Marathon training helps counteract procrastination

Rob always had problems with procrastination. He discovered that training for a marathon helps him hone skills that counteract his procrastination tendencies. After all, you can’t cram training for a marathon into the last week!

Running helps Rob clear his mind, plan his time, and manage his projects.  Running has also boosted his self confidence because it provides him with control over something that’s positive in his life.  Many people with ADHD have low self-esteem because they frequently make errors that seem avoidable.  Running is an outlet that gives Rob focus and center.  He encourages people to find something inside themselves that provides that positive feeling – and pursue it.  Crossing the finish line is incredibly empowering!

Research shows exercise helps ADHD symptoms

Rob’s experience with exercise in helping to manage his ADHD symptoms has been backed up by solid research.  Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John J. Ratey, is an accessible book that documents the importance of exercise on brain functioning.

You don’t need to run a marathon to benefit from exercise.  Rob encourages people to find an activity that they are comfortable doing – and keep it up.  Walking, biking, swimming, even yoga, have all been shown to improve focus and concentration.

“I discovered I have to move in order to think,” says Rob. “Running has become my moving meditation. Finding your stride is the place you feel most at home. You don’t have to feel pain in order to benefit. The key is doing a sustainable activity.  Go out there and move! ”

TeamEdge athletes support ADHD coaching

Rob believes so strongly in the power of exercise as an ADHD management method, he founded Team Edge and is running the New York City Marathon later this week to raise awareness and funding for ADHD coaching.

Please join Rob in making coaching –and school success– possible for other students with ADHD. As of this writing, Rob is half way to his goal. Any amount you contribute to TeamEdge will be an enormous help.  Not only will you be joining with others to make coaching possible for an ADHD student in need, but you will be sending that student a powerful message that we believe that ADHD is not a barrier to success.

Rob invites other athletes to dedicate their event participation to raise funds for and awareness of ADHD. It’s easy to get distracted by everything in life – especially when you have ADHD.  So please, follow this link now to Team Edge  and get set a training goal or give as generously as you are able. Thank you.

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.

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!

Even the minimum gift of $10 will make a difference when joined with the gifts of many others.  Please share watch the video then share it with your Facebook and Twitter friends.  Every contribution matters to a student with ADHD!

Donate today!

Award Includes a Year of Coaching to Ease the Transition from High School to Higher Education

Seattle, WA, May 24, 2011 – Students with ADHD struggle with the difficult transition from high school to higher education.  Studies indicate that between 50 to 95 percent[1] of college students with ADHD drop out. Edge is pleased to partner with Shire to offer a unique new scholarship program aimed at students with ADHD.  Twenty-five graduating high school seniors who will be starting a program in higher education in the fall of 2011 will receive a $2,000 scholarship and an offer of a full year of ADHD coaching services provided by the Edge Foundation.  The deadline to apply is July 7, 2011 and scholarships will be awarded on August 9, 2011.  Details available at www.ShireADHDScholarship.com.

“What makes this scholarship unique is that, these students will not only have access to a higher education, but they will receive additional tools to help them,” said Robert Tudisco, Executive Director of Edge Foundation.  “The students will set goals and work with their coaches to stay accountable to the goals they have set for themselves.  Edge coaches will help provide these students with structure, support and accountability as they leave home and continue their education.  Edge coaches will help students learn the skills they need to provide these things for themselves.”

According to Kelsey Peterson, a college student who was successfully coached through the Edge model, “I was fortunate that my parents were able to send me to college, but the transition was very difficult because of my ADHD.  It wasn’t until I started working with my coach that I felt empowered enough to take charge of my life and succeed.”

The scholarship recipients will be able to connect with their Edge Coach before orientation begins.  Their coaches will help them to understand themselves well enough to learn to gravitate toward their strengths and also to navigate around their weaknesses.  Says Tudisco, “We applaud Shire for recognizing the need for coaching and making it available proactively for students entering higher education.  No student should have to fail in order to receive support.”

The Edge coaching model has been proven effective in helping students with ADHD regulate their own behavior, problem solve, prioritize, organize and otherwise bring balance into their lives.  Last year, Edge concluded a two year study into the effectiveness of ADHD coaching on students in 10 colleges nationwide.  The study results (available at edgefoundation.org) showed that the students who were coached showed dramatic increases in self regulation and an overall improvement in their approach to learning.

The Edge Foundation is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that offers supplemental treatment for students with ADHD. Founded by Neil Peterson in 2005, its mission is to help every child, adolescent and young adult with ADHD to fully realize their own potential, personal vision and passion through personal coaching.

Edge coaching client, Rory Manson, talks about how ADHD coaching has helped her succeed in school.

We are taking this opportunity to thank you for the interest and support you have provided to the Edge Foundation in past years.  At this time of year when many of us are deciding about making end of year contributions, we hope you will choose to support the academic success of high school and college students with ADHD, many of whom are struggling to stay in school and complete their education.  Edge supports these young adults through our research-proven intervention of personal coaching.  Your continued support will help us provide that critical support to every student who needs it.

