Showing posts with label ADD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ADD. Show all posts
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Famous People with ADD
Some of the most talented, creative, and successful people in this world have Attention Deficit Disorder also known as AD/HD.
Did you know that one of the most famous people with ADD was Albert Einstein? Many people have asked the question, “What would our lives be like today if Einstein, one of the greatest minds of the last century, had been prescribed Ritalin?” Would he have been creative enough to come up with the theory of relativity or discover the law of the photoelectric effect? Maybe so, but who knows?
Check out this list of famous people who either have or are thought to have ADD or ADHD.
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
David Neeleman, Founder of JetBlue Airways
Paul Orfalea, Founder of Kinko's
Sir Richard Branson
Malcolm Forbes
Bill Gates
Inventors
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin
Explorer
Christopher Columbus
Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This is only a short list. So the next time you think of AD/HD as a curse, a disease or the worst thing that could have ever happened to you or your child, think again! You’re in good company with a lot of famous people.
List found at www.add-adhd-treatments.com/Famous-People.html. Thank you!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
About ADD: Symptoms and Treatment Options
What is ADD:
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is a disorder that is applied mainly to children and sometimes adults who consistently find it difficult to inhibit spontaneous responses over at least a six month period.
Symptoms of ADD:
1. Short attention span making focus and concentration difficult.
2. Inability to complete a task, especially tasks that are uninteresting.
3. Easily distracted while doing activities and tasks.
4. Impulsive.
5. Difficulty turning in paper and assignments.
6. Often misses or overlooks details.
7. Loses or forgets important things.
8. Has difficulty waiting in lines.
9. Says or does things without thinking through the consequence.
10. Blurts out answers.
It is important to note that everyone may experience one or a few of these symptoms. Seek out help if any of the above symptoms become debilitating and interfere with normal daily life.
Treatment options for ADD
There are various treatment options for ADD. First, is to medicate. Usually medicine is more accessible to the general population than other forms of treatment. It is also highly recommended by pediatricians because that is what they do... prescribe medication. Although medication can be a great "quick fix" there are also many side affects such as loss of appetite which leads to malnutrition, dulled personality that is often described as being like a zombie, and sleep difficulties.
A second option is neurofeedback which is a non-invasive approach that can help improve ADD permanently. It is becoming more popular due to people wanting an alternative method to medication. Neurofeedback is a way to retrain different areas of the brain that regulate impulse control and executive functions. A benefit to neurofeedback is that there are no side affects. On the opposite side, neurofeedback does not give immediate day to day result when you first start training which can be difficult for parents to manage.
Last, research shows that alterations to diet can improve certain behavior in those whom are diagnosed with ADD. Simply reducing certain foods such as processed sugar and red food dye and adding enzymes and vitamins can reduce or eliminate them all together. A benefit to changing your or a child's diet is that there is no harm to it!
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| Young boy with ADD |
Symptoms of ADD:
1. Short attention span making focus and concentration difficult.
2. Inability to complete a task, especially tasks that are uninteresting.
3. Easily distracted while doing activities and tasks.
4. Impulsive.
5. Difficulty turning in paper and assignments.
6. Often misses or overlooks details.
7. Loses or forgets important things.
8. Has difficulty waiting in lines.
9. Says or does things without thinking through the consequence.
10. Blurts out answers.
It is important to note that everyone may experience one or a few of these symptoms. Seek out help if any of the above symptoms become debilitating and interfere with normal daily life.
Treatment options for ADD
There are various treatment options for ADD. First, is to medicate. Usually medicine is more accessible to the general population than other forms of treatment. It is also highly recommended by pediatricians because that is what they do... prescribe medication. Although medication can be a great "quick fix" there are also many side affects such as loss of appetite which leads to malnutrition, dulled personality that is often described as being like a zombie, and sleep difficulties.
A second option is neurofeedback which is a non-invasive approach that can help improve ADD permanently. It is becoming more popular due to people wanting an alternative method to medication. Neurofeedback is a way to retrain different areas of the brain that regulate impulse control and executive functions. A benefit to neurofeedback is that there are no side affects. On the opposite side, neurofeedback does not give immediate day to day result when you first start training which can be difficult for parents to manage.
Last, research shows that alterations to diet can improve certain behavior in those whom are diagnosed with ADD. Simply reducing certain foods such as processed sugar and red food dye and adding enzymes and vitamins can reduce or eliminate them all together. A benefit to changing your or a child's diet is that there is no harm to it!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Finding Help for ADHD/ADD Through CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Disorder)
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| CHADD Logo |
About CHADD
CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is the nation's leading non-profit organization serving individuals with AD/HD and their families. CHADD has over 16,000 members in 200 local chapters throughout the U.S. Chapters offer support for individuals, parents, teachers, professionals, and others.
