Shire Canada Inc. is launching a new, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Scholarship Program tailored for Canadian adults diagnosed with ADHD who are pursuing post-secondary education. The Program will award recipients with a unique scholarship that combines financial support for tuition ($1,500) as well as one year’s worth of ADHD coaching services provided by the Edge Foundation (approximate value: $4,400). The Scholarship’s ADHD coaching component is specifically designed to address the challenges that students with ADHD may face during the transition to higher education.
This scholarship is open to legal residents of Alberta, Ontario, or Québec who are:
• accepted to or enrolled in a post-secondary program at a Canadian accredited two-year or four-year college, university, trade, technical school, or vocational school located in Alberta, Ontario, or Québec;
• of the age of majority in their province of residence; and
• diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and underthe care of a licensed health care professional for ADHD.
Check out their flyer:http://www.caddac.ca/cms/CADDAC_pdf/Events/Shire_Canada_ADHD_Scholarship_2013.pdf
Or visit the Shire Scholarship website: http://www.shireadhdscholarship.com/
CADDAC conducted its first-ever Canadian survey on ADHD between June and December of 2011. The online survey had 735 respondents and asked parents and caregivers about their experiences with ADHD, the educational system, assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
Survey results are not scientific. Voluntary responses were provided 735 online survey participants. All provinces were represented in the Canada-wide survey. Not all participants answered all questions.
*To view complete survey results & CADDAC's Media Release for more on the survey's conclusions via the link below.
http://www.caddac.ca/cms/page.php?2
You may have noticed that in the recent past CADDAC has expressed concerns regarding the generic substitution of ADHD medications that may not offer identical coverage. There is now an additional generic product out that is being substituted for Strattera. If you have experienced difficulties with this medication you may be interested in the fact that a new program has been introduced by Eli Lilly Canada that now enables individuals with ADHD who have been prescribed Strattera to access a Lilly Patient Choice RxHelp(tm) Card that allows them to remain on brand-name product at no additional cost.
The card covers the price difference between Strattera(r) and the available generic versions. This difference will be paid to the pharmacy, on the patient's behalf, by Lilly.
The program is easy to use and available at most pharmacies. If the pharmacy that you are currently using refuses to except the card you may wish to go to another pharmacy, as this is the individual choice of the store owner.
You will simply need to present the card when having the prescription for Strattera filled and let the pharmacist know that you wish to have it filled with the brand name product. Remember to retain the card for future use.
The program is available to those who are newly prescribed Strattera, as well as those who have been taking the medication for some time.
Lilly Patient Choice RxHelp(tm) Cards can be obtained by:
* Calling RxHelp at 1-866-794-3574
* Ordering through www.strattera.ca
* Or, ordering through www.RxHelp.ca
CADDAC is excited to announce our fourth annual conference, which will be bigger and better than ever. We are continuing to focus on a particular audience each day, however, we expect many participants to be interested in attending more than one day, or even all four days.
Our featured speaker this year is Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, a leader and innovator in treating those with ADHD across the lifespan. Dr. Nadeau is an internationally recognized author, having published over 10 books on ADHD and related topics, as well as a speaker and clinician working with individuals with ADHD. She is best known for her focus on helping those with ADHD achieve their potential through practical, focused, results-oriented treatment.
Dr. Nadeau’s latest passion is ADHD parent friendly coaching, which will be the focus of the parent geared presentation on Thursday evening October the 11th. The presentation will focus on how to build a strong, positive relationship with your child, modeling and teaching emotional regulation, problem solving, effective and realistic parenting approaches and how to create an ADHD friendly home and family.
Friday October the 12th will be a day focusing on ADHD and Learning. This day will be of particular interest to educators in all three streams of education; elementary, high school and post-secondary. Two renowned experts who travel the world presenting on this topic, Dr. Rosemary Tannock and Dr. Peter Chaban, will be presenting on the impact of ADHD on learning. Dr. Nadeau will be joining them to cover the ongoing needs of structure and support that will benefit all students, but especially those with ADHD; it will focus on helping students to develop those all-important executive functioning skills, and will generally focus on creating an ADHD-friendly classroom environment.