Edge’s year in 2010 was highlighted by the completion and release of the results of a two year, groundbreaking scientific study on the efficacy of coaching for college students with ADHD.  The study, which involved students on 10 college campuses across the U.S., showed conclusively that Edge Foundation coaching has a very significant impact on the ability of college students with ADHD to regulate their own behavior and meet the challenges of living with the disorder.  As a result of the excitement already generated by these results in the ADHD support community, CNN is taping a segment featuring our study, which will air in January 2011.

As powerful as the study results are, they alone cannot help us make this intervention accessible to all students without the necessary funding. Your tax deductible gift will help the Edge Foundation educate the public about this highly effective intervention and will enable us to help students, who would not otherwise be able to afford coaching on their own, to develop the structure, support and accountability that is crucial to students with ADHD.  With your continuing support, we will succeed at our mission of helping students with ADHD achieve their full academic, professional and social potential.

To make your donation to Edge, please click on this link which will bring you to the support page on our website.  http://www.edgefoundation.org/store/donations/

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Happy Holiday!

Neil Peterson                                                                          Robert Tudisco
Founder & CEO                                                                       Executive Director

P.S.  As a thank you for your contribution of $100 or more, we would like to send you a copy of Embracing the Edge, written by Edge Foundation founder and CEO Neil Peterson.

ADHD Students are “At Risk” Students

A few sobering facts to consider about the impact of ADHD on students’ success:

• High school students with ADHD are 4 times more likely to drop out of school than the general population.
• 42% of ADHD students are likely to be held back (compared to 13% general population).
• 60% of ADHD students are likely to be suspended (compared to only 19% of the general population).
• And 35% of ADHD students won’t graduate at all and those who stay in school will suffer from lack of confidence, higher risk of substance abuse and menial grades (on average a C- or D+).
• Only 22% of students with ADHD enter college.
• Only 5% will graduate.

Why ADHD Students are at Risk

Students with ADHD are vulnerable because ADHD impacts the portion of the brain that regulates what  is known as  executive functioning. ADHD students have executive function deficits in attention, planning and organization, prioritization, impulse control, memory, time management, and higher-order conceptual thinking.

Turns out a student’s executive function levels are well known by researches to be a hallmark of academic success.

Coaching Boosts Executive Functioning

Edge Foundation’s study offers hope for students with ADHD because it definitively links coaching to improved executive functioning.  And improved executive functioning means more success in school.

ADHD students who participated in Edge coaching sessions demonstrated statistically significant, higher executive functioning than ADHD students who did not receive coaching. According to the study, “The magnitude of the effect size for self regulation was more than double the typical educational intervention, and executive functioning was quadruple. Findings with effect sizes that large are rare.”

Coaching has long been used by the corporate world to improve performance of CEOs and executives, but little study has been done until now on the impact this particular kind of intervention may have on populations with learning disabilities, like those living with ADHD. While medication has been shown to improve academic productivity (better note-taking, scores on quizzes and worksheets, and homework completion), medication alone is not associated with skills like better learning, reading or the ability to apply knowledge, all of which are critical in a successful post secondary education.

ADHD Coaching Research Study Results

Students who received Edge coaching showed substantial gains in their overall approach to learning.  The study showed that students who received Edge coaching services showed significant improvement in their abilitiy to organize, direct and manage cognitive activities, emotional responses and overt behaviors.  They were able to formulate goals more realistically and consistently work toward achieving them, manage their time more effectively, and stick with tasks even when they found them challenging.

How Edge Coaching Works

Edge Foundation coaches work with students in seven major areas: scheduling, goal setting, confidence building, organizing, focusing, prioritizing and persisting at tasks. Coaches help students assess their environments, identify needs, set goals, and offer suggestions and guidance. They monitor student progress and goals through regular phone or email check-ins. The protocol of regularly checking in with clients provides for more structure and accountability. When coaching teens and college students, check-ins are usually made every day.

If you’d like to find out more about how an Edge coach can help you succeed in school, give us a call (1-888-718-8886), send us an email or sign up for our newsletter .

Reference Links:

ADHD and College Success: A free guide

Edge Foundation Coaching Study Executive Summary

UC Davis Study:  Dropout risks: ADHD, conduct disorder, smoking

ADHD and Executive Functioning

Executive Function, ADHD and  Academic Outcomes

The Edge model of coaching has been proven to be effective at improving students’ abilities to study and succeed in school.

If you don’t have enough time to read the full report, here’s what you need to know about the findings in a nutshell.

The Edge model of ADHD coaching:

• improved students’ approach to learning
• increased students’ well being and led to more positive emotional states, and
• is highly effective in helping students improve self-regulation, study skills and will.

The Edge model of ADHD coaching improves executive functioning

Students who received Edge coaching showed:

• substantial gains in their overall approach to learning,
• significant improvement in their ability to organize, direct and manage cognitive activities, emotional responses and overt behaviors,
• increased ability to formulate realistic goals and consistently work toward achieving them
• more effective time management skills, and
• improved ability to stick with tasks even when they found them challenging.

The impact of Edge coaching was highly statistically significant:

• Improvement in self regulation was more than double for that of other educational interventions.
• The improvement on executive function was quadruple other interventions.
• Research findings with effect sizes that large (i.e. double and quadruple other interventions) are rare.

The number of ADHD students dropping out of high school and college is alarming. Close to 30% of students with ADHD will drop out of college. With the Edge model of ADHD coaching, ADHD students don’t have to be “at risk” students.