ADHD : A Survival Guide for Parents and Teachers

Table of Contents v Foreword 1(4) Acknowledgements 5(2) Introduction 7(2) I Am Confused---So What Is ADHD? 9(32) According to the Experts, What Is ADHD? 9(2) Definition and Symptoms 11(8) Are There Different Types of ADHD? 11(2) Inattention 13(2) Hyperactivity 15(1) Impulsivity 16(1) Other Behaviors Sometimes Associated with ADHD 17(2) ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type (ADHD-I) 19(2) Developmental Stages of ADHD 21(3) Infants and Toddlers 21(1) School Age 22(1) Adolescents 23(1) Four Behaviors Worthy of Discussion 24(7) Inhibiting Behavior 24(3) Rule-Governed Behavior 27(2) Inconsistent Performance 29(1) Motivation 29(2) What Are the Roles of Biology and Environment? 31(1) Myth or Fact 32(2) Brain Injury 32(1) Diet 32(1) Sugar 32(1) Lead Poisoning 33(1) Medical Problems 33(1) Genetics 34(1) Neurotransmitters 34(3) Family 37(1) School 38(2) Summary 40(1) How Can I Know for Sure My Child Has ADHD? 41(10) Who Can Make a Diagnosis of ADHD? 41(1) Can Other Factors Cause My Child to Look Like He Has ADHD? 42(1) Will My Child's ADHD Go Away As He Gets Older? 43(1) Why Are My Two Children with ADHD So Different? 44(1) My Child Can Sit in Front of the TV for Hours and Never Move. Does That Mean He Doesn't Have ADHD? 45(1) My Friend's Child Has Tourette Syndrome but Acts Like He Has ADHD 46(2) My Doctor Now Says My Child May Have Bipolar Disorder, Not ADHD. What Is Bipolar Disorder? 48(2) Summary 50(1) Am I to Blame? 51(16) Should I Blame Myself? 52(1) I Feel Guilty Spending So Much Time with My Child 52(1) My Doctor Doesn't Believe Me---He Says, ``Take a Parenting Class'' 53(3) My Parents Say We Are Terrible for Putting Their Grandchild on Medication 56(1) Sally-Next-Door Says I Am Not Strict Enough 57(2) I Am Losing My Child 59(3) The Hardest Time for Me Was When I Had to Place My Child in a Psychiatric Hospital 62(1) I Feel Like Running Away 63(2) Sometimes I Don't Like My Child 65(1) Summary 66(1) ``Don't Blame Me--I Have ADHD!'' 67(26) I Didn't Take My Pill--Don't Blame Me! 67(6) Counting to Five Silently 70(1) Talk to Yourself 70(1) Plan Ahead for Problem Areas 71(1) Medication 71(2) He Seldom Says He's Sorry 73(3) Acknowledging Mistakes 75(1) Making Amends 75(1) Chart ``I'm Sorry'' Statements 75(1) Time to Talk 75(1) He Is So Emotional---Is This Normal? 76(2) Counting to Five Silently 77(1) Stop, Look, Think, and Do 77(1) Prepare Your Child for Changes 77(1) He Never Seems to Learn from His Mistakes 78(3) Ideas to Help Your Child Learn Better from His Mistakes 79(2) What Scares Me the Most Is When He Gets Violent 81(3) I C.A.R.E. 82(1) Green, Yellow, Red 83(1) Zip My Lip 83(1) Know What Makes Your Child Angry 83(1) Exercise 84(1) Is My Child Noncompliant or Just Incompetent? 84(7) Positive Directions 85(1) Incompetence 86(1) Reminder Sheets 86(1) One Direction at a Time and Be Specific 86(1) Keep a Stopwatch Handy 87(1) Noncompliance 87(1) Commonsense Rules 87(1) Be Firm 88(1) Time-Out 88(1) Changing Habits 89(1) Be Preventative, Not Reactionary 90(1) Summary 91(2) Our Child Takes a Lot of Our Time 93(38) Reminders, Reminders, All the Time 94(3) Reminder Sheets 95(1) Mnemonic Reminders 95(1) Kitchen Timer 96(1) Oral Directions 96(1) Make Eye Contact 96(1) Be Close to Him 96(1) Family Outings Can Be Overwhelming 97(2) Look Before You Leap 97(1) Waiting Is No Fun 98(1) Change Is Not Easy 99(1) Getting Ready for School---It's Never Enough Time 99(3) Sleep Time 100(1) Bathroom Time 101(1) Time-Keepers 101(1) Medication 101(1) Sitting Down for Breakfast Can Be World War III 102(2) Table Rules 102(1) Time-Keepers 103(1) Catch Him Being Good 103(1) Medication 103(1) Getting Ready for Bed Can Be a Nightly Battle 104(4) Pre-Bed Rituals 105(2) Insomnia 107(1) His Sister and Brother Want to Live Next Door 108(3) Find Special Time 108(1) No One Wants to Be Abused 109(1) Brothers and Sisters Need a Vacation, Too 110(1) He Minds His Dad Better Than Me 111(2) Homework Is a Family Mission 113(4) Don't Jeopardize Your Relationship with Your Child 113(1) You May Not Be Able to Be His Teacher 114(1) Parental Responsibility 114(1) The Homework May Be Too Hard or Long 115(2) Let's Not Talk about Going to the Store! 