Two large case-control studies from three Massachusetts health care systems has found no evidence that prenatal exposure to antidepressants increases the risk for autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Any increase of Autism or ADHD found in previous studies is thought to be due to the severity of the mother’s depression, which is a known risk factor, rather than the use of antidepressant medication.
These new finding should bring some reassurance to expectant mothers’ faced with a decision about taking antidepressant medication throughout their pregnancy.
The study looked at data form more than 1200 children with an autism related diagnosis and 1700 children with ADHD to control large groups of children with no neuropsychiatric diagnosis. The fact that both autism and ADHD incidence rates increased in children of women who were taking antidepressant medication or experiencing psychotherapy prior to becoming pregnant, indicates that the risk factor is actually the severity of the depression rather than use of antidepressants during pregnancy.
Dr. Perlis senior author of the report stated "While taking any medicine during pregnancy can be a difficult decision, we hope the results of our two papers - which now cover more than 2,500 children with autism and almost 4,000 with ADHD - will provide some reassurance to women concerned about getting treatment for depression or anxiety during pregnancy. While there are depression treatments that don't involve medication, for some patients they are not effective, available or preferred. We want women and the clinicians working with them to be as informed as possible when making this decision."
Access more information Here
A new Australian study looked at why some children with ADHD present quite late without having receiving any professional services. Researchers wanted to understand what drives parents to look for medical services for their child’s issues. The study collected information on 179 children ages 6 to 8 who met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD from 43 schools in Melbourne and found that 37% had not received any professional services within the past year. The researchers found families sought out help more for older children and children whose behaviour impacted the family. When impact on the family increased it doubled the likelihood that that child had received services.
This is of significant concern because research tells us that in fact it is the impairment in attention regulation and not the outward hyperactive or impulsive behaviour that causes the most impairment for these children, especially academically. These research findings may also be helpful when looking at why fewer girls are diagnosed at earlier ages.
The parent’s mental health, education level or socioeconomic status did not influence whether parents had accessed services for their child. Of the 17% who had been diagnosed before the survey 94% had received services. Fifty-seven percent had not been diagnosed before the survey. One of the physicians who commented noted that when they finally diagnosed older children parents frequently stated that symptoms had been evident for many years.
To access the full article
This morning CADDAC and CADDRA sent out a Media Release on the issue of lack of adequate ADHD medication coverage under BC Pharmacare.
Since British Columbia is behind other provinces in providing a full range of medication treatment options for ADHD CADDAC, CADDRA and BC physicians have begun an advocacy campaign to let the BC government know that the current situation is seriously limiting treatment options for those accessing BC Pharmacare. Currently Ritalin and Dexadrine are the only medications for the treatment of individuals with ADHD fully covered by BC Pharmacare. Concerta is the only long-acting medication and it is restricted to Special Authority Request (only for the paediatric population after failing on Ritalin and Dexedrine).
Physicians with an interest in the treatment of ADHD are being asked to write letters expressing their concern. Please access BC Pharmacare Medication Coverage for more detailed information on the current situation, a copy of the latest letter sent to Minister Lake, and the BC Letter Writing Guide to assist physicians in writing and sending a letter to the BC government.
If you live in BC and this issue is of importance to you, we ask that you bring this advocacy campaign to your physician’s attention.
Week three and four of ADHD Awareness Month continued with an additional media interview, a piece in the Huffington Post and several community events.
Heidi was again interviewed about ADHD but this time the focus of the interview was on ADHD Myths and Truths. On October the 22nd at 11:30 am Winnipeg time Heidi Bernhardt spoke with Geoff Currier of CJOB. To listen access On Demand Fill in the audio date as October the 22nd and the time as 11am. You will need to listen to the first half hour before the interview comes up.
On October the 23rd Heidi travelled to Kingston and on the 24th presented three presentations, ADHD and Learning, ADHD and Emotional Regulation and ADHD and School Advocacy to an audience of parents. The interaction and enthusiasm of this audience which continued throughout the 5 hour session was much appreciated. We would like to thank the Kingston Parent ADHD Support group for organizing and hosting this event. The yellow VW beetle covered with ADHD Awareness messages sitting on the front lawn of the venue was an added bonus!
On October the 27th the Huffington Post published this article by Patricia Tomasi titled “ADHD Stigma Is So Prevalent Parents are Delaying Diagnosis”. The article features interviews with Heidi Bernhardt, Dr. Doron Almagor and several parents discussing the continued misunderstandings and stigma around ADHD.
Through the assistance of CADDRA another community event occurred on October the 28th in the Dr. Bruce Johnson Conference room at the Shoniker Clinic in Scarborough Ontario. There were two sessions, 10 to 10:30 and 1 to 1:30. The sessions tilted, Dispelling the Myths and Misinformation About ADHD were for the general public and medical professionals who wanted to learn more about ADHD..
