes in ADHD, High Functioning Autism and Asperger's syndrome.  To schedule with Anne J. Ford, please contact us at 763-546-5797 or info@pih-mpls.com.