117(4) Have a Plan 118(1) Rules on a Card 118(1) Take a Photo of the ``Time-Out'' Chair 118(1) 1-2-3 Magic 119(1) Reward Him for Being Good 120(1) Our Marriage Needs Some Attention 121(3) Taking Care of You Is Important 121(1) It's Okay to Say No 122(1) Stop Trying to Control Things 123(1) Don't Neglect Your Partner 123(1) Try to Share Parenting 123(1) I Am a Single Parent---Help! 124(7) I Can't Find a Baby-sitter 125(1) Dating? Say That Word Again! 126(1) Where Do I Go When I Want to Explode? 127(1) My Partner Isn't Patient or Understanding 127(1) Try to Be Supportive, Not Enabling 128(1) I Feel Alone and Nobody Cares 128(3) Summary 131(1) My Child's in School---Can I Tell You Some Stories! 131(44) Should I Tell His Teacher He Has ADHD? 132(2) I Think I Should Get a Diploma, Too! 134(1) I Feel Like Hiring a Tutor 134(3) How Much Does the Teacher Know about ADHD? 137(4) I Hate to Hear from My Child's School 141(3) His School Says It's My Child's Responsibility to Remember to Take His Medication 144(1) Homework Takes Forever 145(5) Distractibility 146(2) Disorganization 148(2) Homework May Be Too Hard or Long 150(1) He Does His Homework and Then Forgets to Turn It In! 151(1) Monitor Your Child's Homework 151(2) Communicate Regularly with the Teacher 153(1) He Doesn't Seem Motivated to Get Good Grades 154(4) My Neighbor Has a Child with ADHD, and He Is Doing Fine in School---Why's That? 158(1) He Did So Much Better in the Third Grade Than He's Doing in the Seventh Grade 158(3) Behavioral Expectations 159(1) Academic Expectations 160(1) Writing Assignments Are Especially Difficult for My Child 161(2) Could My Child Have a Learning Disability? 163(1) My Neighbor Says Schools Have a Legal Obligation to Accommodate My Son's ADHD. Is This True? 164(3) IDEA 165(1) Section 504 165(2) My Child Has a Hard Time at Recess 167(1) Impulsive Behavior 167(1) Difficulty Modulating Emotions 167(1) Noncompliant and Oppositional Behavior 168(1) Impatience 168(1) Ideas to Help at Recess 168(2) Don't Leave the Classroom without a Plan 168(1) Green Card 169(1) Time-Out Areas 169(1) My Child's School Asked for a Student Study Team--What's That? 170(1) I Worry My Child Will Be a School Dropout 171(2) Summary 173(2) Even My Pharmacist's Wife Says She Wouldn't Put Her Child on Ritalin 175(30) My child's teacher says that my child needs to be put on medication 176(1) What medications are most commonly used to treat ADHD? 177(3) What changes can I expect to see in my child after giving Ritalin or Dexedrine? 180(1) Do stimulants cure ADHD? How do these medications work? 180(1) How long do I need to try stimulants to know if they work? 181(1) How do I know when I am giving my child enough, versus too much, of a stimulant medication? 182(1) If the medication works, does that confirm that the diagnosis is correct? 182(1) What side effects might I expect my child to have from stimulants? 183(2) Can stimulants cause problems with growth? 185(1) I've heard that stimulants can cause twitches or Tourette syndrome 186(2) Are stimulants addictive? 188(1) Can stimulants lead to problems with abuse of other drugs? 188(1) Are there particular children who would be expected to do poorly on stimulants? 189(2) My child's teacher says that my child should only be on Ritalin for school, and my doctor says he needs it daily. Whom should I believe? 191(1) Are there problems with adverse drug interactions if my child is on a stimulant? 