How can we raise our kids with ADHD to become mentally healthy and successful adults. We talk with Dr. Edward (Ned) Hallowell, a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist, a NY Times bestselling author, and a leading authority in the field of ADHD. He authored the groundbreaking book on ADHD, Driven to Distraction, and has written several other books on ADHD, including a newly released e-book co-authored with Lisa Schuman titled: ADHD and Adoption. He was a Harvard Medical School faculty member for 21 year, and is the Founder of The Hallowell Centers.
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What is ADHD?
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Symptoms: emotionally much younger than their chronological age, impulsivity, hyperactivity, distractibility and disorganization
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What causes ADHD?
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The genetics of ADHD.
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Are adopted and foster kids more prone to ADHD?
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How to tell if our child’s behavior is ADHD or caused by the trauma they’ve experienced?
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Kids with ADHD are so often misunderstood by important adults in their lives: teachers, coaches, scout leaders… It’s important that we parents are not part of that group.
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We want to avoid “learned helplessness” which occurs when a child has seen himself fail over and over again. This child is at risk of eventually feeling like a failure and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Importance of early diagnosing and intervention.
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Who to go to for diagnosing?
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Nutrition and lifestyle that will help kids with ADHD.
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To medicate or not?
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Once on medication, should you consider taking your child off medication? Medication break/holiday?
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Managing expectations.
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Stop comparing your child and yourself to other parents and their “perfect” kids.
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Self control
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Sticking to an activity. Finding the balance between encouraging a child to persist and letting go is challenging.
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Why can my child focus on a video game but take 3 hours to finish a 30 minute homework assignment. And what can I do about it??
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What to let go and what to not. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
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ADHD is not a disorder, but rather a trait. If you don’t manage it properly it can become a disorder, but if you do manage it properly, it can become a tremendous asset! That’s your goal, as a parent, to turn your child’s ADHD into an asset, as it is for the many hugely successful adults who have it.
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Think of treating ADHD not as treating a disability but as unwrapping a gift. These children may pose problems, but they also come with talents and skills -gifts- just waiting to be unwrapped. They are usually creative, original, intuitive, energetic, persistent, imaginative- all qualities that can’t be bought or taught. They also typically have a wonderful sparkle about them that can light up the world, as long as it is not extinguished.
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Explaining ADHD to the child.

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Music credit: Michael Ashworth