Edge Foundation Blog > Archive for the 'For Teachers' Category

Last week we talked with Dr. Michele Borba about the basics of bullying.  This week we explore how ADHD plays into bullying and what to do about it.

Edge:  Can you tell us more about how ADHD and bullying are related?

Borba:  ADHD contributes to both ends of the bullying cycle. First, students are OFTEN bullied because they are different AND LET’S FACE IT – ADHD children are sometimes quirky. And children who are different – AND STAND OUT – are the most likely to be bullied. On the other side of things, ADHD children (and adults) often have to work harder at emotional skills and self control leading to them act or be perceived as bullies.

Off the top of my head, here are a few of the issues that students with ADHD face:

• Poor impulse control:  The person with ADHD often gets set off too fast.  They aren’t able to put on their emotional brake system on and have an opportunity to think before reacting.
• Slower to develop emotional intelligence:  Kids with ADHD often can’t pick up on or read another child’s cues. This means they can’t see the other person is upset by their actions.
• Voice tone: I’ve observed that children with ADHD often speak too loudly or too quickly and more difficulty conversing in a give-and-take fashion. These qualities can intimidate others and set up a power imbalance that leads to bullying.
• Lack of tact: Back to impulse control. People with ADHD have a more difficult time stopping and thinking before they speak. They just blurt things out.
• Anger management:  Part of the challenges of ADHD is it is harder to regulate one’s emotions and identify you are getting out of control.  An important quality of healthy relationships needs to stop and slow down when you are upset.  People with ADHD often speak before they think when they are angry. This leads to saying hurtful things that can set up a bullying cycle.
• Lacking social skills: Have you noticed interrupting is a symptom of many people with ADHD?  Well-liked children are good listeners; they smile and encourage others. Some ADHD kids also have autism spectrum or depression because of this they may appear to be angry or unfriendly.
• Poor problem solving abilities:  Research is emerging that reveals people with ADHD have delayed development in their executive functions – including problem solving skills. There is a high correlation between poor problem solving skills and a child being a bully or being bullied.

Edge: How do you teach kids how to stop being a bully?

Borba: You can train kids with strategies to compensate for their ADHD deficits, but parents and teachers often make the mistake of trying to tell kids with ADHD what they need to do.  This approach won’t work.

1. You need to SHOW, not tell, any new skill: just like in sports.  A football coach demonstrates a good throw before asking the player to try it.  Then the coach gives feedback and suggestions on how to improve that skill. And the player rehearses the throw over and over before they have mastered it.
2. Identify the skills your child needs. Your child will need a “replacer skill “to take the place of the behavior that you want to replace. Figure out where to being by watching your child in a social situation to observe what type of behavior is getting child in trouble, causing him to rebuff the other kid, or act as if he isn’t coping.
3. Don’t teach too many skills at once.  Start with one small skill.  Work with the child until she has mastered it before layering on a more complex one. Don’t try to do too much at once. Each skill takes a long time to learn and internalize it. Don’t have you child try too many different strategies at once. Instead figure out what skill the child needs, teach it, and have him get a ton of time to practice it, build confidence and integrate it into her second nature.
4. Give kids an opportunity to practice, practice, practice any new behavior you want them to learn. You don’t teach someone how to calm down in the middle of the meltdown.  They need to rehearse the new skill in a calm moment to rewire their brains to react in the heat of the moment.
5. Start now! The earlier you start teaching the better. Habits start early and become entrenched; entrenched habits are harder to break.
6. Don’t try to do it alone. Get the help of at the other adults in the child’s life – be it a teacher, Big Brother, grandparent, school counselor or ADHD coach. Therapy only occurs once a week for an hour.  A child needs regularly, hourly feedback.  This can happen when all adults share the same behavior plan for the child.
7. Make sure your child is surrounded by caring supportive people. Bullying is a relational problem– who you hang out with makes a huge difference on whether you are involved with bullying. Become friends with your child’s friends, visit the school occasionally, and keep your eyes open.

Edge: What are the steps to take if your child is being bullied?

Borba:  Talk to your child first.  Don’t try to figure out what caused it, but instead where and when it is happening. Here are some questions to ask your child:

1. Where is it happening?
2. Who are you with? Are they giving support?
3. Did you tell?
4. Work with staff to work in what can we do to change the situation.

Keep in mind, your child may not be able to give you these answers, so don’t press. He honestly may not know. You’ll need to find an adult who sees your child in a different setting – such as a school where the bullying may be happening – and give you the perspective you need.

Edge: What are some of the social skills that kids with ADHD need to learn to help prevent bullying?

