CADDAC is pleased to announce our 6th annual ADHD Conference, hosted in affiliation with BC Children’s Hospital ADHD Clinic. The conference will be taking place at BC Children's Hospital Chan Centre for Family Health Education, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. This years conference will be geared to parents, educators, adults with ADHD and their families, and medical professionals.
We are fortunate enough to have booked a roster of incredible speakers, including world renowned researcher, author and educator, Dr. Russell Barkley. Other featured speakers include: Gina Pera, author of “Is It You, Me or Adult A.D.D.?”, Dr. Adele Diamond, the Canada Research Chair Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Shimi Kang, Medical Director for Child and Youth Mental Health for Vancouver community, Dr. Donald Duncan, Clinical Director of the BC Interior ADHD Clinic, Dr. Jake Locke, Child Psychiatrist and associate professor at UBC, and Heidi Bernhardt, Founder and President of CADDAC.
Topics that will be covered include:
Please come and join us for this phenomenal ADHD educational event.
As with all of our events, CADDAC members receive a 10% discount on all of our educational events.
For further details and to register please visit www.caddac.ca and select Events followed by 2014 ADHD Conference.
Anyone working in the field of ADHD, or who has ADHD, is very aware of the continued misinformation and stigma surrounding the disorder. The public seems to have limited awareness of childhood ADHD, typically assuming those affected are the stereotypical hyperactive little boy, and often discounting adult ADHD altogether. Adult ADHD impacts almost all aspects of a person’s life: the home, workplace, and relationships. One of the crucial first steps is the attainment of education about the disorder in adults.
To facilitate this, CADDAC is hosting a full day workshop on Understanding Adult ADHD. Presentations will be geared to adults and their families dealing with adult ADHD. This workshop will also of interest to health professionals who wish to gain an understanding of adult ADHD and potential treatments.
The morning sessions will cover the medical science of adult ADHD, how it presents itself, how it differs from childhood ADHD, medication and psychosocial treatment options. These sessions will be followed by a unique presentation by adults with ADHD speaking about their own experiences and insights.
The afternoon will include a presentation on emotional dysregulation in adult ADHD and a presentation on ADHD in the workplace, discussing potential strategies and accommodations. An open question and answer and discussion period will follow where attendees can ask questions and share their insights.
Date: Saturday October 4th, 2014.
Location: Centennial College Culinary Arts Centre, 940 Progress Avenue, Toronto Ontario M1G 3T5.
Time: Registration and Breakfast from 8:00AM to 9:00AM. Presentations from 9:00AM to 3:30PM, followed by a Q & A Discussion session.
For further details and to register please visit www.caddac.ca and select Events followed by Full Day Workshop on ADHD in Adults.
Featured presenters include:
Dr. Flood, is a graduate of McGill University and the University of Manitoba. She is a family physician with a focused practice in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Shoniker Clinic. She has considerable experience working in the field of ADHD, Learning Disorders and Autism. She is a member of CADDRA and on the Advisory Board of CADDAC.
Dr. David Teplin, is an adult clinical psychologist in private practice in Richmond Hill, Ontario. His primary focus is diagnostic assessment, clinical consultation, adult ADHD, and substance use disorders. Dr. Teplin is adjunct faculty in the Doctor of Clinical Psychology program at Medaille College in Buffalo, New York, and is on the editorial review boards of several clinical journals. He is also on the Advisory Board of CADDAC.
Heidi Bernhardt RN, is the mother of three young men with ADHD. She has a background in psychiatric nursing, was the Executive Director of the (CADDRA), a national not-for-profit organization of the leading clinicians and researchers in ADHD in Canada, and a founder of CADDAC and the ADRN. Heidi is presently the President and Executive Director of the Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada (CADDAC).
While it has long been known that smoking during pregnancy is never a good thing, a new study suggests that women who smoke while pregnant have a greater chance of having a child with ADHD. The study also hints, but does not prove, that being on a nicotine patch may also increase the risk. It must be noted however, that there may also be other factors at play. ADHD runs in families due to the strong genetic component, and those families are more likely to smoke than those without ADHD. So, while we know that there is a link between smoking during pregnancy and ADHD we cannot confirm that there is a direct cause. Genetics or being in a smoking environment may also play a role. Do the children of mothers who smoke have a greater chance of having ADHD because their mothers have ADHD and therefore have a greater chance of smoking?
The records of 85,000 children whose mothers signed up between 1996 and 2002 in Denmark were reviewed with the following results:
ADHD rates for children of:
• Non smokers: 1.8%
• Mothers who quit and Father was a non-smoker: 2%
• Parents who both smoked: 4.2%
• Mothers who smoked: 3.4%
• Mom’s who were on nicotine-replacement therapy: 3.8%
• Father’s who smoked and mothers on nicotine-replacement therapy: 2.9%
Since only 29 women in the study were on nicotine-replacement therapy, these small numbers may make findings on the therapy less accurate.
The good news is that smoking prior to pregnancy does not seem to increase the risk, however stopping smoking well before conception will also decrease the risk of requiring nicotine-replacement therapy during any part of the pregnancy. While we are not yet able to show direct causality to ADHD, not smoking during pregnancy is always recommended; this is just one more reason to stop.
To access more detailed information please see:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20140721/smoking-while-pregnant-linked-to-adhd-in-children.
I received a call today regarding our post entitled “Vancouver’s Battle Against Adult ADHD Stigma” alerting me that clarification on CADDAC’s position is required.
I sincerely thank the caller for taking the time to speak to me about their concerns.
Our comment was in no way intended to be political or favour one councillor over another.
Our intention was to highlight the message that could be taken from statements made. If an employee requests assistance for their disability, especially adult ADHD, they are seen as not being capable of the job, or playing the “poor me I have a disability card”.
I hope that this is not Ms. DeGenova's position; unfortunately it could be interpreted (or misinterpreted) in that way. As stated in the blog, questioning the expense, or any expense, is not the issue. Our concern was that additional statements made could send the wrong message.
At this time many employees are fearful of disclosing their ADHD. They are reluctant to ask for simple accommodations in the workplace that would make them a more productive employee. They fear the stigma and being viewed as incompetent or making excuses. They worry that coworkers may resent them for receiving special treatment.
A recent Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) report, “Minds that matter: Report on the consultation on human rights, mental health and addictions”, http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/minds-matter-report-consultation-human-rights-mental-health-and-addictions
helped to clarify the duty of employer to accommodate individuals with mental health conditions. It is however also important to note that the commission states, “The accommodation process usually begins when someone identifies they need accommodation due to a disability-related need.”, http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/minds-matter-report-consultation-human-rights-mental-health-and-addictions/10-duty-accommodate, and that it is the responsibility of the person with the disability is to ”inform their employers of their needs”, http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/disability-workplace-roles-and-responsibilities-fact-sheet.
Hopefully this report is a first step in helping to clarify everyone’s role in assisting those with a disability in the workplace, but we still have a long way to go. If comments, unfortunate or misinterpreted as they may be are left unchallenged it furthers the stigma or the disorder.
Heidi Bernhardt,
President
Recent studies out of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden found that people with ADHD have an increased risk of suicide. In addition, they also found an increased risk of suicide in the parents and siblings of people with ADHD.
http://www.livescience.com/46532-suicide-risk-adhd.html
This study is the first large scale study to show that ADHD and suicidal behaviour could share genetic risk factors. Researchers felt that the findings suggest that genetics may link ADHD and suicidal behaviour.
