All Things ADHD

Life management skills are skills we all need to manage our day-to-day activities. For some teens and young adults with ADHD, those daily tasks can be a challenge. In this series of podcasts on helping teens and young adults become independent, Andrea Tuscano provides tips and strategies for maintaining an ADHD treatment plan, medication management, and talking with a healthcare provider. She also provides a plan of action for seeking accommodations on the job, scheduling study time, minimizing distractions, and getting to places on time.
 
Dr. Andrea Chronis-Tuscano
Dr. Andrea Chronis-Tuscano is the president of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, an associate editor of the Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, and a member of the CHADD Professional Advisory Board. Dr. Chronis-Tuscano currently serves as ADVANCE Professor for the College of Behavioral & Social Sciences (BSOS) at UMD. 
 

As a teen or young adult with ADHD, are you looking for ways to be less dependent on your parents? Do you need tips and strategies on how to get accommodations in college, find a doctor to continue your ADHD treatment, and manage life during and after college? In this episode, Ari Tuckman answers questions similar to those asked by callers to CHADD’s helpline. He addresses what youth ages 14-24 need to know about managing ADHD and life on their own. If you’re a teen or young adult with ADHD, this information will help you break the habit of dependence and show your parents that you’re ready to fly the coop.
 
Ari Tuckman, PsyD, CST
Ari Tuckman, PsyD, CST, has given more than 350 presentations and routinely earns excellent reviews for his ability to make complicated information understandable and useful. He is the author of four books: ADHD After Dark: Better Sex Life, Better Relationship; Understand Your Brain, Get More Done; More Attention, Less Deficit; and Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD. His More Attention, Less Deficit podcast has more than 100 episodes and more than two million downloads. A psychologist in private practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania, he is a former member of CHADD’s board of directors and serves as the CHADD conference committee's co-chair.
 

Some students with ADHD and learning differences need additional academic support to reach their full potential. Some parents choose to send their children to boarding school. Why? How do you know if boarding school is the right choice for your child and family? Meghan McNeill, director of the learning skills program at Christchurch School, shares insights into why some parents make the boarding school choice, discusses how the program is designed to enrich students with learning challenges and dispels myths about boarding schools.
Bio:
Meghan McNeill
Meghan McNeill is a heart-centered and trauma-informed educator with over a decade of experience in various settings ranging from high school, higher education, to experiential learning and international education. She brings a strong sense of curiosity and unique perspective cultivated from a mental health perspective, a deep understanding of the needs of students with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and learning differences, and the benefits of her own mindfulness practice to her work with young people. She currently serves as the director of the learning skills program at Christchurch School, where she supports and advocates for the social-emotional and academic needs of neurologically diverse students.

Finding the right school for your child with ADHD or learning differences is challenging. What is the first thing a parent should do in their search? What type of school should they consider: private, public, or boarding? Certified Educational Planner Judy Bass provides helpful insights for starting the selection process and choosing the best school for your child. She also discusses what characteristics and qualities to include on your checklist of pros and cons—and why understanding your child’s needs should play an essential role in the search.
 
Judith S. Bass, CEP
Founder, CollegeWebLD, and Certified Educational Planner
Judith S. Bass, CEP, is an internationally recognized expert in the field of college and postsecondary placement for students who learn differently. For the past 20 years, she has provided comprehensive planning services for students with ADHD, ASD, and other learning differences. Bass is a contributing author to Navigating the Transition from High School to College for Students with Disabilities. Her articles have appeared in numerous magazines, including Washington Parent and Attention. She founded CollegeWebLD, (www.collegewebld.com), a one-stop source of information on college disability services at over 400 colleges in the United States. A past chair of the Commission on Credentialing for AICEP (www.aicep.org) and a past board member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), she serves as a consultant to several independent high schools in the Washington, DC, area. Bass received her undergraduate degree in education and Spanish from Stony Brook University, earned a graduate-level certificate in college counseling from UCLA, and holds the Certified Educational Planner designation.
 

Does your child with ADHD have difficulties with emotion regulation? How can you help a child when emotion dysregulation affects their social relationships? Psychologist Carey Heller provides insight into emotion regulation and offers practical strategies parents can use to help their children with ADHD.
Carey A. Heller, Psy.D.
Dr. Carey Heller is a licensed psychologist. His assessment specialties include evaluations for ADHD/executive functioning, learning disabilities, and mood/behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Heller's therapy specialties include work with children, adolescents, and young adults for ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, anxiety, and life transition issues.
Learn more at CHADD.org
 

Are you concerned about how your child with ADHD will manage adulthood independently?
Launching successfully is difficult for many young adults with ADHD. Unfortunately, our late bloomers often don’t have the necessary brain maturity and skills required to juggle the demands of transitioning to college or a full-time job at age 18. In this podcast, Dendy and Hughes share their personal experiences and strategies. They also provide information on career opportunities and ways to help your child with ADHD succeed.
 