Again this year Durham Ontario is hosting an ADHD Community Expo. This year the expo will be occurring on November the 4th at 6pm at Sir John A Macdonald Public School, 777 Balaton Avenue, Pickering Ontario. The guest presenter will be Dr. Larry Danilewitz a Durham District School Board psychologist. Community resource booths and a parent panel will also take place. To register and for more information contact timm_karen@durham.edu.on.ca
As ADHD Awareness Month comes to a close it is important to remember that misinformation, misunderstandings and stigma around ADHD continues to exist. Awareness about ADHD needs to continue through the entire year if we hope to make lasting changes in how ADHD is perceived and how those with the disorder are understood and treated. Keep up the effort!
Week two of ADHD Awareness Month continued with more media interviews, events and awareness building, all made possible due to the efforts of ADHD groups across the country.
On October the 9th the province of Nova Scotia officially proclaimed October as ADHD Awareness Month. This was made possible thanks to three years of relentless effort by Keith Gelhorn and the ADHD Nova Scotia Action Group. View Here
On October the 13th Heidi Bernhardt was interviewed on CHEX TV, Peterborough Ontario. The topics ranged from why we no longer use the term ADD, typical symptoms, who we miss diagnosing, symptoms in the elementary and post-secondary setting and CADDAC’s new paper on ADHD in the Post-secondary setting. View the interview Here
Also brought to you by the ADHD Nova Scotia Action Group, on October the 14th from 5 to 8pm, at the Nova Scotia Community College, the Nova Scotia ADHD Awareness Expo occurred with 30-35 vendors including psychology offices, a pharmacy, Sleep experts, multiple non-profits, tutoring services, mental health services, professional organizers, and nutritionists.
On October the 14th the city of Edmonton lit their high level bridge green and purple to celebrate ADHD Awareness Week. This was organized by the ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton. More information Here
Heidi Bernhardt was interviewed by Daniele Smith on QR77 in Calgary at 3:30 on October the 15th. Listen to the interview Here . The date and time of the interview was October 15th, 2015 at around 13:45.
During the weekend of October 16th to the 19th ADHD medical professionals will be meeting in Vancouver for the 11th annual CADDRA conference. The three days include a research day highlighting and networking our Canadian researchers, and two days of conference presentations covering the latest in world-wide ADHD research and clinical practice up-dates. The CADDAC post-secondary paper will be distributed to attendees and covered in one of the presentations.
For further details go to the CADDAC web site and access ADHD Awareness Month News
Following our busy two day conference CADDAC quickly jumped into ADHD Awareness Month Activities.
On September the 30th Heidi Bernhardt was interviewed by Anna Maria Tremonti on CBC's "The Current". The interview covered CADDAC's recently published paper "Understanding ADHD as a Disability in the Post-Secondary Environment" outlining the inequity and difficulty students are having being approved for accommodations in colleges and universities. A resource developed by CADDAC to assist physicians in writing reports documenting impairments and requesting required accommodations for students with ADHD in post-secondary institutions was also discussed. Check out the episode Here!
Heidi has also been interviewed by other radio station and CHCHTV. More interview to come this week.
On October the 1st MPP Soo Wong read a member's statement launching ADHD Awareness Month in Ontario. See it on YouTube (first few minutes of this video)
For the second year in a row British Columbia has officially declared October ADHD Awareness Month. View the official proclamation Here
On October the 6th CADDAC hosted a teleconference with 13 support groups across Canada and sent the recording to another three groups who were unable to attend. Feedback from these groups was gathered through a questionnaire, collated and then presented to them, followed by an open discussion. The feedback and interaction was very encouraging. Most of the support groups were very enthusiastic about networking with each other and potentially becoming more involved with CADDAC. Many possible future endeavours were discussed such as, holding joint educational sessions and/or conferences across Canada, CADDAC training facilitators of support groups, on-going networking sessions organized by CADDAC, and increased joint ADHD advocacy. Additional resources and training that CADDAC could provide for these groups was also discussed.
Want to spread the word about ADHD, check out this really fun and quick overview of ADHD by Rick Green of TotallyADD Here
Stay tuned for ADHD Awareness Months second week of up-dates.
Reading comprehension has been flagged as an area of concern for many students with ADHD. The ability to understand what one is reading is essential for all areas of academic success, success in the workplace and even overall health. If you have wondered why your students or your child with ADHD demonstrates difficulty in this area you won’t want to miss our up-coming CADDAC conference.
Dr. Rhonda Martinussen, an Associate Professor of Special Education and Adaptive Instruction at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto will be addressing reading difficulties frequently seen in children with ADHD. She has direct experience teaching children with ADHD and reading disorder and is the coordinator of one of the two graduate teacher education programs at OISE. In addition she conducts research examining the relations between behavioural inattention symptoms and reading achievement in children and adolescents and has recently completed a study examining listening and reading comprehension skills in youth with and without ADHD.
