Hello all!
We are excited to announce our upcoming conference this September 26th and 27th!
In addition to a weekend of presentations and workshops, comedian Rick Green will be be hosting the CADDAC Fundraiser: A Night of Comedy and Inspiration on the evening of September 26th!
Check out our website for more information and tickets!
On Tuesday May 12, a CADDAC delegation had a great day at Queen’s Park. Building off the momentum of Mental Health Awareness Week (May 4-10), CADDAC Executive Director Heidi Bernhardt, Dr. John Tucker and Dr. Doron Almagor spoke with representatives from various ministries to raise awareness about ADHD and advocating for increased support and treatment options for those in impacted by this disorder.
In these discussions, CADDAC was able to advocate and raise awareness with numerous Ministry officials, including those from Health and Long-Term Care, Children and Youth Services, Education, Community and Social Services, and the Office of the Attorney-General.
As ADHD is one of those illness that continues to be lost in a haze of social stigmas and lack of understanding, these efforts are particularly important.
It is part of CADDAC’s mandate to take a leadership role in the advocacy of ADHD in all areas that affect people with ADHD, including education, health, support, employment, regulatory bodies and resources. These efforts were part of CADDAC’s efforts to fulfill this mandate, as we continue to strive to network with government, professional organizations, health care providers, educators and all other stakeholders to improve the lives of people with ADHD.
It’s time ADHD is seen for what it really is: a complex, multifaceted, often life-long mental health disorder that significantly impacts people’s lives, the lives of those closest to them, and society as a whole.
CADDAC is thankful to all the open dialogue of the day and appreciates the opportunity to work with the Government of Ontario moving forward.
Mental Health Awareness Week kicked off last Monday and ran through the week until Sunday, May 10th.
This important initiative through the Canadian Mental Health Association encourages individuals to learn, talk about, reflect on, and engage others on issues related to mental health and mental illness.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is one of those illness that continues to be lost in a haze of social stigmas and lack of understanding.
Too often we hear a friend, relative, or co-worker joke about “having ADHD,” lending support to the argument that ADHD is simply the new fad diagnosis used to explain away the days where we find it difficult to concentrate. But for over a million Canadians who are directly affected by this illness, ADHD is no laughing matter.
It’s time ADHD is seen for what it really is: a complex, multifaceted, often life-long mental health disorder that significantly impacts people’s lives, the lives of those closest to them, and society as a whole.
Hence, here are some important things you need to know about ADHD:
ADHD, a medical neurobiological disorder, is a serious and wide-spread mental health issue impacting more than one million Canadians. As the most common childhood mental health condition worldwide, ADHD impacts one to two children in every Ontario classroom, and later on, four out of every 100 employees in the province.
ADHD increases the risk of suicidal ideation and behaviours, and commonly occurs alongside other mental health illnesses like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Physicians treating patients with ADHD are aware that monitoring for these symptoms is critical to ensuring the safety of ADHD patients, and watch closely during screening and assessment processes.
Health Canada recently announced that clearer warnings about the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours will be included in the prescribing information for ADHD medications, while also underscoring that there is no proof that ADHD medications cause these symptoms, and that the benefits of taking ADHD medications continue to outweigh potential risks. This announcement does, however highlight the importance for those with ADHD to be aware and continue to have proper monitoring by their physicians.
A shocking 90 per cent of adults with ADHD remain untreated and those who suffer from the illness are more likely to be impacted by injury and motor vehicle accidents, substance abuse, or jail time. In children, ADHD significantly increases the risk of high school dropout.
Taking into account the direct health, education, and justice-related costs, the cost of illness of ADHD for Canadians is over $7 billion, exceeding the cost of major depressive disorders.
In most cases ADHD is not preventable, but when managed properly, those with ADHD can lead happy, successful, and fulfilling lives.
Effective management of ADHD requires multi-modal treatment, the first being patient, parent, and teacher education and awareness. Treatment options to ensure success with ADHD patients include a variety of psychosocial treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, coaching, behaviour strategies, specialized tutoring, ADHD medication, regular follow-up visits with a trained medical practitioner, and special educational accommodations.
The more seriously we take ADHD the more likely it is we can help children have better outcomes and grow up to reach their full potential. It’s time to stop kidding around and start taking this critical mental health issue more seriously.
If you’re curious to find out more information on ADHD’s socioeconomic impacts, you can read CADDAC’s Policy Paper, “Paying Attention to the Cost of ADHD: The Price Paid by Canadian Families, Governments and Society” here.
CADDAC is thrilled to have finalized the exciting line-up of speakers for CADDAC’s 7th Annual Conference. This year the conference is back in Toronto, hosted at the Japanese Cultural Center (Wynford Drive and the DVP.)
This years conference will occur over two days, with Saturdays content and presentations geared to educators and parents and Sundays geared to parents and adults with ADHD.
Day one of the conference will feature Margaret Foster, M.A. a learning specialist who founded The Learning Network. She is the co-author, along with Joyce Cooper-Kahn, of Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom and will be presenting on teaching Executive Functioning skills to children with ADHD in the classroom and home setting with a breakout session specifically for educators and parents.