Mission/Objectives
CHADD's primary objectives are: to provide a support network for parents and caregivers; to provide a forum for continuing education; to be a community resource and disseminate accurate, evidence-based information about AD/HD to parents, educators, adults, professionals, and the media; to promote ongoing research; and to be an advocate on behalf of the AD/HD community.
The mission of CHADD is stated as CHADD CARES. Specifically, CHADD works to improve the lives of people affected by AD/HD through:
Collaborative Leadership
Advocacy
Research
Education and
Support
Membership
CHADD represents 20,000 members. Most are families of children and adults with AD/HD. About 2,000 CHADD members are professionals providing clinical and other services to persons with AD/HD.
For more information about CHADD, visit their website at www.chadd.org. What other organizations are out there to help parents with children who have ADHD or ADD?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Help for ADD and ADHD: a Non-Medication Approach
"My child's teacher is constantly reporting that Timmy is struggling to focus and sit still during class. He tends to get distracted by other students which then disrupts class. When we have to do homework at home I have to constant remind Timmy to stay on task. This is out of control and now it's starting to negatively affect our family life." -Mother of 8 year old son
Can you relate to this story? Many parents are in this exact situation and are struggling to know how to help their child who is diagnosed with ADHD and ADD. Although medication such as Ritalin and Aderal can be effective for awhile, there often tends to be highly unwanted side affects such as loss of appetite, stunted growth (from loss of appetite), poor sleep habits, and development of a "zombie" like personality.
It's not uncommon for parents to see that after so many months or years of their child having these side effects that its not worth the few benefits they get from taking the medication. This invokes another quest by parents to find something that can help their child. This search leads to them to neurofeedback. This is a non-medication approach that majority of people who try it find extremely effective... and without the side effects. Here is a clip from EEGinfo to help you learn more about neurofeedback and how it can help ADD and ADHD.
If you have had any experiences with neurofeedback, please post them below to help others decide if it's right for them.
Can you relate to this story? Many parents are in this exact situation and are struggling to know how to help their child who is diagnosed with ADHD and ADD. Although medication such as Ritalin and Aderal can be effective for awhile, there often tends to be highly unwanted side affects such as loss of appetite, stunted growth (from loss of appetite), poor sleep habits, and development of a "zombie" like personality.
It's not uncommon for parents to see that after so many months or years of their child having these side effects that its not worth the few benefits they get from taking the medication. This invokes another quest by parents to find something that can help their child. This search leads to them to neurofeedback. This is a non-medication approach that majority of people who try it find extremely effective... and without the side effects. Here is a clip from EEGinfo to help you learn more about neurofeedback and how it can help ADD and ADHD.
If you have had any experiences with neurofeedback, please post them below to help others decide if it's right for them.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
How Neurofeedback Helps Attention Issues
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| Child with Attention Issues |
Overview
The inability to pay attention is gaining rapid interest in
the medical and psychology field because of the increase in people who suffer
from this problem. Research has shown
in the past two decades there has been a significant increase of children who
have been diagnosed with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
and attention-deficit disorder (ADD).
Children who are affected by this disorder tend to struggle with paying
attention in school, doing homework and chores, and other tasks that require a
certain amount of focus and concentration in a given amount of time. Their relationships may also be affected
because people do not understand why they have such a difficult time completing
tasks.
Symptoms that may indicate attention issues
Sometime as a parent it may be difficult to know if your
child is struggling because children in general are active, curious, and
excited about life. The key to knowing if your child may have attention issues
is if he or she cannot focus and calm down when they know they need to get a
certain task done. Here are a list of
specific symptoms that may also indicate a problem.
-Difficult paying attention to details and often producing
messy work.
-Easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli that others
typically ignore.
-Inability to sustain attention on tasks.
-Difficulty following through and finishing tasks.
-Frequent shifts from one uncompleted task to another.
-Procrastination
-Forgetfulness in daily activities such as turning in assignments.
-Disorganization
-Impulsive decision-making.
The cause of attention issues
The inability to pay attention is not a result of laziness
or low intelligence, the problem actually stems from the way a person’s brain
is wired. Researchers have shown through brain image studies that people who
have ADHD or ADD have decreased activity in their frontal lobes compared to
people who can focus and complete tasks with little difficulty. The frontal
lobes are the part of the brain that controls executive functioning skills such
as organizing, focusing, problem solving, short-term memory, impulse control,
and attention. Because the brain is under stimulated in that area it has a
difficult executing these skills.
How neurofeedback can help attention issues
Neuroeedback is a non-medication approach that works
directly with the brain to retrain the frontal lobes. To do this, the brain is
observed from moment to moment through an EEG and receives feedback from a
computerized game or scene when it responds in the desired manner that promotes
positive behavior. Continual reinforcement will eventually lead the brain to
self regulation of executive functioning skills.
Sources:
All accessed July 23, 2011
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