Dr. Nadeau’s second presentation will cover girls with ADHD in the classroom. This presentation will focus on how girls present differently than most boys; how easily girls are overlooked and underestimated; the factors that lead to late identification of girls in the classroom; the social challenges of girls with ADHD in the classroom setting; and how to find ways to support them in developing confidence and competence in the classroom setting. Three separate afternoon workshops will target specific educational attendees, covering effective strategies for elementary, high school and postsecondary students with ADHD.
Saturday October the 13th will focus on Dr. Nadeau’s longtime particular area of interest, the study of girls and women with ADHD. Despite the great need, this area of practice is seldom a focus in the world of ADHD. Therefore, we decided to spend an entire day, Saturday October the 13th, focusing on this subject. Dr. Nadeau will be addressing the topic of growing up as a girl with ADHD. This presentation will move through each developmental stage from early childhood through adolescence, discussing the signs to look for to identify girls at each stage as well as ways that parents and professionals can help girls avoid the significant risks of growing up with untreated ADHD and develop confidence and competence at school and with peers.
Dr. Nadeau will also be presenting on women with ADHD. This workshop will address the state of overwhelm that women with ADHD experience and address ways that they can begin to create balance, reduce stress and better manage the daily challenges of living as a woman with ADHD. It will focus on women’s ADHD issues including the influence of hormonal fluctuations; the particular stresses of parenting as a mother with ADHD; and the social role expectations that make ADHD particularly challenging for women.
Our first Saturday afternoon speaker, Dr. Lance Levy, will be addressing the role of ADHD in creating and maintaining obesity and binge eating. This presentation is about how ADHD remains, a leading contributing factor to the development of obesity, to the worsening of obesity, and to obesity being impossible to manage until ADHD, and those conditions very often found with it, Sleep disorder, Mood disorders, and Binge eating disorder are adequately treated. Diagnosis and treatment methods will be reviewed in detail. Our closing presentation will be an entertaining and insightful presentation by Terry Matlen, author of “Survival Tips for Women with ADHD”.
Our last day, Sunday October the 14th will focus on ADHD in adults. Kathleen Nadeau, who authored several books on this subject, two being “ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life”, and “ADD in the Workplace: Choices, Changes and Challenges” will be presenting on how to meet the challenges of adult ADHD. This workshop will focus on how to manage ADHD as an adult. It will address daily life management issues, including sleep patterns; introduce healthy daily habits that will promote optimal brain functioning; and introduce the concept of choosing or creating ADHD-friendly home environments, social environments and work environments.
Dr. Nadeau’s second presentation will focus on and ADHD in the workplace. This presentation will focus on how ADHD typically affects workplace performance and how to find ADHD-friendly jobs and career paths. It will address helping young adults as they select a career path; mid-career adults as they struggle to manage ADHD challenges at work; and will also address the issue of mid-career changes in response to ADHD challenges.
Melissa Orlov, author of “Effect of ADHD on Marriage”, and marriage consultant, will be presenting in the afternoon on ADHD and Relationships. She will present on how Adult ADHD symptoms encourage very specific and predictable patterns in relationships that are perpetuated both by the symptoms themselves and also by the other spouse’s response to those symptoms. This session will cover some of the most important patterns of the “ADHD Effect” and provides specific, usable information about what you need to do to start strengthening your relationship today.
Dr. David Teplin, who received raving reviews last year, will be our final speaker of the day. Dr. Teplin will be addressing the overlap between ADHD and various forms of Addictions (e.g., Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling, Sex, Overspending, Food, Internet), as well as the various contributing factors that lend itself to ADHD being a risk factor for developing such forms of addiction.
Our exciting new venue this year will be the Holiday Inn at 7095 Woodbine Ave. (at Steeles Ave E.).
Free parking will be available.
For those looking to stay overnight, newly renovated rooms will be available for single or double occupancy at the rate of $99, when you mention the CADDAC conference. You may book via this link that includes the promotion code: CADDAC or book directly through the hotel at 905-474-0444, www.markham.holiday-inn.com.
Limited availability so book now to ensure a reservation.
Follow this link to our Events page to register now & take advantage of Early Bird Pricing! http://www.caddac.ca/cms/page.php?199
There you will also find Event flyers. Please feel free to post the flyers at work and share with your friends, family and colleagues.
Hope to see you there!
I feel that it is important for me to share some information with parents and medical caregivers of students with ADHD regarding this new memorandum since we are receiving many calls asking for clarification on how to proceed. While this memorandum has been a very a long time coming, and hard won, it was not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal would have been for ADHD to be fully recognized and listed under a particular category. The Ministry has refused to do so for more than a decade.
However, this memorandum does clarify that students with ADHD, and no other diagnosed disorder such as a Learning Disability, should not be barred from being officially recognized through an IPRC as an exceptional student, which allows them to access an IEP and special education. It also goes one step further and lists several ways that a student with ADHD can present a learning need, while stating that this list is not all inclusive. Perhaps the bigger issue is that memorandums sent out to school boards by the Ministry of Education are not immediately, if ever, embraced and implemented by school boards. The Ministry itself admits that memorandums are a form of guidance rather than mandates. They do not have a way to hold school boards accountable.
Do not be surprised if individual educators within school boards do not know of its existence or are reluctant to implement it. In fact, after receiving feedback from parents and speaking with school boards, many boards feel that it is business as usual, and this memorandum only supports what they have been doing. In reality, it falls on the shoulders of the public to hold school boards accountable since the Ministry is unable to do so.
This is why CADDAC is very committed in spreading word of this memorandum to parents and medical professionals working with students with ADHD. This memorandum directly contradicts school boards who inform parents, physicians, psychologists, and other medical experts that a student with ADHD does not qualify for an IPRC unless they have a diagnosed learning disability.
You might have noticed that the memorandum states that a student must display a learning need in order to qualify for this recognition. Although it is very unusual for a student with ADHD not to have a learning need, due to a lack of training many educators wrongly believe that learning needs presented by students with ADHD are actually under their control, rather than a symptom of the disorder. It is imperative for parents and medical experts to do their due diligence and be prepared to demonstrate and document the learning needs of the student. Some ways that a student can demonstrate these needs are listed in the memorandum: “attention/focus, organization, processing speed, working memory, executive functioning weaknesses, mathematical processes and skills, and expressive and receptive language,” however, the areas of need are not limited to this list. Please note that school failure is not the only way to document this need, although some boards may claim the contrary. We should be evaluating whether a student is working to their potential rather than assuming all is well if the student is not failing.
My recommendation to parents, physicians and other health care providers is that this documentation should be prepared prior to requesting an IPRC meeting. The more examples and documentation parents can make available as evidence, the better the chances of success. The CADDAC document entitled “Classroom Accommodations for Specific Behaviour,” which can be found under the “Classroom Accommodations/Strategies Drop-Down” under the School section of the CADDAC website can be a helpful tool for the identification of additional learning needs.
When speaking with special education administrators recently, it has become even more evident that many do not really understand ADHD and its impairments on learning. They put the onus on the parents to prove that this disorder impairs their child’s learning in a way that they, the boards, find acceptable. The Ministry allows each board to decide the level and specific type of impairment that would qualify a student to be deemed an exceptional student, resulting in an unfair and inequitable educational system.
You may have noticed that in our press release we stated that: “It is CADDAC’s hope that school boards will follow through with the intent of this memorandum. It is also our hope that increased training for educators will be the next step.”
That is still our hope. We are willing to help in any way that we can with the training of educators. ADHD is a very complex disorder and we fully acknowledge that understanding the extensive impact of ADHD on a students’ learning is not easily done, however the enormous benefits would be well worth the effort for both the students and the education system.
