Table of Contents

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Not So Foolish Assumptions 2

Conventions Used in This Book 2

How This Book Is Organized 3

Part I: The ABCs of AD/HD 3

Part II: Diagnosing AD/HD 3

Part III: Treating AD/HD 3

Part IV: Living with AD/HD 4

Part V: The Part of Tens 4

Icons Used in This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 5

Part I: The ABCs of AD/HD 7

Chapter 1: AD/HD Basics 9

Identifying Symptoms of AD/HD 10

Peering into primary symptoms 10

Seeing a few secondary symptoms 11

Clueing in on AD/HD’s Origins 11

Getting a Diagnosis of AD/HD 12

Choosing your professional 12

Preparing for the evaluation process 13

Viewing Various Treatment Approaches 14

Recognizing AD/HD’s Role in Your Life 14

Dealing with daily life 15

Accentuating the positive 15

Chapter 2: Exploring the Causes of AD/HD 17

Reviewing Past Theories 17

Searching for a Plausible Theory 20

Examining the Core Issue in AD/HD 21

Recognizing the role of self-regulation 21

Exploring executive functions 22

Exploring Current AD/HD Research 24

Genetic 24

Anatomical 25

Functional 26

Chemical 27

Getting Down to the Bottom Line 29

Chapter 3: The Many Faces of AD/HD 31

Picturing the Primary Symptoms of AD/HD 31

Inattention/distractibility 32

Impulsivity 34

Restlessness/hyperactivity 36

Studying Some Secondary Symptoms 37

Anticipation of failure 37

Worry 38

Boredom 38

Loss of motivation/feelings of hopelessness 38

Frustration 39

Low self-esteem 39

Sleep disturbances 39

Substance abuse 40

Facing AD/HD in Different Populations 40

Children 41

Adolescents 41

Adults 42

Women 43

Part II: Diagnosing AD/HD 45

Chapter 4: Finding the Right Professional for You 47

Help Wanted: Searching for the Right Person(s) 47

Getting a diagnosis for legal purposes 48

Considering your professional options 48

Examining Your Values 55

Digging into your ideas about diagnosis 56

Tackling your thoughts on treatment 56

Evaluating Your AD/HD Professional 57

Selecting a diagnostician 57

Partnering up for treatment 58

Getting a Second Opinion 59

Managing Your Care 60

Being Eligible for Services 61

Examining your insurance coverage 62

Seeking out school services 62

Chapter 5: Navigating the Evaluation Process 65

Preparing for the Evaluation Process 65

Psychiatric/Psychological Evaluations 67

Medical Testing 68

Educational Testing 69

Skills Testing 70

Behavioral Assessment 71

Performance Testing 71

Physiological Testing 72

EEG 72

ERP 72

MRI 73

fMRI 73

PET 73

SPECT 74

Knowing What to Do after Diagnosis 74

Chapter 6: Conditions That Look Like or Overlap with AD/HD 77

Understanding Differential Diagnosis 77

Looking at Conditions with Symptoms Similar to AD/HD 79

Mental disorders 79

Medical conditions 84

Sensory processing disorders 86

Pseudo-AD/HD 88

Part III: Treating AD/HD 91

Chapter 7: Choosing the Best Treatment Options for You 93

Understanding the Three Levels of Treatment 93

Biological treatments 94

Psychological treatments 95

Social treatments 97

Trying Multiple Treatments Together 99

Developing Your Plan for Success 99

Naming your challenges 100

Identifying your goals 101

Sifting through the options 101

Prioritizing your plan 102

Combining approaches safely 102

Following Your Progress 103

Keeping Up-to-Date on New Therapies 104

Attending conferences 105

Browsing the Internet 106

Reading professional journal articles 106

Attending support group meetings 107

Chapter 8: Managing Medication 109

Determining If Medication Is Right for You 109

Understanding How Medications Work 110

Recognizing medication’s impact on brain chemicals 110

Connecting symptoms and brain chemicals 111

Exploring Medication Types 112

Stimulants 112

Non-stimulant AD/HD medication 113

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) 113

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) 113

Serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors 114

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) 115

Atypical antidepressant agents 116

Dopamine agonists 116

Antihypertensives 116

Anticonvulsants 117

One more for the road 117

Finding Success with Medication 118

Recognizing positive results 118

Singling out side effects 120

Charting your progress 122

Knowing when to call it quits 122

Chapter 9: Queuing Up Counseling, Coaching, and Training 125

Adding Counseling to Your Treatment Plan 125

Exploring Counseling and Therapy Options 127

Understanding yourself through insight-oriented therapy 127

Benefiting from supportive therapy 129

Considering cognitive-behavioral counseling 129

Exploring behavior modification 131

Expressing yourself through play therapy 131

Seeking psychoeducational counseling 131

Considering family therapy 132

Getting into group therapy 132

Using support groups 133

Considering Coaching 134

Taking a Look at Training 135

Examining awareness training 135

Taking parent training 135

Improving yourself through skills training 136

Finding a Counselor, Coach, or Trainer 136

Chapter 10: Managing Behavior 139

Taking Behavior 101 139

Association 140

Feed forward/feedback 140

The basics of behavioral therapies 141

Looking at Behavioral Treatments 142

Behavior modification 142

Cognitive-behavioral counseling 145

Awareness training 148

Chapter 11: Narrowing In on Nutrition, Vitamins, and Herbs 151

Digging Into a Healthy Diet 152

Defining healthy eating habits 152

Figuring out the Feingold diet 159

Viewing Vitamin and Herb Supplements 162

Singling out supportive supplements 163

Surveying specific supplements 166

Knowing about Nutraceuticals 168

Protecting Your Environment 168

Allergens 169

Chemicals 172

Chapter 12: Examining Repatterning Therapies 175

Altering Brain Activity Through Neurofeedback 176

Getting some background 176

Exploring the process 177