191(1) I've heard that kids can become psychotic on stimulants 192(1) Can stimulants be used in children under age five? 193(1) My child seems to do better after drinking soda or a cup of coffee. Is there anything wrong with using caffeine instead of Ritalin? 193(1) Can stimulants bring out bipolar disorder (manic-depression)? 194(1) My child used to do well on Ritalin but now it doesn't work. What is going on? 195(1) Are there any good natural remedies available? 196(2) Are there medications used to treat ADHD other than the stimulants? 198(4) Clonidine (Catapres) and guanfacine (Tenex) 199(1) Tricyclic antidepressants 200(1) Wellbutrin (bupropion) 200(1) Neuroleptics 201(1) Mood stabilizers 201(1) New ADHD drugs on the horizon 201(1) When should drugs like Prozac be used? 202(1) Do medications help learning disabilities? 202(1) My child is defiant. Will medication help with this? 202(1) My child with ADHD doesn't sleep well---what should I do about it? 203(1) Are stimulants used to treat adults with ADHD? 204(1) Summary 204(1) If It Works, Try Again, but It Won't Work for Long 205(22) What Works for His Younger Brother Doesn't Work for My Child with ADHD 205(2) Medication Helps, but I Need More 207(2) There Will Be Good Moments and There Will Be Bad Moments 209(3) I Am Tired of Yelling 212(3) I Am Uncomfortable Bribing My Child to Be Good 215(4) My Adolescent Is Too Old to Place in Time-Out 219(6) Summary 225(2) I Would Love to Help as a Teacher, but I have 35 Children in My Classroom 227(32) I Have Too Many Other Responsibilities 228(2) The Challenge Presented Teachers 228(1) Blame Doesn't Help 228(1) Teachers Need Not Feel Guilty 229(1) My Students Find Some Curriculum Especially Difficult 230(4) Written Work 231(1) Arithmetic 232(1) Reading Comprehension 232(2) I'm Angry That I'm Responsible for His Medication 234(1) He Is on Medication, So Why Isn't He Doing Better Academically? 235(4) Stimulants 235(1) Short-Term Effects of Stimulants on Academic Performance 236(1) Long-Term Effects of Stimulants on Academic Performance 237(1) What Stimulants Cannot Do to Improve Academic Performance 237(1) Other Reasons Why He Is Not Doing Better 238(1) He Is Disrupting the Education of the Other Children---I Can't Allow That 239(3) Have a Plan 239(1) Set Firm Limits and Follow Them 240(1) Pick Your Battles 240(1) Catch Him Being Good 241(1) What Interventions Seem to Work Best in the Classroom? 242(10) What Activities Give Students with ADHD Difficulty? 242(1) He Always Needs to Be Reminded 243(1) Primary Grades (Kindergarten through Sixth Grades) 243(1) Secondary Grades (Seventh through Twelfth Grades) 243(1) He Wastes Time During Class 244(1) Primary Grades 244(1) Secondary Grades 245(1) He Fails to Remember to Turn in His Schoolwork 245(1) Primary Grades 245(1) Secondary Grades 246(1) Written Work Seems Especially Difficult 246(1) Primary Grades 246(1) Secondary Grades 247(1) He Gets Out of His Seat Without Asking 248(1) Primary Grades 248(1) Secondary Grades 248(1) He Gets Angry and Upset Too Quickly 249(1) Primary Grades 249(1) Secondary Grades 250(1) He Turns in His Schoolwork, but It Is Sloppy 250(1) Primary Grades 250(1) Secondary Grades 251(1) Section 504 Worries Me 252(2) How Should I Tell Parents I Think Their Child Has ADHD? 254(2) How Can I Help the Doctor? 256(2) Summary 258(1) From Frustration to Hope---a Summary 259(6) Appendices 265(22) Appendix A---DSM-IV-TR Criteria for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 267(2) Appendix B---Developmental Stages of ADHD 269(2) Appendix C---Nerve Cell 271(2) Appendix D---Disorders That Can Mimic ADHD 273(2) Appendix E---Stimulant Medications Used in Treatment for ADHD 275(2) Appendix F---The Weekly Report 277(2) Appendix G---Daily Student Rating Card 279(2) Appendix H---Web sites offering information about ADHD 281(2) Appendix I---Recommended Reading 283(4) For Parents and Teachers 283(1) For Children 284(3) Reference List 287(10) Index 297