While researching this topic I came across several articles listing a variety of Apps that can be useful for those with ADHD. Not surprisingly, many of these APPS are simple reminders, or assist with time management and organization. Some are designed for children, such as Epic Win which turns boring chores into a fun role playing adventure, or 123Token which rewards positive behaviours with a token system.
An APP named Rescue Time builds reports on how you spend your time. This allows you to track time spent procrastinating as compared to time spent on productive activities. Another APP, Freedom, allows you to set the time(s) that your internet is turned off, allowing you to restrict distractions at the end of day or for particular periods during the day. We all know that e-mails and social media etc. can be hugely distracting if not limited. Others are designed to help build healthy habits, manage your money and restrict impulsive spending.
A note of caution; be leery of Apps that claim to improve executive functioning and decrease ADHD symptoms. To date there are no peer reviewed, large scale studies that back up these claims.
Articles on Apps for those with ADHD
I often chat with parents who ask me how they can be expected to organize their child with executive functioning impairments when they have the same issues. If this is something that you struggle with, or find it challenging to calm tempers and put household strategies in place Dr. Mark Bertin’s recent Huffington Post article would be a great read. He talks about using a collaborative family approach to address the many issues that arise in households dealing with ADHD. Access Dr. Bertin’s Article
I always found working on complex organizational tasks and chores as a team with my kids lead to better outcomes. Telling one of my son to go and clean his room usually ended with a room that was even messier than before and escalated emotions, not the good kind, on both our parts. But, when we tackled this chore together, the room ended up clean and we were able to feel a sense of shared accomplishment. Working through the process with my son also forced me to think about what executive functioning skills were lacking and what the underlying impairments might be. It also made me consider how I might be able to help him practice these skills.
Another Tip
Once you’ve finished cleaning the room take pictures of various parts of the room, print and post them. This will help your child visualize what a clean room looks like – dirty clothes in the hamper, cleans ones in the drawers, toys in the bins, books on the shelf etc. Most kids with ADHD find visual cues, knowing what the end product is meant to look like, very helpful.
It was with great interest that I reviewed an Australian study looking at academic achievement in students with ADHD during the period from childhood to adolescence. Having spent the last twenty years speaking with researchers, parents, educators, school boards and Ministries of Education across Canada I firmly believe that this study highlights the same situation that we have here in Canada.
The study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics showed that 40% of students with ADHD were not reaching minimum standards for literacy and numeracy in at least one academic area such as writing or math. Based on test results in year seven, which is equivalent to our grade seven, 73% of students with ADHD had a problem with writing and almost a quarter scored below the minimum standard. By year nine things had become worse; 54% of students still had difficulties, however now 37.5% did not reach the minimum standard. What was also interesting was the fact that boys had far greater difficulty with writing than girls. The lead researcher, Nardia Zendarski said that they had expected to see a gap in academic success for students with ADHD, but not such a large gap.
Professor Harriet Hiscock, a consulting paediatrician with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute that ran the study, said problems arose for students with ADHD particularly in English subjects, due to issues with writing, spelling and grammar. "They're quite sophisticated things that we learn how to do," she said. The frontal lobe of the brain, which we know is not as developed in children with ADHD, is used in this type of task.
Remarkably, 75% of children looked at in the study were on medication to increase their attention. This fact led Ms. Zendarski to state, "ADHD medication has its place but it doesn't seem to improve long-term academic outcomes … it doesn't address the core academic skills." She went on to say, "We should stop focusing on the argument around whether these kids should be medicated or not and start focusing on providing services and support that they need to reach their full potential. These programs could be used to support all kids with learning difficulties.”
"We need to look further back and see when the problems start — do these problems start for kids as early as grade one?" said Professor Hiscock. "And if they're not picked up and addressed, particularly in primary school, then these kids get into high school where it becomes harder, the work becomes more complex. So we're seeing the problems become worse."
Professor Hiscock went on the say, “The solution is not clear cut, but better support and training of teachers would be a good start. More support around literacy and numeracy teaching, probably it's got to be small groups, more individualised teaching."