If your child has a learning need that has been documented, and the school and/or board are refusing to recognize your child as an exceptional student qualifying for special education, please contact us at CADDAC. We are interested in hearing your story.
Regards to all,
Heidi Bernhardt
National Director, CADDAC
Dr. Russell Barkley, renowned ADHD expert, gave a presentation for parents hosted by CADDAC on October 16, 2011 to kick off ADHD Awareness Week. Not only did he give a presentation about "Understanding Emotion in the Management of ADHD," but he also gave a bonus presentation on "The 20 Best Principles of Managing a Child with ADHD."
Children with ADHD have poor emotional self-regulation. Emotional self-regulation is a four-step process whereby an individual:
Dr. Barkley spoke at length about the scientific evidence that suggests brain differences that are involved in emotional dysregulation and ADHD individuals. Furhtermore, he suggested that untreated ADHD (and emotional dysregulation) can lead to the development of ODD (oppositional defiance disorder).
Here are some strategies Dr. Barkley suggested for the improvement of emotional regulation:
There has been eight years' worth of ADHD Awareness Weeks in the United States, but none officially declared in Canada... until now! On Tuesday, October 18th, the Vancouver City Council declared the week of October 16 to 22, 2011 as “ADHD Awareness Week” at a ceremony at the Vancouver City Hall. Pete Quily (ADHD Coach) and Sarah Blyth (Vancouver politician with ADHD, ADHD spokeswoman) spoke at City Hall. Here is a video of the speeches.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released an article recommending that pediatricians initiate an evaluation for ADHD for children as young as 4 and up to 18, who present with academic or behavioural impairment and symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This expands the previous 6 to 12 age range. Since in the vast majority of cases ADHD is inherited it would be reasonable to assume the child has the condition from birth. We also know that early intervention can be very beneficial, and that ADHD symptoms most often continue into adolescence and adulthood.
The paper recommends that for preschoolers the first line of treatment be evident-based parent and/or educator behaviour therapy, and if these therapies do not improve impairments sufficiently medication be included in the treatment plan. Clinicians would have to weigh the risks of starting medication at an earlier age with the harm of delaying the diagnosis and treatment.
American Academy of Pediatrics Website: ADHD
CADDAC is hosting a special presentation for parents, featuring Dr. Russell Barkley, on “The Importance of Emotion in Understanding and Managing ADHD.” To find all of the details of this special presentation by Dr. Barkley, please click here.
Our Third Annual ADHD Three-Day Conference is happening in December this year and will be featuring Ross Greene and Anthony Rostain. Our parent-focused presentations will be occurring on the evening of Friday, December 2nd. Saturday, December 3rd will feature a full day of presentations for educators; and Sunday, December the 4th will offer presentations geared to “Adults with ADHD”, featuring topics on effective treatments and strategies. To find out more information about the entirety of our conference, please visit the CADDAC Website Events Page (click here to view).
CADDAC is undertaking a Canadian national ADHD survey and we would appreciate if you could pass the link onto anyone you think may be interested. The surveys are posted on our CADDAC website on the homepage: http://www.caddac.ca.
CADDAC is utilizing social media! You can find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CADDAC and on Twitter as @CentreforADHD. We have also launched this blog to better promote ADHD awareness, decrease the stigma that persists in surrounding ADHD, and to connect and network with individuals affected by ADHD and ADHD organizations.
CADDAC would like to announce the launch of two fall initiatives. The first of these two initiatives is a campaign addressing the stress experienced by parents of children with ADHD in elementary and secondary school during this hectic back-to-school time. The second is a campaign to build awareness of ADHD at the post-secondary level.
The “Back on Track” back-to-school with ADHD campaign for elementary and high school students was preceded by a short survey asking parents of ADHD children what potential stresses they felt beginning a new school year. Posted on the homepage of the CADDAC website, you will find (in English and in French):
The College and University ADHD Awareness Campaign will be launched September 6th 2011. Information to follow, please stay tuned!
