Category: Miscellaneous

As You Transition to Something New, Remember What Worked

As we approach transitions, whether it is transition to the new school year, a new job, or a move across country, we can build on our successes by remembering what worked. And then going from there.

School – love it, hate it, or just tolerate it, the new school year is upon us.

Whether we are students, parents, other family members, or know someone who is, many of us are ruled by school academic calendars. Many K-12 schools and colleges have already started and others will start soon. So how do we make a smoother transition to another school year?

If we are going back to school or supporting someone who is, there are several questions to ask:

What worked?

Really think through what worked last year. It’s easy to focus on the things that didn’t work. We can get stuck on the should’ve, could’ve and might’ves and wonder: What’s the use? Why try?

But if we focus on what worked, our mindset shifts and opportunities for success become apparent. Everyone’s wins are different, but it’s important to think about what worked so we can do it again.

As an example, it could be that keeping a calendar of assignments, tests, practices, games, and performances really made a difference – at least for a little while.

If it worked well, keep it up! Do it again. Rinse and repeat.

What could be tweaked?

If something kind of worked, we might look at the obstacles that got in the way and figure out what might be tweaked. For example, maybe you kept a paper calendar, color coded by family member or class, and it just got too much to keep up. What about trying an electronic calendar that can be easily changed as necessary? Maybe you kept an electronic calendar and it worked great – until it didn’t – because you found that you weren’t really looking at it. What about figuring out a way to help you remember to check your calendar? That could be a reminder on your phone to check your calendar at certain times of the day or maybe a reward for yourself for doing so. Whatever it takes to make the habit stick more readily.

There is no right or wrong way of doing things. There’s just works for you and your brain.

If ADHD coaching or consulting might be something to add to the mix, contact us. We will be happy to help you set yourself up for success during whatever transition you are approaching.

Reaching Out for Assistance is a Sign of Strength – Not Weakness

One of my clients recently commented about the energy it takes to just get through the day. It’s clear that people with ADHD often have to dig deep to find the wherewithal and motivation to just keep going, one step at a time.

I often see resilience develop with people with ADHD … in order to do what is theirs to do, people see what is in front of them, take a deep breath, get started and just keep going. It’s exhausting. It’s admirable. It’s time-consuming. And it often works.

Sometimes, though, the gap is just too wide between what the world is requiring of us (our classes, our job, our family, or our health) and what we can do on our own. It’s at that point that we can benefit from the help of others, whether that is a tutor, a mentor, a health professional – or an ADHD coach.

It’s not weakness to seek assistance. Quite the contrary, it takes courage and trust to reach out for needed help. It always inspires me when someone is proactive and contacts me after recognizing that too-wide gap between expectations and performance.

Sometimes we know what we need to do to reach our goals. And we need to “just” put one foot in front of the other with the resources that we have. But, at other times, we can get overwhelmed and the path (or maybe even the goal) is not clear. We might have difficulty with procrastination, prioritization, time management, focus, or follow through that gets in the way of our forward movement. That’s when reaching out is appropriate.

With needed assistance, people can more easily do what needs to be done. People are more successful, frustration and overwhelm lessen, and there’s an upward spiral of confidence, motivation, achievement, and well-being.

ADHD coaching can often be a game changer as people develop the skills, strategies and tools that allow them to thrive with ADHD. Contact me for a complimentary consultation to see if ADHD / executive function coaching is the next best step for you.

2021 Virtual International Conference on ADHD

It’s not too late to sign up for THE conference on ADHD which provides practical, research-based information for people with ADHD as well as the professionals who work with them. The conference is virtual and runs from November 4 – November 6, 2021.

The first day of the conference, Thursday, November 4, features 20 ADHD Professionals Institute sessions. The general conference runs Friday, November 5 – Saturday, November 6 which includes:

  • 60 general conference sessions
  • Non-session activities
  • Peer-to-peer sessions
  • Networking opportunities
  • Talent show – and much more!

Here is a code for a 10% discount at the general conference compliments of the ADHD Coaches Organization, of which I am a Board Member. Note that the session recordings are available for two weeks following the conference at no extra charge.

