Edge Foundation Blog > Archive for October, 2011

Dragon Dictation

If you struggle with writing as fast as you think, Dragon Dictation software can be a huge help.  It’s available on your computer and on many phones.  It’s not cheap, but those who use it, swear by it.

EverNote

Great for project research…and life!  Evernote helps you save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see. Access them on nearly any computer, phone and mobile device out there. And you can find things fast because you can search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten text inside images.

Watch a video here.

Kindle

Whether you use the Amazon ereader , iphone or droid app, Kindle allows you to carry all of your books without breaking your back, look up a word without switching out of your book, search for keywords, check out library books, underline and copy and take notes.

Remember the Milk

Remember and be reminded of all of your tasks from your phone or your computer. You can receive reminders for tasks that are due or you can see tasks nearby and plan the best way to get things done. Share links from your phone into your Remember the Milk task list. One Caveat: It’s free, but you’ll need the pro account to sync your to do list more than once in a 24 hour period.

Watch a video here.

The app to avoid: ADHD Tests

Whether on an iphone or a droid, you shouldn’t try to diagnose whether someone has ADHD from an app. There is no single test that can diagnose ADHD. If you suspect you have ADHD, you should schedule an appointment with a physician. She can run a full set of diagnostic tests to help rule out other possible causes for your symptoms and help you determine a course of treatment.

Which App is right for you?

We’ve listed these four apps that are helpful for working with your ADHD in alphabetical order. But would love to know which your favorite is. Do you use any of them? Did we miss any?

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Hot news:Don’t miss the news about the ADHD Coaching Scholarship offered by Shire. The scholarship is intended for US citizens accepted to or attending an approved college, university, vocational, or technical school as an undergraduate student that has been diagnosed with ADHD and is under the care of a licensed health care professional for ADHD. For more information about the ADHD coaching scholarship, click here.

Expanded College Scholarship Program for Students with ADHD

Shire Expands Scholarship Program for Individuals with ADHD:  The second year of the Shire ADHD Scholarship Program will award 50 scholarships to individuals with ADHD

PHILADELPHIA, Oct 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Shire, a global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has expanded its ADHD Scholarship Program. The program is for individuals in the United States diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who are pursuing higher education at a college, vocational school or technical school. Fifty winners will be selected in 2012, twice as many as in the first year.

Scholarship includes a prepaid year of ADHD coaching services

The Shire ADHD Scholarship includes a $2,000 monetary award and offers a prepaid year of ADHD coaching services provided by the Edge Foundation to assist with the transition to higher education. Fifty one-time scholarships will be awarded on June 12, 2012. The deadline to apply is March 30, 2012. For information, including eligibility requirements and scholarship application, visit www.ShireADHDScholarship.com .

“The response to the Shire ADHD Scholarship Program in 2011 was tremendous, with hundreds of applications from inspiring students across the nation,” said Michael Yasick, Senior Vice President of Shire’s ADHD business. “There are thousands of high school seniors, college students, and adults going on to higher education who suffer from ADHD. We want to recognize the brave individuals who work hard to overcome the challenges of this life-altering condition, and help them continue their educational pursuits.”

Award recipients offered ADHD coaching from the Edge Foundation

Award recipients will be offered ADHD coaching from the Edge Foundation, which includes weekly sessions with specially trained ADHD coaches. The students set weekly goals and action plans to meet those goals and have e-mail and phone support from their coaches to help keep them on track. This support may be important for students transitioning to the higher education environment because they have more free time and less adult supervision.

Shire’s ADHD Scholarship Program is part of Shire’s patient centric approach that offers support to patients, parents, advocates and others while providing care for people diagnosed with ADHD.

What can you do to “celebrate” ADHD Awareness month?  Why help spread the truth about ADHD, of course!

This October, ADHD advocates and supportive organizations around the country are joining together to share 7 Facts about ADHD (see article below). One fact that we noticed was missing is that there is a proven treatment for ADHD:  ADHD coaching. Last November the Edge Foundation announced the results of the largest study of ADHD coaching of its kind.  The findings were powerful evidence that coaching is an important tool for overcoming the symptoms and executive function deficits that come with having ADHD.

Here at Edge we believe — strike that — we KNOW that every person who has ADHD is able to reach their full potential and coaching is an important support in getting there.

Part of our mission at Edge is to raise awareness of the challenges facing students with ADHD and provide accurate information about ADHD coaching and its positive effects. To that end we urge you to share this post with just one friend.  There’s plenty of myths and inaccurate stereotypes out there about ADHD. Now is the time for all of us to join together and spread the truth!

The 7 (Other) Facts about ADHD

Source:  2011 ADHD Awareness Week Fact Sheet

 Fact #1:  ADHD is Real

Nearly every mainstream medical, psychological, and educational organization in the United States long ago concluded that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a real, brain-based medical disorder. These organizations also concluded that children and adults with ADHD benefit from appropriate treatment.

