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
An interesting survey was recently conducted by Harris Poll for the newly-created Coalition to Prevent Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Medication Misuse (CPAMM), a network of organizations with the shared goal of developing and educational strategy for college students focusing on reducing misuse amongst college students.
The study found that while students generally felt that they are aware of the risks of misusing ADHD medication, further investigation found that this was incorrect. Most expressed understanding why some students decide to use the medication, especially when taking into account the pressure to succeed in today’s post-secondary environments. The majority of students believed that misusing stimulant medication (75%), was unethical and a form of cheating similar to athletes using performance-enhancing drugs. However, almost half of these students also felt that those who do take these medications without the presence of ADHD were doing what was necessary to keep up with extreme pressure. Most felt that the main reasons students were misusing these medications was to get better grades and to succeed.
CPAMM hopes to create peer-to-peer interventions to assist with the common misconceptions that misusing ADHD medications leads to better grades, is not harmful and that “everyone is doing it”, and to provide information of better ways to cope with educational stress.
This certainly looks like a step in the right direction.
For further information on this survey access www.uloop.com/news/view.php/144465/College-Students-Split-On-ADHD-Prescript.
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:
Don't forget to register for CADDAC's upcoming workshop on Adult ADHD, less than two weeks away!
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.
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 be 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.
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).
After several decades of co-parenting three sons with ADHD and being married to my husband who also has ADHD, I can attest to the validity of the analysis provided by associate professor of Psychiatry, James Waxmonsky: “Patients with ADHD are at increased risk to engage in problematic parenting techniques, including inconsistent disciplinary practices, making ineffectual commands, and diminished use of praise.”
Our family meetings generally resulted in children who understood new rules or schedules, at least in the short term, leading them to complain that “Dad was not following the rules!”
A new study on parenting skills demonstrated both on and off Vyvanse, an ADHD medication, has found that parents with ADHD on medication were less likely to make negative statements towards their children while engaging in a homework task, were more responsive to their child, made fewer commands, were less demanding, and praised their child more.
While medicating parents with ADHD is not the single answer to this, assessment, diagnosis, and some form of treatment has clearly been found to be beneficial for parenting skills. Some ADHD experts believe that if the parent is not dealing with their own ADHD there is a reduced chance that the child will respond to medication or counselling treatments.
Thinking back, what I can say is that parenting a child or children with ADHD while coping with one of the parents having untreated ADHD is difficult. Working as a team becomes a huge challenge; attaining consistency is almost impossible; and avoiding resentment of the other parent, from both parties, becomes a daily struggle. Although little was known about adult ADHD 30 years ago when we were struggling with this, today my first suggestion to families whose child has been recently diagnosis is to become educated about ADHD. During this period of enlightenment, if the suspicion that one or both of the parents may have ADHD arises don’t ignore it. For your child’s sake and the sake of your relationship get an assessment and look into appropriate treatment options. If nothing else, think of the great role model you will become for your child.
To access additional details:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140730093520.htm
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).
In 2012, CADDAC conducted a survey of parents with ADHD children. Participants were asked to define the stress levels experienced during the school year.
More than half of the Canadian parents surveyed were not satisfied with the help their child is received at school, nor the knowledge that teachers and principals are perceived to have about ADHD.
Long wait times for comprehensive assessments and treatments, as well as difficulty accessing information about the disorder, were also flagged to be of significant concern. The full survey can be viewed here:
Dr. Kenny Handleman talks exclusively with CADDAC about turning stress into a comprehensive action plan. With school almost out for summer, there is plenty of time to make sure the next year is a smooth one!
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