Hope to “see” you there!

ADHD Awareness Month 2021

October is ADHD Awareness Month, a whole month devoted to all things ADHD: what ADHD is (and what it isn’t), how it shows up in youth and adults, and the wide variety of supports available once you know that ADHD and Executive Function challenges are part of the picture.

As the director of the ADHD Awareness Month Coalition, I am thrilled to be involved in the dissemination of reliable information to assist adults and children to live well with ADHD. Check out www.ADHDAwarenessMonth.org which is focusing this year on five different topics of interest:

  • ADHD relationships and communication
  • Comprehensive treatment plans for ADHD
  • ADHD parenting
  • ADHD and co-occurring conditions
  • Diagnosis of ADHD in children and adults

ADHD Awareness Month is excited to feature short video interviews with top ADHD professionals as they share their understanding and expertise:

  • Melissa Orlov
  • Prof. Samuele Cortese
  • Dulce Torres
  • Dr. J. Faye Dixon
  • Dr. Thomas E. Brown

“I don’t want to make it seem as though pills are the answer to everything because they’re not. It’s also very important to have somebody who understands these things to be able to talk with the person and assess what things might be addressed by medication most effectively, and what things just need to be talked about and thought about and understood, and getting support for it.”  ~ Dr. Thomas E. Brown

New video posts will be added weekly, so keep checking back on the www.ADHDAwarenessMonth.org website for experts’ videos, questions and answers about ADHD, myths and facts, as well as ADHD Art, ADHD Memes and ADHD Stories submitted by the public.

Submissions received by 11:59 pm ET on October 28, 2021 will be entered into a random drawing for prizes from Ready Rocker, ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO), Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD).

If you haven’t done so already, sign up for the ADHD Awareness Month mailing list that will keep you informed of updated content and resources during October – and all year long!

One of the Top 60 ADHD Coaches for Teens in the U.S.

What an honor it was to see my name on a blog post from SOAR: “The Top 60 ADHD Coaches for Teens in the U.S.”

In the article, an ADHD coach is described as “someone trained to help people with ADHD and ADD to live better lives through taking proactive steps to address specific issues.”

SOAR chose the top ADHD coaches using three criteria:

  • Coaches have been vetted by the ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO)
  • Coaches are available to work with teens anywhere in the U.S. (that is, they conduct work remotely as well as in person)
  • Coaches have demonstrated a commitment to helping young people with ADHD/ADD to live better, more fulfilling lives

The blog’s author, Zacc Dukowitz, summarized what an ADHD coach can do for teens:

An ADHD coach can help students by proposing frameworks for organizing their daily tasks, managing their time, making decisions, and finding the motivation and drive to move forward with tasks in their lives. ADHD coaches can also be helpful when it comes to helping students with how they see themselves, that is, with their self-esteem.

If your child seems to struggle with being late and managing his or her time, or always has a stack of overdue homework, an ADHD coach could be the solution.

SOAR provides outdoor adventure programs for youth and young adults ages 8-24 with a focus on an individual’s strengths, rather than their deficits. The leveraging of strengths to work around individual challenge areas is at the heart of ADHD coaching for students and adults.

Contact me to find out more about how ADHD / Executive Function Coaching can help you or someone you love develop individualized strategies, tools and habits for success in and out of school or the workplace.

ADD Successful Goal Setting

As the new year starts, many people make promises to themselves regarding better physical or financial health, learning a new skill, or how they conduct themselves in the world. Although these goals are heart-felt, unfortunately most research shows that New Year’s Resolutions are often abandoned by the end of January whether or not ADD/ADHD characteristics are part of the picture. It’s not that we don’t want these things, and it’s not because we lack willpower. We often give up on our goals because we haven’t set ourselves up for success.

How many times have you caught yourself making a promise to yourself or to someone else, saying “this time it’s going to be different“ without really changing the way you approach the goal? It doesn’t make sense to do the same things over and over and expect different results. There is an alternative.

As an example, I would love to play the piano much better. It would be so gratifying to sit at the piano, look at complicated music, and just have my fingers play music effortlessly. But it’s a huge goal and I can’t just magically wish it to happen.

As I set myself up for success for this goal, I need to consider what has worked (or kind of worked) for similar goals, as well as what has not worked at all. I need to be honest with myself. In order to set myself up for success, I also need to think about:

  • WHAT exactly I want to accomplish
  • WHY this goal is important to me
  • WHEN I want to do the things I set out to do … and
  • HOW I want to plan for success

It’s a combination of SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) and knowledge of oneself and how to leverage our interest and motivation.

For my piano skills goal, I want to be able to play songs in an Adult Intermediate piano book with ease and have memorized six pieces by the end of the year. I want to do this to push myself a bit, and have fun perfecting a skill that gives me joy.

I know that when I make too big of a goal, I can get frustrated. I know that I cannot work on too many goals at once, as that can get overwhelming. I also know that I work best with flexible structure.

I want to start this week, keeping track of the time I practice and log a minimum of 1 ½ hours/week. That’s a little over 15 minutes a day, which is do-able. I am going to try to do my piano practice in the morning, but on busy mornings, I would like to sit at the piano at the end of the day. My reward (and inspiration) will be listening to piano music via a streaming service.

I will share this goal with my family so I can have some accountability and although I don’t like the idea of playing for an audience, maybe I can record my playing so they can listen to it without the pressure of performance. Additionally, my intention is to give myself “permission to be human,” knowing that there will be some weeks that I will not meet my goal. After those weeks, I will revisit my plan and adjust accordingly.

So what goals do you want to work toward? What would make your life easier or more rewarding? What would make a big difference?

As you move toward your goals, the assistance of an ADHD / Executive Function coach may help you determine the strategies and habits that will provide more success, fulfillment and balance in your life. Contact me for an initial consultation and we can talk about how ADHD coaching can help you successfully achieve your goals with ADHD.

Researching ADHD Can Be Like Drinking From A Fire Hose

October is ADHD Awareness Month, a wonderful opportunity to get – and share – reliable information about ADHD for yourself, your child or someone else you care about. The problem is that if you do an internet search for “ADHD”, you get a whole host of websites to visit, options to try, research to consider, and people to consult – it’s like drinking out of a fire hose!

Where do you start? Start with the basics. Even if you’ve been dealing with your own ADHD or that of a family member for a while, it’s vital to keep up to date with research, treatment options, and resources! For a great foundation in ADHD, the following websites are wonderful places to learn or update knowledge about how to live well with ADHD.

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is a leading resource on ADHD that provides support, training, education and advocacy for children and adults living with ADHD, their families, educators, as well as healthcare professionals.

  • In addition to the helpful in-person meetings that CHADD supports around the country and the Ask the Experts and CHADD webinars that it hosts, I love having access to some of the best information on the web related to ADHD. Check out the numerous fact sheets and infographics with general ADHD information as well as specific information for adults, parents and educators.

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) is the leading organization for adults with ADHD which provides information, resources and networking opportunities to help adults with ADHD lead better lives.

  • It is powerful to be around people who “get” you, who have walked in your shoes and are accepting and nonjudgmental. One aspect of ADDA membership that I love is the opportunity to be part of Virtual Support and Work Groups and Virtual Workshops with people who truly understand the challenges and have great ideas for moving forward!

Understood is an organization for parents of children 3-20 who struggle with learning and attention issues, which gives parents information, expert advice, resources and a community.

  • One of my favorite things on this website is the series of simulations called Through Your Child’s Eyes that help parents (and others) experience what it might be like to have reading, writing, attention, math or organizational challenges.

The Annual International Conference on ADHD will be held November 7-9, 2019 in Philadelphia. Representatives from CHADD, ADDA and the ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO) work together to put on a not-to-miss conference that stimulates the mind and nurtures the soul.

  • At this conference, you will have the opportunity to be inspired by the experts, add to your repertoire of skills and strategies, as well as be in the company of a large group of people who understand – and celebrate – ADHD!