Chris Dendy and Ruth Hughes
Bio: Chris A. Zeigler Dendy, MS, is a popular author, educator, school psychologist, and mental health professional with over 40 years of experience. She’s also the mother of three children with ADHD.
Bio: Ruth Hughes, PhD, has been a national leader in ADHD for many years. During her tenure as the CEO of CHADD, she helped to launch the widely recognized Parent to Parent training program, which has helped thousands of parents learn to manage ADHD in the family.
 

Is ADHD affecting your sex life? In this episode, Psychologist and author Ari Tuckman talks about why it’s essential to address the relationship impact of ADHD. He also shares what his research tells us about the happiest couples and recommends specific interventions for improving sex and romance in your relationship.
 
Ari Tuckman, PsyD, CST
Ari Tuckman, PsyD, CST, has given more than 350 presentations and routinely earns excellent reviews for his ability to make complicated information understandable and useful. He is the author of four books: ADHD After Dark: Better Sex Life, Better Relationship; Understand Your Brain, Get More Done; More Attention, Less Deficit; and Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD. His More Attention, Less Deficit podcast has more than 100 episodes and more than two million downloads. A psychologist in private practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania, he is a former member of CHADD’s board of directors and serves as the CHADD conference committee's co-chair.
 

Podcast transcript:
Summary
Black adults with ADHD face barriers when seeking diagnosis and treatment for ADHD. There are cultural concerns that need to be addressed for them to receive proper evaluation and effective treatment. Dr. Napoleon Higgins, a psychiatrist from Houston, Texas, discusses mental health stigma within the Black community, the cultural values that may impact treatment, and ways to address these issues. He provides resources that can help one find culturally competent providers, and strategies Black adults can use to help providers better understand their challenges.
Napoleon Higgins, MD
Dr. Napoleon Higgins is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist in Houston, Texas.  He is the CEO of Bay Pointe Behavioral Health Services and South East Houston Research Group. He is the president of Black Psychiatrists of Greater Houston, past president of the Caucus of Black Psychiatrists of the American Psychiatric Association, and past president of Black Psychiatrists of America. Dr. Higgins co-authored a number of books, including How Amari Learned to Love School Again: A Story about ADHD, Mind Matters: A Resource Guide to Psychiatry for Black Communities, and author of Transition 2 Practice: 21 Things Every Doctor Must Know In Contract Negotiations and the Job Search.  He also specializes in nutrition and health to improve the mental and physical lives of patients. He has worked with countless community mentoring programs and has a special interest in trauma, racism, and inner-city issues and how they affect minority and disadvantaged children and communities.
Learning Objectives:
Gain an understanding of mental health stigma in the Black community.
Learn about disclosing an ADHD diagnosis to family members or employers.
Learn about the role spirituality can play in ADHD treatment.
Gain strategies for obtaining a culturally sensitive ADHD treatment provider.
Learn the questions to ask providers for receiving a proper diagnosis.
Learn what newly diagnosed adults with ADHD need to do.
 

Podcast Transcript
Summary
Some parents worry about their children sharing their prescribed stimulant medication or using other substances. Sometimes a prescribed medication is diverted to others for non-medical use with devastating results. Julie Buckner, the founder of Josh E. Levine Foundation, shares her story about her young adult son, who passed away as a result of using a mix of stimulants and alcohol. She provides information on how stimulants can be misused by teenagers and young adults, and how medication diversion can be prevented. In this emotional conversation, she also offers recommendations for parents on how to support their young adults.
 
Objectives
Learn how mixing stimulants with alcohol can have fatal results.
Learn about the environments that lead to diversion and substance use.
Learn how youth who are prescribed stimulants can prevent medication theft or diversion.
Learn effective communication strategies regarding substance use that parents can use with their children.
 

Podcast transcript
Summary:  
African Americans face many barriers in getting a proper ADHD evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. Practitioners need to be mindful of the historical mistreatment of African Americans by the medical community in order to better serve these patients. Dr. Roberto Olivardia, a clinical psychologist and a lecturer in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, describes specific barriers that African Americans face and how they are often misdiagnosed with behavioral problems or overdiagnosed without proper assessment. Dr. Olivardia talks about empowering African-American parents and families so they can advocate for their children, especially when facing a culturally insensitive school system or medical clinician. Additionally, he exhorts practitioners to understand the cultural context of where people of color are coming from and to help increase awareness of ADHD in the African-American community.
 
Roberto Olivardia, PhD
Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a clinical psychologist and lecturer in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, where he specializes in the treatment of ADHD, executive functioning issues, and students with learning differences. He also specializes in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders in boys and men. He currently serves on the professional advisory boards for CHADD, ADDA, and the National Association for Males with Eating Disorders.
 
Learning Objectives:  
Learn the barriers to evaluation and treatment that exist in healthcare and the school system for African-American children.
Understand the challenges for individuals who are not accurately diagnosed or treated.
Learn the factors that can increase disparities in diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.
Understand how African-American parents can advocate for their children with ADHD when dealing with a culturally insensitive school or medical clinician.