The study looked at national data for 52,000 patients with ADHD, about a third of whom also had another psychiatric disorder, as well as about 260,000 people without ADHD. The researchers found that, of the study participants without ADHD, 1.3 percent attempted suicide and 0.02 percent completed suicide. People with ADHD had a risk of 9.4 percent attempted suicide and 0.2 percent committed suicide. Parents and siblings of people with ADHD also had an increased risk of suicide, according to the study. The researchers found that 6.6 percent of the parents of people with ADHD attempted suicide, and 0.7 percent completed suicide. Among the siblings, 3.4 percent attempted suicide.
Even when researchers excluded data of people with multiple psychiatric disorders numbers remained well above the norm for people without ADHD.
An additional study found that medication to treat ADHD did not increase suicide attempts or completed suicides and may actually be protective.
In this study 38,000 people in Sweden diagnosed with ADHD between 1960 and 1996.
Experts in the field stated that this was a very well designed study because it was very large and because it tracked suicidal behaviours when individuals were either on or off the medications.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_146919.html
What's in a Label? - Today's Parent Magazine
I strongly disagree with the recent article in Today’s parent magazine “What’s in a Label?” http://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/kids-health-labelling-behaviour/, which states that labeling a child with a disorder, be it ADHD, ODD, anxiety or OCD, imprisons a child and gives them the feeling of a life sentence. Liza Finlay, a psychotherapist, goes on to say that these labels allow a child to sidestep any effort to improve. My experiences are far different. From a personal family perspective as well as the perspective of someone who has spoken to thousands of families over the past twenty years, it is the lack of early diagnosis and therefore lack of treatment and access of resources that have imprisoned many children into a life of dealing with the consequences of these disorders. Left untreated, ADHD can lead to additional mental health disorders, increased rates of high school dropout, less years of education, self-medication leading to substance abuse, involvement with the justice system, as well as increased socioeconomic costs.
A psychologist who believes that the earlier mentioned disorders are nothing but behaviours, and that children can simply choose to adopt different behaviours, is an affront to decades of medical research. Does therapy combined with other treatments for these conditions prove helpful? Sometimes, but that does not mean that ADHD is simply a set of behaviours that can be unlearned.
The notion that "once a child is diagnosed with ADHD, parents stop expecting them to behave" is not only ludicrous, it is insulting. Once a diagnosis happens, parents are able to put the child’s behaviour into perspective. They are then able to focus on appropriate parenting strategies to assist that child with their behaviours and access other appropriate treatments.
I certainly agree that additionally focusing on a child’s strengths and working to increase their capacities is essential, but the best way to do this is within the understanding of a child’s overall profile. The lack of understanding of a child with ADHD can lead to all of the above mentioned consequences as well as increased childhood and family stress, family breakup, and, in extreme cases, abuse and children leaving home.
Do we need increased tolerance for those who do not fit into society’s definition of normal? Do we need to expand society’s definition of normal? The answer to both of these questions, of course, is yes. But we need to make sure that while we work on this goal, we don’t neglect the children who are labeling themselves as stupid, lazy and bad because no one has let them know why they might be finding it more difficult to succeed than their peers.
Heidi Bernhardt
President
www.caddac.ca
*** You can comment on the original article or click here to leave a letter for the editor. ***
I recently came across an article that nicely summed up things parents should consider when deciding on ADHD medication treatment: linked here.
The article listed five things to parents should consider when making the decision, the first being a thorough medical evaluation by a trusted expert in the field of ADHD. For a description of what is involved in a thorough ADHD assessment access Diagnosing ADHD on the CADDAC Website. For further reading, access Assessment and Diagnosis for Children and Adolescents.
Once you are assured that your child has ADHD, your next step would be to ask yourself what is your desired outcome. How will it benefit your child? I would add that your expectations of medication treatment should be realistic. The symptoms that you would like to target should actually be something that medication will assist.
You will then need to consider all side effects; not just those of medication treatment, but also symptoms of untreated ADHD. Also consider that the decision to try medication as a treatment is not a permanent decision. Most ADHD medication may be started and stopped quickly or used only when required.