As you prepare for October’s ADHD Awareness Month as an adult or a family member of someone with ADHD, start with reliable, evidence-based information and think about how you might share that information in your schools, your workplace, around the dinner table, or on social media!

And, of course, if you want to learn more about ADHD coaching in person in San Diego or virtually via the phone or internet, contact us. We would be delighted to help you develop the skills, tools and strategies to thrive with ADHD!

 

Shining a Light on ADHD Myths and Facts

If you have ADHD, it’s more than irritating to hear people repeat ADHD myths that you know are just not true.

I invite you to join the ADHD Awareness Month Coalition and international ADHD organizations as we focus on the 2019 ADHD Awareness theme, ADHD Myths and Facts. This year we hope to dispel the harmful stories that perpetuate stigma and that prevent people affected by ADHD to seek assessment, get appropriate treatment or share reliable information about ADHD.

This year we will be focus on the most common ADHD myths such as ADHD is caused by bad parenting and ADHD is over-diagnosed and share fact sheets written by ADHD researchers and experts to provide much-needed information to dispel the myths.

How can you be part of this year’s ADHD Awareness endeavors?

If you are curious about how ADHD coaching or consulting might be helpful to you or someone you know, contact me at 858-484-4749 or Info@FocusForEffectiveness.com. I am happy to share resources in San Diego or online.

 

2019 Annual International Conference on ADHD

The 2019 Annual International Conference on ADHD will be held November 7 – November 9, 2019 in Philadelphia. The conference is organized by ACO, ADDA and CHADD, three organizations dedicated to the empowerment of people impacted by ADHD and associated challenges.

I am pleased to announce that my colleague, Melissa Knight, and I will be presenting a conference session on the role of ADHD coaching in support of healthy lifestyles. This is an important and timely topic related to research done by Dr. Russell Barkley and the impact of ADHD – and specifically self-regulation – on health outcomes.

Keynote speakers at the conference include Dr. Anthony L. Rostain, Dr. Ross Greene, Dr. Roberto Olivardia, and Maiken Scott. As there will be many fabulous opportunities for learning and connection, I invite you to check out the conference offerings and attend if you can. Spread the word!

Making The Most of Summer with ADHD

The prospect of a relaxing summer, unencumbered by the stress of school, is highly anticipated by both students and their parents. Students with ADHD deserve time to relax, hike, bike, swim, wiggle their toes in the sand, and otherwise enjoy the summer months. Parents of students with ADHD also deserve a break from the role of being a “homework cop.”

Despite the difficulty for both students and their families to keep up with the many demands of a busy schedule during the academic year, school does provide the structure that is helpful to students with ADHD. A lack of structure and routine can be trying for someone with executive function and self-regulation challenges.

So how do we, as parents, provide the right amount of structure during the summer months so that our students can have much-needed “down time” without overdoing it? What is the right amount of structure anyway?

For each student the ideal mix of activities is going to be different, of course, but parents of students with ADHD might aim for:

  • Some learning  – either through a summer class, information-oriented camp, tutoring, self-study, or daily academic time to keep skills up and avoid summer learning loss
  • Some exercise – either through organized sports, camps, lessons, shared exercise opportunities with family, or free play
  • Some routine – for sleeping, eating, chores, and self-care
  • Some socialization – with family, established friends, and friends-to-be
  • Some exploration of interests and passions, which can include limited screen time via smart phones, internet, video games, or TV
  • Some relaxation, allowing time for students to look up at the clouds, think, and dream

It might be mentioned, too, that summer is often a great time to start ADHD coaching to help students develop the strategies, habits and tools that will allow them to “hit the ground running” once school starts again in the fall.

As the summer begins, you might talk with your family to discuss summer goals in addition to any planned activities, vacations, or classes that are on the schedule. What do they want to learn? What do they want to discover? What would they really like to do to make this summer one to remember?

Whatever summer looks like for your family, when parents and students are in agreement as to the goals and the new routines of summer, the easier and more fun it will be for everyone!