Tracy-Ann Pettigrew a mother with two sons with ADHD went back to university to study special education in order to assist her sons with school. There's not a lot of understanding by mainstream teachers about how to teach kids with additional learning needs and it's a tough gig," she said. "I am hoping that this will facilitate some meaningful change, so that teachers can learn the skills that they need to learn to be able to support these kids."
Ms Zendarski closed by says, “As education is a key determinant of overall quality of life and health, I can't think of a better area to concentrate our efforts,"
Access the Institute’s REPORT
Access articles on the study:
Over the past 25 years I have spoken to tens of thousands of parents struggling with the question of whether to give their child medication to treat their ADHD. In all that time I have never come across one parent who was thrilled at the thought of medicating their child. Most parents express doubt, concern and have countless questions. Some refuse outright to even consider medication as a treatment option even when their child is clearly struggling at home, in school and during social situations. I must confess that even with a background in psychiatric nursing I had to think about the decision and it took quite some time for my husband to come around to the idea.
I also think that second guessing yourself on the decision you made, for many years even decades, after the fact is quite common. I receive many calls from parents asking if I think that they are responsible for their child’s failure at school and work because they refused to try medication when the child was younger. Or, they ask if it is what caused their child's involvement with the law and/or with self-medicating with substances. No one can answer these questions nor should they try. When asked, I steer parents away from the past and towards the present and future. What can and should be done now to set up the best individualized, balanced, multi-modal treatment approach possible. It may include medication, or it may not, but it should always be more than just medication. On the other hand, I also receive calls from adults who never received medication as a child, have been able to weather the storms, and have come out stronger because of it.
So it was with great interest and delight that I watched a YouTube video by Jessica McCabe, a young actress, writer and YouTube personality with ADHD. The video is captioned “To My Mom who Drugged Me”. Don’t be alarmed by the title, you’ll be wonderfully surprised by the message Jessica shares. While she addresses the topic of medication in the video she shares so much more. She expresses how she felt as a child with ADHD, what her mother’s understanding and support meant to her, and the profound difference it made in her life.
Watch the VIDEO
Access an ARTICLE on the video
Access Jessica’s web site How To ADHD
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD have been excluded from general guidelines on screen use by the Canadian Pediatric Society because children with these disorders are at greater risk for internet addiction. Dr. Umesh Jain, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist specializing in ADHD, believes that children with ADHD should only be in front of a screen for educational purposes. He believes that screen time can be addictive for children with ADHD with the same cravings and withdrawal effect as other addictions. He also believes that it deteriorates social skills of children with Autism since they quickly become dependent on the Internet for their social interaction. Dr. Jain states that screen time is altering the brain of children with ADHD by “softening and altering cortical structures”. He’s basing his recommendations on studies out of South Korea pointing to ADHD as the most common reason for Internet addiction under the age of 12.
Dr. Randy Kulman, a child clinical psychologist from Rhode Island, believes screen time for children with ADHD and ASD should be tailored to their learning challenges, but does recognize the increased risk to those with ADHD. Children with ADHD crave stimulation that these online interactions provide.
Access the entire article by Patricia Tomasi HERE
A large Danish study found that teens with ADHD were at least twice as likely as their peers without ADHD to become parents and have more children by the age of 25.
Early teen years were especially concerning since girls with ADHD were three and a half times more likely, and boys were almost two and a half times more likely to become parents between the ages of 12-15. Even researchers, who expected increased rates, where shocked at the extent of the increase.
Researchers looked at 2,698,052 people born between 1960 and 2001 in Denmark, including 27,479 who had been diagnosed with ADHD and grouped the data into a variety of age intervals. They analyzed the likelihood of becoming a parent during age intervals of 12-16, 17-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 and over 40. The age interval between 17 and 19 indicated at a rate at least twice as high for those with ADHD.
“It is well established that becoming a teenage parent, irrespective of your mental health status, is burdensome for both parents and children,” lead author Dr. Soren Dinesen Ostergaard, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark said. “It is also well known that parenting is often difficult for individuals with ADHD.” For this reason he and his colleagues suggest creating sexual education and contraceptive counseling programs tailored for adolescents with ADHD. Other experts commented that awareness of the issue and educating parents of teens with ADHD about this research was paramount.
Access more information HERE
This brief article geared to employers and managers makes some interesting points on ADHD in the workplace that are just as useful for employees. The first being, an employee with ADHD can have considerable talents along with their ADHD which will make them a valuable asset to the company even if some accommodations are required. Secondly, awareness of an employee’s ADHD benefits everyone, the employee, the manager and the entire organization. Once awareness is there, strategies can be put in place to set the employee up for success rather than failure.
The author goes on to outline two important lessons an adult with ADHD shared with him. Kyle the adult with ADHD noted that although he knew distractability was an issue for him, not until he actually monitored his time did he realize how hugely it impacted his productivity. However, the biggest lesson he learned was from a past boss. This boss showed Kyle the benefits of having an accountability partner. Although he was initially resentful of what he misinterpreted as his boss's oppressive oversight the success it afforded him quickly turned him into a believer. Someone to check in with at regular intervals, daily if necessary, by e-mail or through face to face meetings, helped him prioritize and manage his time more effectively. Having someone to hold him accountable allowed him to accomplish more and turn in an improved product. His only regret was that he had not learned this lesson sooner.
Access the full article HERE
A new study published on May 10 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry looked at ADHD, driving and medication. The study tracked more than 2 million American adults who had been diagnosed with ADHD for a period of 10 years. The data was accessed from health insurance claims from more than 100 health insurers and reviewed inpatient and outpatient hospital visits due to motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) and filled prescriptions.
The study looked at over 2 million patients identified with ADHD, over the age of 18, with half over the age of 33. The study found that men’s risk of a motor vehicle accident decreased by 38% during the months they filled their prescriptions and women’s risk decreased by 42%.
The study team also estimated that 22 % of accidents could have been avoided if people with ADHD were on their medication during the entire study period.
The lead author Zheng Chang, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden stated that the study most likely underestimated the effect of medication on car crashes because only those accidents serious enough to warrant medical intervention through a hospital were included in the numbers. The data also did not include car crashes were someone died.
Considering the high prevalence of ADHD and its association with motor vehicle collisions along with the high rate of MVCs resulting in injury or death these findings should be looked at very seriously.
To access further details
Study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Published online May 10, 2017.doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.0659
http://www.livescience.com/59047-people-taking-adhd-medications-may-have-fewer-car-accidents.html
Spinner toys, the newest craze, are being marketed as appropriate fidget toys that increase the focus of children with ADHD. They actually have the opposite effect. These claims are simply a marketing stunt to encourage parents to purchase the toy for their children with ADHD. If you are wondering if these toys might be useful for your child please read Dr. Doron Almagor’s article in the Huffington Post before running out to purchase a spinner. Dr. Almagor, a Canadian child and adolescent psychiatrist specializing in ADHD, points out that movement of a manipulative, or fidget toy, should stimulate the child’s brain just enough to keep their focus engaged on something other than the toy, like their teacher. Repetitive or unintentional movement is what helps the ADHD brain focus. These spinners actually draw a child’s focus to the toy and away from where their focus needs to be.
Hopefully false claims such as these, designed to market products to children with disabilities and their parents, will be called out and the companies fined.
Access Dr. Almagor’s article Here.
A recent study has found that use of antidepressants by the mother during early pregnancy did not significantly increase the risk of poor fetal growth or the child’s risk of developing Autism or ADHD as previously thought. As well, only a slight increased risk for premature birth was found. This is the largest study to date, looking at over 1.5 million infants, using all live births in Sweden from 1996 to 2012. The information was matched to data on antidepressant use, mostly SSRIs, and autism and ADHD diagnoses. The study was led by Indiana University with analysis collaboration between the researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
This study’s results is of particular interest, not only for its size, but that researchers were able to compare outcomes in siblings when the mother was taking medication for depression and when she was not treated. The study looked at the use of antidepressants in fathers as well as use in mothers prior to pregnancy and found increased rates of both Autism and ADHD leading researchers to believe that genetics and a history of depression were a factor rather than the use of antidepressants.
Read more about the study HERE