Finally, remember that this is not a decision that must be made quickly or under pressure. Other treatments, such as school accommodations and parenting strategies, should be tried initially. Medication treatment can always be added at a later date if necessary.
On the other hand, it may become evident very quickly that many things have been tried unsuccessfully in the past and the child is in significant distress. In this case, a medication trial may be initiated immediately. Also you should be aware that it may actually take some time to find the right medication and the right dose.
Medical professionals make a treatment decision by assessing benefit /risk ratio and so should you. What are the potential benefits to your child and what are the potential risks? While assessing these, make sure that you are relying on proper medical research that has been peer-reviewed and duplicated on a large scale, not anecdotal stories on the Internet.
People for Education recently released a report on Special Education in Ontario. To access the report, please click on this link:
http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/pfe-news/new-report-shows-special-education-challenges-continue/
This report focuses on several issues, most of which CADDAC and undoubtedly many other organizations with an interest in education, have frequently heard from concerned and frustrated parents:
CADDAC strongly agrees with all of People for Education’s recommendations for changes:
With Ontario’s upcoming election, parents who have an interest in these concerns may wish to draw their candidate’s attention to these issues and ask what their take is on special education services within Ontario.
You can access information on how to do this here:
http://adhdawarenessweek.ca/en/?page_id=325
http://adhdawarenessweek.ca/en/?page_id=202
I just finished listening to a great presentation by Dr. David Goodman about this topic. If you are interested in this topic I would highly recommend you access this presentation sponsored by the National Resource Centre on AD/HD at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7lYicr3s5A.
In his opening Dr. Goodman reviews the actual accuracy of newspaper articles on ADHD research.
He goes on to explain how journalists construct articles with victims, villains and heroes in order to catch a reader’s interest. He suggests that readers try and identify these roles in the storey and also question whether the author is trying to express extreme attitudes to sensationalize the story to increase interest. He points out that many journalists, especially national journalists, have agendas, or have been given agendas by their publishers, so ask yourself “What is the agenda of this article?” as you are reading it. He closes by stating, “The credibility of the information is dependent on the intent of the provider.”
Two parts of the presentation confirmed my fears that these type of articles increase fear and shame in parents and impact patient diagnoses and treatment. Furthermore, he indicated that the public is easily seduced by articles that sound scientific, but are actually lacking in up-to-date or comprehensive research on a topic, and may sensationalize new unproven research in order to interest more readers.
In the presentation and Q&A period Dr. Goodman offers concrete suggestions on:
ADHD is neither a mental health crisis nor a cultural one, as Maclean’s Magazine asks in the title of their article this week. It is a mental health condition that needs to be taken seriously as a medical issue, and not used to sell newspapers and books. I was actually interviewed for this article and, as I was assured, by the author, were Canadian medical ADHD experts, this however was not evidence anywhere in this article. One would expect the authors and publishers of the books highlighted in this article to do their utmost to sensationalize the title of their books and create catchy, if inaccurate sound bites, to sell their books, but how easily journalists, such as Kate Lanau fall into line with the marketing ploy is rather shocking. Journalists who use these exact tactics themselves to increase sales totally disregard the harm they do when they sensationalize a medical condition without balancing it with decades of scientific research. How many children and adults who may have received help will go undiagnosed because this misinformation is being promoted? The most unfortunate thing is that some real issues that do need looked at here in Canada, such as the misuse of medication by some post-secondary students, and the lack of training for physicians and educators in ADHD, won’t be discussed because everyone will be focused on the pure sensationalism of this article.
Since the chances that they will publish it are slim, here is my letter to the editor of MacLean’s Magazine.
“It is irresponsible to publish an article regarding a medical condition, in a Canadian publication, using US medical, information statistics and issues with very vague Canadian references, but not include Canadian expert interviews covering the Canadian situation. We are seeing far too much of this type of journalism lately in regards to ADHD.”