During Rhonda’s CADDAC conference presentation entitled the Update on Reading Comprehension Research in Children and Youth with ADHD: Implications for Classroom Instruction and Assessment, the role of background knowledge, cognitive processes such as executive functions, and language proficiency (e.g., vocabulary knowledge) will be highlighted. She will also discuss research that examines how to enhance reading comprehension in children and youth struggling in this area. Practical tips and useful online resources will be shared.
In the past ten years ADHD Coaching has become one of the most popular types of ADHD treatment used in conjunction with medication or on its own. CADDAC frequently receives calls and e-mails asking for information on coaching as a recognized treatment for ADHD, so this year CADDAC has arranged for David Giwerc, a master certified ADHD coach, the Founder and President of the ADD Coach Academy, www.ADDCA.com, the world’s foremost ADHD coach training program and a past president of ADDA, to present at this year’s CADDAC conference.
David, also the author of the ground breaking book, “Permission to Proceed, The Keys to Creating a Life of Passion Purpose and Possibility for Adults with ADHD.” will share his unique & effective coaching models for gaining control of one’s ADHD in life at home, work and in the community. David believes that although most individuals with ADHD do not realize it, they truly are gifted beings. Once they are able to realize that the negative stories they have been telling themselves are not true, they can change their narrative to one of uniqueness and authenticity. Ultimately, they can give themselves permission to proceed by creating a life full of passion, purpose, and possibility.
David’s first presentation, having the same title as his book, will reveal a roadmap to success using proven models, tools, and strategies, which have empowered thousands of individuals with ADHD to dramatically improve their self-esteem, and has inspired them to create lives focused on a purposeful mission in many key areas of their lives.
During David’s second presentation “The ADHD Coach Approach: Building a Positive, Balanced Blueprint for the Adult ADHD Brain, he will conduct a coaching session using a volunteer attendee's character strengths profile to demonstrate how the use of common positive strengths language, as well as focus on an individual's top signature strengths, can balance the brain's natural propensity to be dominated by negativity. David will demonstrate how the use of the educational coaching models, coaching process, and use of the VIA Character Strengths can provide immediate access to one's best qualities, attributes, and capacities.
If you want to learn how to use your understanding of your own ADHD and your natural character strengths to activate your brain, access your positive emotions, and take action that will consistently lead to more success and fulfillment, then come join David at the CADDAC conference for this transformational presentation. For more detailed information on David Giwerc’s and other presentations access the abstracts.
What better person to understand the necessity for simple and practical organizational strategies than the mother of a child with ADHD?
Susan Pinsky, one of CADDAC’s 2015 conference speakers has been a Professional Organizer since 2001, specializing in those with ADHD and Chronic Disorganization, and is the mother of a child with ADHD. Susan’s book, Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD (Fair Winds Press 2006, Updated and Revised 2012), first came to our attention when purchased by one of our board members, a parent, grandparent and retired school principal, at our last conference. After purchasing the book, the board member started to rave about all the practical and easy to implement organizational strategies contained in the book.
Susan lectures frequently on organizational issues and has appeared nation-wide on TV, Radio and in Print media and was named to the Better Homes and Gardens Panel of Organizing Experts in 2012-1015. She works closely with medical professionals training physicians on appropriate organizing methodology for those with pathologically based disorganization. Susan’s second book The Fast and Furious Five Step Organizing Solution was published in 2010 by Quayside Publishers.
Don’t miss this worthwhile speaker. Come join us at our 7th annual conference!
Having raised three boys with a variety of ADHD presentations, I continue to find it fascinating how ADHD can be similar yet so different in girls and women. Unfortunately ADHD continues to be underdiagnosed in girls, resulting in many young women growing up with a significant dent in their self- esteem and wondering why things that seem simple for others can be such a struggle for them.
I just came across a wonderful article in the New York Times magazine, What It’s Like to have ADHD As a Grown Women, written by Rae Jacobson, a young woman with ADHD who grew up undiagnosed until the age of 21. The way other people treated her, their misperceptions and judgements are certainly disturbing, but the toll all of this took on her self- concept and confidence is the most heartbreaking. As she states:
“Repeated failure is destructive. It chips away at your self-confidence and eats at your resolve. It makes you hate yourself.”
Rae cites Dr. Patricia Quinn in her article. Dr. Quinn and Dr. Nadeau jointly host the ADDvance web site, http://www.addvance.com/, where they answer questions about ADHD with a focus on female ADHD. This is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in finding out more about ADHD in girls and women. Another great resource is a newly released up-dated version of Dr. Nadeau book, Understanding Girls with ADHD.
If you are a young woman, or know a young woman who has or thinks she may have ADHD, I strongly suggest that you read this article and access some of the numerous resources now available to assist girls and women with ADHD.
