ADHDFamilies

Sorry for the lack of posts around here for the past few days.  After messing around with numerous different themes and layouts, I decided that it was a necessary evil to take some time and design a theme specifically for the way I would like to see information laid out here at ADHDFamilies.

While there was one theme that nearly did everything that I wanted it to, it had the unfortunate drawback of not being open source, and one of the basic tenants of this site is that it is free.  Free for you to use, free to be republished…

Over the next few days you may see that the look and/or feel of the site jumps around between different themes.  The reason for this is that I am still not entirely satisfied with the way that the theme I am currently using displays the articles posted here.

I think my ADHD plays a part in this, but I just can’t seem to find a site them for ADHDFamilies that I can fall in love with.  Sure, there are a lot of good magazine style themes out there, but nothing on the market right now suits all the needs or wants…

The American heart Association has released a recommendation to have children diagnosed with ADHD undergo a screening for heart problems before being prescribed stimulant based medication. According to the AHA, these drugs can lead to heart problems or cause severe symptoms in children who have existing heart problems.

The Association is not recommending that children be taken off medication, but they are concerned about the overall health of patients treated for long periods with stimulants, due to the strain it can place on the heart. Dr. Victoria Vetter, a pediatric cardiologist and head of the committee that made the recommendation…

It would seem that there is more than one Ratey floating around in the world of ADHD. As a matter of fact, Nancy Ratey is the wife of Dr. John Ratey, who I discussed in my last post on this topic.

Both Dr. and Mrs. Ratey are experts on the subject of ADHD. While her husband focuses on the medical side of the issue, Mrs. Ratey is an educator and life coach who focuses on teaching adults with ADHD how to better manage their time and resources.

Mrs Ratey is also the author of The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD…

Psychiatrist John Ratey claims exercise is “the single most important tool people have to optimize brain function.” Dr. Ratey is a Harvard University professor and an expert on ADHD.

His thoughts:

If you get your body in shape, your mind will follow.

Dr. Ratey details his findings in working with exercise and the brain in his new book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain“ which was published in January by Little, Brown.

In this article by L.A. Times reporter Shari Roan, Dr. Ratey answers several in-depth questions on the topic, which I found very informative.

My opinion:

Though it is…

Have you ever wondered if dogs suffered from ADHD?  Well, now you don’t have to.  Apparently there is a medication on the market to help your pooch handle his impulsive behavior.

This is a spoof!  Please don’t take this seriously.  I died laughing when I saw it so I thought I’d share!

It’s not often that I see a book on ADHD or Bipolar Disorder that I think is worth mentioning to my readers.  In this case I feel I need to make an exception.  Manic: A Memoir, by former Los Angeles Entertainment lawyer Terri Cheney is getting rave reviews not only from the mental health oriented communities, but from mainstream reviewers as well.

The orange County Register calls this book “Amazing and powerful…[MANIC] forces the reader into Cheney’s bipolar world, into her deep and fearful depressions mixed with her giddy, high-flying manic moods”

As someone who has not only lived with…

A study published in the March 3rd Online Issue of the American journal of Psychiatry gives results that may not be too favored by proponents of a drug-free treatment regimen for ADHD. The study analyzed data on 112 young men who had been diagnosed 10 years earlier, when they were 6 to 17 years old. Almost 3/4 of the group had been treated with stimulants and 22 were still taking stimulants to control ADHD symptoms at the time of the study.

The findings were that it was no more likely for people that have been treated with these medications to…

Business and life coach Linda Walker thinks that “…many ADHDers are perfectly suited for entrepreneurship.”   She feels that we “…tend to be “Big Picture” thinkers who are great visionaries, very important qualities in leadership.” Linda details her statements in her blog post entitled ADHD Adults Shouldn’t Be Entrepreneurs?

I agree with Linda.  In most of the positions I’ve held in my life I have quickly become both the “Idea Guy” and the “Problem Solver” for the company I was working for.  Having ADHD allowed me to think up concepts with great enthusiasm, to get caught up in the moment and simply…

On February 28th 2008 Judge H. Walter Croskey of the Second District Court of Appeals ruled that children from the ages of 6 to 18 may be taught only by credentialed teachers in public or private schools - or by parents at home if, and only if, those parents are accredited instructors.

Judge Croskey cited a California state law which goes back to the 1950’s in his decision.

The ruling has enraged many parents, home school advocacy groups and notable politicians, such as California State Superintendent of instruction Jack O’Connell and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, both of whom are calling…