Fact #2:  ADHD is a Common, Non-Discriminatory Disorder

ADHD is a non-discriminatory disorder affecting people of every age, gender, IQ, and religious and socioeconomic background. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the percentage of children in the United States who have ever been diagnosed with ADHD is now 9.5%.  Boys are diagnosed two to three times as often as girls. Among adults, the Harvard/NIMH National Comorbidity Survey Replication found 4.4% percent of adults, ages 18-44 in the United States, experience symptoms and some disability. ADHD, AD/HD, and ADD all refer to the same disorder.  The only difference is that some people have hyperactivity and some people don’t.

Fact #3:  Diagnosing ADHD is a Complex Process

In order for a diagnosis of ADHD to be considered, the person must

• exhibit a large number of symptoms,
• demonstrate significant problems with daily life in several major life areas (work, school, or friends), and
• have had the symptoms for a minimum of six months.

To complicate the diagnostic process, many of the symptoms look like extreme forms of normal behavior. Additionally, a number of other conditions resemble ADHD. Therefore, other possible causes of the symptoms must be taken into consideration before reaching a diagnosis of ADHD. What makes ADHD different from other conditions is that the symptoms are excessive, pervasive, and persistent. That is, behaviors are more extreme, show up in multiple settings, and continue showing up throughout life. No single test will confirm that a person has ADHD. Instead, diagnosticians rely on a variety of tools, the most important of which is information about the person and his or her behavior and environment. If the person meets all of the criteria for ADHD, he or she will be diagnosed with the disorder.

Fact #4:  Other Mental Health Conditions Frequently Co-Occur With ADHD

• Up to 30% of children and 25-40% of adults with ADHD have a co-existing anxiety disorder.
• Experts claim that up to 70% of those with ADHD will be treated for depression at some point in their lives.
• Sleep disorders affect people with ADHD two to three times as often as those without it.

Fact #5:  ADHD is Not Benign

ADHD is not benign. Particularly when it is undiagnosed and untreated, ADHD contributes to:

• Problems succeeding in school and successfully graduating
• Problems at work, lost productivity, and reduced earning power.
• Problems with relationships.
• More driving citations and accidents.
• Problems with overeating and obesity.
• Problems with the law.

According to Dr. Joseph Biederman, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, ADHD may be one of the costliest medical conditions in the United States: “Evaluating, diagnosing and treating this condition may not only improve the quality of life, but may save billions of dollars every year.”

Fact #6:  ADHD is Nobody’s FAULT

ADHD is NOT caused by moral failure, poor parenting, family problems, poor teachers or schools, too much TV, food allergies, or excess sugar. Instead, research shows that ADHD is both highly genetic (with the majority of ADHD cases having a genetic component), and a brain-based disorder (with the symptoms of ADHD linked to many specific brain areas). The factors that appear to increase a child’s likelihood of having the disorder include

• gender,
• family history,
• prenatal risks,
• environmental toxins, and
• physical differences in the brain.

FACT #7:  ADHD Treatment is Multi-Faceted

Currently, available treatments focus on reducing the symptoms of ADHD and improving functioning. Treatments include medication, various types of psychotherapy, behavioral interventions, education or training, and educational support. Usually a person with ADHD receives a combination of treatments.

Much of the ADHD community is preparing for ADHD Awareness Week events (beginning next week on October 16, 2011) that will occur next week and the Edge Foundation is no exception.  We are excited to be a part of several collaborative efforts and want to alert our community to these opportunities and invite you to join us.

Sunday:  Get connected

Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter and be ready to share the news with your family and friends.

Monday:  7 Facts of ADHD

On Monday we will be posting the 7 Facts of ADHD on our blog.  These facts are the core of this year’s ADHD Awareness Campaign.  We urge you to read and share our post with your friends, families, teachers and colleagues.  These facts are well thought out and supported by solid, scientific research. Together we can start to break down some of the misinformation about ADHD.  To give you a preview, the 7 Facts are:

1. ADHD is Real
2. ADHD is a Common, Non-Discriminatory Disorder
3. Diagnosing ADHD is a Complex Process
4. Other Mental Health Conditions Frequently Co-Occur With ADHD
5. ADHD is Not Benign
6. ADHD is Nobody’s Fault
7. ADHD Treatment is Multi-Faceted

Tuesday:  ADHD doesn’t have to always be serious

Feel a little overwhelmed by all the serious discussion on the facts of ADHD?  Why not step to the lighter side for a moment and vote for your favorite ADHD T-shirt Slogan!

Wednesday:  Read a good book (or at least order one!)

365 ways to succeed with ADHD, you will learn from 81 ADHD experts – including our very own Robert Tudisco — what you need to succeed with ADHD…all in bite-sized ADD-friendly format. There is a full year of tips and strategies to succeed with ADHD, written with parents, children, adults and college students in mind.  Order using this link on Amazon, and a portion of all of your purchases that day will be donated to the Edge Foundation!