Borba: There are tons of discrete social skills we all use.  Here are a few places to start to learn more:

• Alan E. Kazdin, The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child
• Arnold P. Goldstein and Ellen McGinnis, Skillstreaming the Adolescent: New Strategies and Perspectives for Teaching Prosocial 
• Michele Borba Ed.D., Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me: The Top 25 Friendship Problems and How to Solve Them [includes 25 charts of the steps can be used by parents and kids to build important social skills.]

Dr. Michele Borba is a former classroom teacher who has worked in regular education as well as with children with learning, physical, behavioral and emotional disabilities, and in a private practice for troubled youth. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Counseling from the University of San Francisco, an M.A. in Learning Disabilities and B.A. from the University of Santa Clara, and a Life Teaching Credential from San Jose State University. Michele is the “go-to” expert on parenting, bullying prevention, education and child/teen issues for numerous news organizations including the NBC Today Show and Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers. We are all fortunate that she has devoted more than 30 years of her life to developing a framework to strengthen children’s character and build moral school climates. Read more about here.

Have you been bullied?  Do you feel having ADHD has affected your school yard social life positively or negatively? Let us know in the comments.

Bullying is in the news all the time lately, but how often do you see it linked to ADHD? Dr. Michele Borba knows a lot about the connection between ADHD and bullying. We spoke with her recently and are thrilled to pass along this important information to you.

Edge:  Seems like most parents of ADHD kids hear their child called a bully at one time or another. From the child’s perspective it can seem like every time they make a mistake, someone cries “bully.”  What is bullying?

Borba:   Everything isn’t bullying. The biggest problem we have right now with all of the awareness and discussion about bullying (which is good) is that no one is on the same page on the definition of bullying (which is a problem).

Edge:  Do you have a good definition of bullying to share with our readers?

Borba:  I like the definition of bullying offered by Olweus Bullying Prevention Program:

1. Bullying is intentional, negative behavior.  It is not an accident.
2. Bullying is usually repeated. It becomes a pattern of behavior repeated over time.
3. Bullying involves a power imbalance in play. The bully is picking on a person who has less power than him or herself.  This can mean bigger in status, power in self, or size that pre

Edge: So where does teasing fit in?

Borba:  Bullying is different from teasing. Every kid in the world gets teased, but the teaser usually can speak up and stop the teasing.  Teasing can be friendly or unfriendly and generally is amongst two kids on an equal level.

Furthermore, there are 5 types of bullying and different types of bullying happen at different ages:

1. Physical bullying – slamming, kicking, punishing, pinching behaviors,
2. Emotional cruelty – girls do this best but boys are also guilty.  This is also considered relational aggression. It’s the gossip and ridicule behind the scenes.  Isolation, lies, rumors are some other examples of this type of bullying.
3. Verbal – including name calling.  Interestingly enough, most bullying starts verbally and grows if not nipped in the bud.
4. Sexual harassment – starting at younger and younger ages.  It’s not unheard of for elementary-aged girls to report behavior that is sexual harassment.
5. Electronic or cyber bullying – any electronic means be it text, email on a website. Obviously this is the newest type of bullying that gets the most attention.

Edge:  Why do some children get bullied more than others?

Borba:  There is no one reason why a child is a bully or a victim.  Yet we know that certain dynamics know makes a child more vulnerable. Children tend to be picked on for their differences. If fact, when I do focus groups with kids and ask who is someone usually bullied, they say, “someone who is different.” Being too quiet or a good student (gifted kids) or having acne or being a different race, having a speech impediment or having ADHD are a few of the differences that get picked up on and targeted. After all, everyone is different in some way or another.  Even the most popular student leaders can be bullied.

Also, victims can also become bullies. Research indicates that 13% of the time, victims will become bullies when the social scene changes.

Next Week:  ADHD, bullying and what to do about it.

Dr. Michele Borba is a former classroom teacher who has worked in regular education as well as with children with learning, physical, behavioral and emotional disabilities, and in a private practice for troubled youth. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Counseling from the University of San Francisco, an M.A. in Learning Disabilities and B.A. from the University of Santa Clara, and a Life Teaching Credential from San Jose State University. Michele is the “go-to” expert on parenting, bullying prevention, education and child/teen issues for numerous news organizations including the NBC Today Show and Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers. We are all fortunate that she has devoted more than 30 years of her life to developing a framework to strengthen children’s character and build moral school climates. Read more about here.

 Have you been bullied?  Do you feel having ADHD has affected your school yard social life positively or negatively? Let us know in the comments.

One of the questions recently raised on Facebook was what is the difference between organizational and ADHD coaching.