In addition Saturday will feature Susan Pinsky, author of Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD and The Fast and Furious Five Step Organizing Solution as well as Rhonda Martinussen, Assistant professor in the Institute of Child Study in the Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology at OISE.
Day two of our conference will feature Dr. Mark Bertin, author of The family ADHD Solution and Mindful Parenting for ADHD. Dr Bertin will be presenting on the science behind ADHD, parenting and family solutions as well as mindfulness. Also presenting on Sunday will be David Giwerc, a Master Certified ADHD Coach and the Founder and President of the ADD Coach Academy. Giwerc will be presenting on Strength-Based ADHD Coaching: Why and How it Successfully Works for Adults with ADHD.
Additional details will be forthcoming on our website over the next few months, and registration will be open later this spring.
The venue is accessible via TTC by three different subway routes and a bus trip and there is a hotel within walking distance.
The ADHD Prep (Parent Readiness Education Program) is fast approaching!
With only a few spots left his weekend, Saturday April 25 from 9AM – 4PM and Sunday April 26 9AM – 4PM, secure your spot and Click here to Register for ADHD PREP!
ADHD PREP is a comprehensive 12-hour program geared to parents of newly diagnosed children and adolescents with ADHD, and to parents wishing to upgrade their knowledge on the more complex aspects of ADHD including ADHD and learning, executive functioning and self and mood regulation.
Treatment options, parenting strategies and advocacy skills will also be covered. The program will occur over a weekend allowing parents from outside the local area to drive in for the weekend. Pricing includes workshop materials and light refreshments each morning and afternoon.
Visit the ADHD Prep Outline for an overview of the course content.
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Click here to Register for ADHD PREP!
CADDAC presents ADHD PREP, a 2-day program on Saturday April 25 from 9AM - 4PM and Sunday April 26 9AM - 4PM
Visit the ADHD Prep Outline for an overview of the course content.
ADHD PREP is a comprehensive 12-hour program geared to parents of newly diagnosed children and adolescents with ADHD, and to parents wishing to upgrade their knowledge on the more complex aspects of ADHD including ADHD and learning, executive functioning and self and mood regulation.
Treatment options, parenting strategies and advocacy skills will also be covered. The program will occur over a weekend allowing parents from outside the local area to drive in for the weekend. Pricing includes workshop materials and light refreshments each morning and afternoon.
This free public talk will be hosted on March 24th, 2015 - that's one week from today! - and will explore the question: Can you lead a full life with Parkinson's, epilepsy, or attention deficit disorder?
Hear from three people who are doing just that:
Whitney Goulstone — who had a new kind of surgery to halt her epilepsy.
Andy Barrie — who underwent deep brain stimulation to ease his Parkinson's
Rick Green — who uses his ADD as an ally and empowers others to do the same.
Join these inspiring speakers for the Ontario Brain Institute's first public talk on the lived experiences of people with brain disorders.
MC and interviewer: André Picard, Health Reporter, Globe and Mail
Register online at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-public-talk-three-brains-three-lives-three-stories-tickets-15816527660.
Past studies have found that students with ADHD are underrepresented in the field of engineering. Researchers feel that traditional teaching methods are driving away those ADHD “out of the box” thinkers that have the potential to be pioneers in the field of engineering.
This study is going to compare the creative thinking processes of engineering students with and without ADHD, looking at what might be hindering students with ADHD from being successful in these traditional programs. The principal researcher, Arash Zaghi, is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and was himself diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 32. He feels engineering courses do little to foster creativity.
An article on this study also points out that high school advisors often suggest university engineering programs to students who are creative and express a liking for things that are hands on, often resulting in a bad university program fit and unhappy students.
The study will also be looking to see if medications used to treat ADHD affect a student’s creative thinking. The study hopes to help dispel some of the myths about students with ADHD.
If only more of these types of studies could be funded, ones that provide insight into how students with ADHD can best use their strengths to become successful in their areas of study. Perhaps we need more adults with ADHD such as Arash Zagji, to lead the way.
For more information and to access the original article about this study, please visit:
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-02-strengths-adhd-students.html
A Great Resource for Teens, Preteens and Young Adults with ADHD
by Heidi Bernhardt
I came across an interesting resource for teens and young adults with ADHD, a web site http://www.addyteen.com/adhd/ that also hosts a free guide for teens with ADHD entitled “Embracing Your ADHD.” The guide is free to download after registering on the site.
The site notes that, due to high costs, medication is often the only option for many teens with ADHD despite the fact that so much more is required to meet their needs emotionally, socially, academically, and organizationally. The free guide is written by Grace Friedman who is still a teen herself, and provides useful tips and strategies on how to not only “survive but thrive” in school and life in general. The guide is a well balanced view of ADHD addressing it as a medical condition while looking at it from a young person’s perspective.
Wisely, the guide devotes a great deal to addressing emotional challenges and ways to understand and cope with them when you have ADHD. It also covers the topic of medication and typical feelings around this and reviews beneficial health strategies around diet, exercise, and sleep. In addition, academic strategies, accommodations, and self-advocacy are reviewed along with methods that can be useful at home. The guide ends with a section on the importance of and how to discover your talents, gifts, and passions – a great message for any teen.
Below is a link to an article written by Grace Friedman for the Huffington Post that originally led me to this great resource:
