Status Updates From Take Control of ADHD

Managing Time

art Give the student a multipage assignment one page at a time; on each page, write the estimated completion time for that page.

art Provide extended time on assignments and/or tests.

art Adjust workload (in class and for homework) so the student can successfully complete it.

art Monitor the student’s involvement to assure on-task behavior.

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There are three components to ADHD treatment: medication, changing structure and behavior, and self-advocacy and accommodations.

The two most common nonstimulant drugs used to treat ADHD are Strattera and a relatively new drug called Intuniv. One disadvantage of these medicines is that they can take several weeks before they start working.

Stimulant drugs are by far the most popular (and some say most effective) medicines used to treat ADHD. But like all medicines, they can have side effects. The most common side effects are decreased appetite and sleep problems

Stimulants Nonstimulants
Adderall Strattera
Concerta Intuniv
Daytrana Wellbutrin
Dexedrine
Focalin
Metadate
Ritalin
Vyvanse

Adderall, has a capsule version called Adderall XR20, which releases 10 milligrams of the drug immediately and 10 milligrams 4 hours later. The obvious advantage of these longacting forms is that you don’t need a mid-day dose during school.

Although Ritalin is very effective at managing the symptoms of ADHD, it does not work for everyone and it has one major drawback—it stays in the body for such a short time that it needs to be taken several times a day to remain effective.

For the majority of students with ADHD, many symptoms continue as you become an adult.

art Aspects of executive functioning include:

art getting started on tasks (activation),

art time management, and

art prioritizing.

Other sources of difficulties may arise if you also have a comorbid condition such as:

art anxiety,

art depression, and

art learning disabilities.

These gifts include greater creativity, being able to think outside of the box, and being more emotionally expressive. Having a higher energy level can be an asset when it is focused and directed.

The most common form of LD associated with ADHD is seen in problems with output. If you have difficulties organizing what you want to say and getting it on paper, and then finishing it on time, that is often considered an output or production problem.

Certain kids with ADHD seem to get into trouble all of the time. They break rules, take things that don’t belong to them, destroy property, or bully other children.

Five major symptoms of ADHD are managing your time, restlessness, attention to details, impulsivity, and executive functioning problems.

Study skills, which are vital in middle school, high school, and beyond, also require many executive functioning skills

working memory: holding information in your mind while manipulating it or while you are doing something else, like solving a math problem mentally

Although other people can often “shelve” a thought and come back to it later (what we call using “working memory”), you have more trouble doing that. What is in your head at that moment is what governs your attention.

Have you ever noticed that you do better when you have a short deadline? Many ADHD students need the pressure of time to work effectively. If you have a long time to complete an assignment, you may tend to procrastinate until the last minute and you seem only to manage when the pressure is on right before the assignment is due.

Remember the different types of ADHD: Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, Inattentive Type, and Combined Type? Each type has challenges associated with it, which may cause you different problems.

The prefrontal cortex plays a central role in ADHD.

art According to recent research, the prefrontal cortex is less active in people diagnosed with ADHD.

Because of this, people with ADHD have a hard time ignoring emotional signals when they are trying to focus on activities.

A very simplified explanation is that the limbic-PFC loop helps you to ignore information (e.g., I’m hungry, I hope that spider doesn’t come over here) so you can remain focused on something else, like studying for your history test. As in the basal ganglia, the limbic system of individuals with ADHD is often underactive.

The prefrontal cortex or PFC is located at the front of your brain, behind your eyes and forehead. It is a very important structure that has connections to many other brain structures. Because of these extensive connections, the PFC is kind of like the brain’s coach. Just like a softball team needs a good coach to coordinate the play of all of its team members, the PFC helps to coordinate many of your behaviors.

There are four major areas of the brain that are thought to be involved in ADHD: the prefrontal cortex, the basal ganglia, the limbic system, and the reticular activating system.

There is scientific evidence that ADHD is a biologically based disorder— it does not come from poor teaching or parenting. It does not reflect a lack of intelligence, motivation, or effort on the part of the student.

Some of you may have seemed quiet, withdrawn, or anxious. Often more girls than boys are diagnosed with this form of ADHD.

Your parents or your teacher would give directions and you just didn’t hear them. They would repeat directions again and again as they became more angry or frustrated with you until you finally registered what they were saying.

You invade others’ space by getting too close or in their face when you are talking to them. You are more like a bull in a china shop, wanting desperately to be included but not being able to adjust your activity level to be appropriate. You may have developed the reputation of being a bad kid because you couldn’t pay attention and do what was being asked.