Organizational and ADHD coaches do have a lot in common.  The best answer to this question comes in the form of a Tweet from professional organizer, Jeri Dansky:

Coaching is coaching, but not all organizing challenges come from ADHD, and not all ADHD challenges are organizing.

Yes, organizational issues are a hallmark of ADHD, however, there are many other executive functions that an ADHD coach also can help a person address including:

• Scheduling
• Goal Setting
• Focusing
• Prioritizing
• Sticking with it when it gets tough (a.k.a. persistence)
• Impulsiveness

An ADHD coach helps people with ADHD build strategies to work with their strengths to counter their weaknesses. You can’t organize yourself into focusing or being less impulsive. But most people with ADHD do need help getting organized.

Have you used an organizational coach for your ADHD?  Did it work for you? Let us know in the comments.

by Tim Kniffin, Edge ADHD Site Coordinator

Hector’s teacher was more than a little frustrated “Hector, I see you all around campus. I see you in classrooms, I see you out in the quad, and I see you playing basketball in the gym.  Where I never see you is at your desk, doing your work.  Can you help me understand this?”

“I just need to try harder to do my work,” Hector replied.

Better strategies for ADHD students

It was the “try harder” part that caught my attention.  Students with ADHD often think that their problem is they aren’t trying hard enough.  They think everyone around them has vastly superior levels of self-control, and if they just had more self discipline, they’d be able to get the work done.

They don’t realize is their ADHD brain is wired differently.  While effort is always necessary for every student, students with ADHD need better strategies — smart ways of dealing with difficulties.

That’s why I was glad Hector decided to join the Edge ADHD Coaching Program at Highline Big Picture High School in Burien, WA.  In our first meeting we talked about how Hector is plenty smart and has plenty of energy.  We also focused on a plan for what he needed to get done:

• I had him list three specific goals he wanted to get done by the end of the week.  I made sure they were specific goals -- chapters read, people  to talked to.
• We looked at his schedule for the week and found 3 different blocks of time in which he could get those things done.
• I texted him a few times during the week- “How is the reading coming along, Hector?”  He would tell me about his progress.

By the time I saw him the next week, he had two of his goals completed and the third he had a good start on.  He didn’t get everything done, but he got a lot more done than we would have without coaching.  With progress like this, week by week, I’m confident Hector can make significant gains in his schoolwork.

Smart, energetic AND focused with ADHD

The thing is, Hector is still very social and energetic.  He still talks to everyone on campus and still participates in multiple athletic activities.  But with a clear idea of specific steps to get his work done, he can also focus his attention on making progress towards his goals.

Just about everyone wants to hear “good job!” and “you did it!”  With an ADHD coach by his side to help him learn the strategies he needs to stay on top of his work, Hector is hearing those words more and more these days.

Tim Kniffin is an Edge ADHD site coordinator at Highline Big Picture High School in Burien, WA  The Highline program provides ADHD coaching to previously underserved students within a school-based setting.

Editor’s note:  This week Rob Tudisco shares some highlights from the 2011 CHADD annual conference.  Highlights include a summary of Ned Hallowell and Dr. Russel Barkley’s talk, Is ADHD a gift or a disability, and Dr. Tim Wilens’s perspective on ADHD coaching as an effective strategy for college students. Enjoy!

I recently returned from CHADD’s National Conference in Orlando and as always it was an inspiring experience.  Attending a large conference is a reminder of the extraordinary community I work within.  Organizations like CHADD and Edge are not websites or status updates, but people whose lives have been touched by ADHD.  Meeting with parents, educators, coaches and clinicians encourages the comfort of knowing that none of us are alone with living with the challenges that ADHD presents. 

 2011 CHADD National Conference Highlights

Dr. Timothy Willens, MD discussed his work with adolescents and college students.  He identified treatment options, behavioral support and exercise as a part of a multi-modal approach to addressing ADHD symptoms.  Dr. Willens also directly advocated for the importance of ADHD coaching for college age students, citing a body of growing research about its efficacy and capacity of  ADHD coaching to provide structure, support and accountability.  His report was a significant indicator that ADHD coaching is growing in popularity, understanding and legitimacy in the ADHD community.

Is ADHD a gift or a disability?

The closing plenary session was a co-presentation by Dr. Russell Barkley and Dr. Edward Hallowell. The two have long been rumored to have polarized views on the nature of ADHD and whether or not it is a gift of creativity or a completely debilitating disorder.  Barkley and Hallowell outlined their common understanding backed up by solid statistical evidence.