Thursday:  Take a virtual tour of the ADHD Awareness Expo

Robert Tudisco and the Edge Foundation will be one of the featured exhibitors in this free on-line resource fair.  Rob will join the event by video to share some of the Edge Foundation’s best tips and strategies of how to live successfully with ADD / ADHD.  The Virtual Expo is brought to you by Tara McGill cuddy and Rory Stern.

Friday:  Learn more about the Shire ADHD Coaching Scholarship

In 2011 Shire launched a unique project – The ADHD Scholarship Program – offering scholarships to individuals diagnosed with ADHD to go on to secondary education programs. In this episode, host Jeff Copper interviews Michael Skoien, vice president of patient and customer excellence for Shire Pharmaceuticals, and Robert Tudisco, executive director of the Edge Foundation, about this unique program. The show airs live, Friday, October 21, 2011, at 8 pm ET.  But will also be available in recorded format for your later listening pleasure on Attention Radio.

The show airs live, Friday, October 21, 2011, at 8 pm ET.  But will also be available in recorded format for your later listening pleasure on Attention Radio.

Saturday:  Run with Rob

In case you haven’t heard, Edge Executive Director, Robert Tudisco, is running the New York City Marathon this year on behalf of the Edge Foundation.  Saturday is a great day to get some exercise!  But if you want to run with Rob without leaving your chair, you can click on over to Team Edge and make a donation!

Parents, does this sound like you?  You know you should put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping your child, but it goes against your nature as a parent.  This guest post by Penny Williams, {a mom’s view of ADHD}, is dedicated to you.

Parenting a child with ADHD can be isolating. First, there’s the extra time invested to manage ADHD: additional doctor’s appointments, therapist visits, occupational therapy, maybe physical therapy, school meetings, research, discovering and trying the next this-might-just-make-it-better gadget, diet management, medication management… I could go on for quite a while listing all the things I spend my time on while trying to manage my son’s ADHD, SPD, Dysgraphia, and Giftedness. Add to that the epidemic of judgment and misunderstanding of ADHD running rampant in society and it’s a sure recipe for seclusion.

Compounding this problem is the imperative nature of gaining support as a parent of an ADHD child, yet not feeling you have time to make it a priority. I must take care of myself… but I must take care of my child first. In order to take care of our children’s additional needs successfully we must take care of our own needs as well. It’s the put-the-oxygen-mask-on-yourself-first-before-helping-others phenomenon. It is common sense but goes against our nature as moms.

I am no exception. Making myself a priority is especially difficult. I finally carved out a few small bits of time for support, but I’m still working on taking time for myself in a way that has nothing to do with ADHD.

Here are some places you can find support as a parent of a child with ADHD:

1. The Internet. Of course. Whenever I have a question, I always consult my good friend Google first. Where there’s ADHD information online, there’s usually a community of those in the trenches strategizing and commiserating. A few of the larger communities:
   1. {a mom’s view of ADHD}: Yes, this is my own website and I’m astonished every day by how much this community has grown in the nearly three years since I created the blog. Our community fosters a real sense of belonging with many reminders that your uncharacteristic parenting experience is not unique to you.
   2. ADDitude Magazine: This website has a wealth of information on all things ADHD from experts, parents, and those who have ADHD themselves. In addition, they have a great new forum called ADDConnect for interacting with others with similar experiences.
   3. Parents of Children with ADHD: This is a large forum on Facebook to interact with other parents of ADHD children.
   4. Local Support Groups: Attend local support group meetings. You can locate a CHADD group, or consult your doctor (especially therapists) for resources. In my area, there’s a children’s mental health support group organized by a local non-profit.
   5. Create a group. Personally, I wanted a more relaxed setting for support than a formal monthly support group meeting with strangers — so I created my own group (which right now is just three moms, including me). By talking openly about ADHD on Facebook, I discovered that a former co-worker’s daughter has ADHD and learning disabilities, and connected with a friend of a high school friend too. After several weeks of trading notes online, I asked if they’d be interested in getting together two mornings a month for coffee. There was a resounding “yes” and we’ve been meeting that way ever since. We even got out kids together over the summer. These meet-ups have provided camaraderie I thoroughly needed. We tell stories, share experiences, laugh and cry together, and sometimes we talk very little about ADHD.
   6. Therapy: Many parents of children with special needs attend psychotherapy themselves. You might talk about your feelings in parenting your child or about behavior modification and techniques to better meet your child’s needs. I get this support from my son’s therapist in his sessions.

I know it often feels like you’re all alone when you are the parent of a child with special needs — like no one understands what your life is like. Truly, most people don’t understand, but there are many who walk a parallel parenting journey. Seek out those with similarities for your own wellbeing and the wellbeing of your child.

Penny Williams is the creator and editor of {a mom’s view of ADHD}. She is also a freelance writer, real estate broker, wife, and mother of two living in Asheville, N.C. She has published several pieces in ADDitude Magazine, the #1 national publication dedicated to ADHD, and has also been quoted in Parenting.com’s Family Health Guide on ADHD and The High Desert Pulse article, When Ritalin Works.  When not writing, she can usually be found behind a camera.