Knowing what to expect 178

Finding a provider 179

Using Rhythm to Stimulate the Nervous System 179

Getting some background 179

Exploring the process 180

Knowing what to expect 181

Finding a provider 182

Changing the Way You Hear Sound 182

Getting some background 182

Exploring the process 183

Knowing what to expect 184

Finding a provider 185

Exercising Your Eyes 186

Getting some background 186

Exploring the process 187

Knowing what to expect 187

Finding a provider 188

Chapter 13: Recognizing Rebalancing Therapies 189

Balancing Energy Through Acupuncture 189

Getting some background 190

Exploring the process 190

Knowing what to expect 191

Finding a provider 191

Helping Your Body Heal Itself with Homeopathy 192

Getting some background 192

Exploring the process 192

Knowing what to expect 193

Finding a provider 193

Using Manipulation Therapies 194

Getting some background 194

Exploring the process 195

Knowing what to expect 195

Finding a provider 196

Helping Your Brain Process Sensory Information 196

Getting some background 196

Exploring the process 197

Knowing what to expect 198

Finding a provider 198

Part IV: Living with AD/HD 199

Chapter 14: Creating Harmony at Home 201

Laying the Foundation for Healthy Relationships 201

Exercising empathy 202

Expressing emotions 203

Commanding communication 204

Acknowledging appreciation 205

Canceling conflict 205

Healing the past 206

Being realistic 206

Improving Your Life with AD/HD 207

Managing moods 207

Taking responsibility 208

Parenting a Child with AD/HD 209

Preventing problems 209

Dealing with discipline 216

Raising more than one child 219

Enhancing self-esteem 221

Parenting as a team 222

Living with an Adult with AD/HD 223

Getting informed 223

Working together 223

Staying close 224

Taking time for yourself 224

Getting Into Good Habits 224

Becoming organized 225

Exercising regularly 226

Limiting TV and video games 227

Ensuring the best sleep possible 228

Providing play and fun 229

Chapter 15: Creating Success at School 231

Overcoming Challenges at Any Age 231

Addressing elementary school issues 232

Managing middle school difficulties 233

Handling high school challenges 235

Cluing into college challenges 236

Getting to Know Your Legal Rights 237

Having realistic expectations 238

Examining IDEA 238

Utilizing Section 504 240

Accessing an Educational Plan 241

Understanding what an educational plan is 241

Getting involved 242

Developing an accurate plan 242

Keeping tabs on the progress 243

Getting the Most from Your Child’s Teachers 243

Looking for the right teacher 245

Working with your child’s teacher 246

Documenting Your School Experiences 247

Exploring Schooling Alternatives 249

Dealing with Difficult Times in School 251

Lunchtime and recess 251

Transitions 252

Opportunities for socialization 252

Interactions with some teachers and administrators 254

Working with Your Child at Home 255

Helping with homework 255

Arranging for a private tutor 256

Supporting self-esteem 257

Helping your child stay organized 258

Chapter 16: Winning at Work 259

Understanding the Challenges at Work 259

To Tell or Not to Tell 260

Legally speaking: Understanding your rights 261

Practically speaking: Making your decision 262

Managing Yourself 263

Working on Work Relationships 264

Having a hand on the pulse of office politics 264

Dealing with authority 265

Getting along with coworkers 266

Being the boss 266

Doing Day-to-Day Tasks 268

Getting organized 268

Managing your time 269

Handling projects 270

Staying focused 271

Dealing with details 272

Creating Overall Success 272

Finding the best career for you 272

Looking at long-term plans 273

Making do at your current job 274

Understanding your value 274

Striking a balance 275

Going It Alone: Being Self-Employed 276

Chapter 17: Accentuating the Positive 279

Seeing the Positive in Your Symptoms 279

Examining Areas of Aptitude 280

Capitalizing on creativity 281

Capturing chaos 282

Accessing energy 282

Recognizing your risk-taking nature 283

Supporting your desire for independence 283

Exploring ambition 284

Involving intuition 284

Examining adaptability 285

Assessing athleticism 286

Finding and Nurturing the Areas Where You Excel 286

Part V: The Part of Tens 289

Chapter 18: Ten (or So) Tips to Organize Your Life 291

Getting Your Thoughts Organized 291

Recording information 292

Writing down ideas and appointments 292

Using a PDA 292

Organizing Your Time 293

Employing technology 293

Charting your schedule 294

Planning ahead 294

Completing Your Projects 295

Breaking things down 295

Making a plan 296

Taking one step at a time 296

Making Sense of Your Space 297

Cutting clutter off at the source 297

Putting things in their place 298

Creating a color-coding system 298

Deciding What’s Really Important to You 299

Chapter 19: Ten (or So) Ways to Improve Your Family Relationships 301

Taking Responsibility 301

Focusing on the Positive 302

Releasing Anger and Resentment 302

Getting Rid of Guilt 303

Talking It Out 303

Working Together 304

Having Family Meetings 304

Being Realistic 305

Having Fun Together 305

Walking Away 305

Taking Care of Yourself 306

Chapter 20: Ten Resources for Information and Support 307

Internet Forums 307

Web Sites 308

Support Groups 309

Your Child’s School 309

Colleges and Universities 309

Your AD/HD Professional 310

Books 310

The Library 311

Family and Friends 311

Group Therapy 311

Appendix: Treatment Tracking Forms 313

Keeping Daily Tabs on Your Treatment 313

Performing Periodic Assessments 314

Index 319

About the Author

Jeff Strong is the Founder and President of REI Institute, which focuses on neuro-developmental disabilities. Michael O. Flanagan, MD, is a neuropsychiatrist in private practice in New Mexico.