Barkley and Hallowell agree on the following points:

•  ADHD is a potentially disabling disorder that has very serious consequences if not treated.
• The mind of someone with ADHD is like having a “Ferrari for a brain, with bicycle brakes.”
• With proper treatment, individuals with ADHD are capable of amazing feats and accomplishments.
• With effective treatment includes therapy and (notably) coaching, individuals with ADHD can achieve their potential.
• Once the challenges of ADHD are addressed through treatment, the resilience that people have developed over years of dealing with their ADHD can help them accomplish great things.

Two final thoughts from Hallowell I found inspiring:

• ADHD is not necessarily a gift, but through treatment his patients unwrap the gifts of their own unique talents, while clearing away the distraction of their ADHD, so that their individual talents can shine through.
• The unique creative perspective of ADHD is “impulsivity gone right!”

The conference was a phenomenal experience that left me reenergized.  I strongly encourage all of you to look into attending conferences such as this in the future.

~Robert Tudisco, Edge Foundation Executive Director

Have you read a number of books about ADHD and they didn’t work?  Did you know there are over 6,000 ADHD books on Amazon.com; which one should you read first?  Don’t you wish someone would tell you the top three books you should read when you are diagnosed with ADHD?

We can tell you some books we’ve found helpful, but we also want you to know why coaching may be a better alternative to ADHD self help strategies, books, blogs or tip sheets.

• The ADHD brain isn’t wired for self-help. A hallmark of ADHD is inconsistency.  One day you can stay on track just fine and the next day you fall short.  For example, you don’t turn in assignments late because you are lazy.  You miss assignments because your brain is wired for distraction.
• People with ADHD usually already know what they need to do; they just have trouble getting it done.  Brain research shows that “what to do” resides in the back of the brain, while “getting it done” is in the front where ADHD brains are weaker.  When staying focused and on track is the problem, self-help books fail because they don’t provide the support you need to work with this weaknesses.
• ADHD symptoms are different for different people: that’s why it’s called AD/HD, ADD and ADHD.  Scientists are still figuring out the different ways ADHD manifests in different people. You don’t need to know all of that, what you need is a program tailor made for you.

An ADHD coach is your brain’s personal trainer

You already know how a personal trainer can take your workout to the next level.  They help you develop your workout plan, encourage you to push yourself and hold you accountable to show up!

Skills are teachable and need to be built from the ground up. An ADHD coach provides you with the support to explore your strengths and weaknesses, identify areas you need to develop, outline a plan of attack, give you feedback as you practice new skills, and hold you accountable to your goals.

Still want to read a book?  Here are a few we recommend.  But we also hope you’ll give ADHD coaching a try.  In just a few months you’ll have learned new skills and strategies that will benefit you for a lifetime!

 ADHD Self Help Book List 

Books for readers seeking to understand ADHD

• Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood, Edward Hallowell & John Ratey, 1994
• Answers to Distraction, Edward Hallowell & John Ratey
• Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults (Yale University Press Health & Wellness), Thomas Brown, 2005

Books for students with ADHD

• Empowering Youth with ADHD: Your Guide to Coaching Adolescents and Young Adults for Coaches, Parents, and Professionals, Jodi Sleeper-Triplett, 2010
• Coaching College Students with AD/HD : Issues and Answers, Patricia Quinn, Nancy Ratey and Theresa Maitland, 2000
• Learning Outside The Lines: Two Ivy League Students With Learning Disabilities And ADHD Give You The Tools, Jonathan Mooney & David Cole, 2000
• Survival Guide for College Students with ADHD or LD, Kathleen Nadeau, 2006
• Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, John Ratey with Eric Hagerman, 2008
•  Making the Grade With ADD: A Student’s Guide to Succeeding in College With Attention Deficit Disorder, Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, 2008

Books for parents of ADHD teens and college student

• Your Defiant Teen: 10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild Your Relationship, Russell Barkley & Arthur Robin, 2008
• Help4ADD@High School, Kathleen Nadeau, 1998
• ADD and the College Student: A Guide for High School and College Students with Attention Deficit Disorder, Patricia Quinn, 2001
•  Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools You Should Know About Even If You’re Not a Straight-A Student, Lauren Pope, 2000

After working with lots of ADHD students just like you, we’ve found some students are more likely to succeed with coaching than others.

Soon after he was diagnosed with ADHD, Edge Foundation’s Robert Tudisco discovered running was one of the keys to managing his ADHD. The diagnosis helped explain why he struggled in areas that others didn’t.  After his diagnosis, Rob looked back and noticed there was a direct correlation in his academic performance and his fitness level.

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.

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.