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If your child is having problems in school, at home, or in other situations, our resources here at the ADD ADHD Information Library are here to help.

If your child is having problems with school performance, homework, paying attention, being impulsive or hyperactive, or being “on the go” too much, then be sure to read our sections on:

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And you can email us with specific questions. We cannot answer them all, but we do the very best that we can.

Skills that Pills for ADHD Cannot Teach You: C is for Character

Pills used in the treatment of ADHD can be helpful, and we have seen hundreds of lives changed by using stimulant medications such as Ritalin, or alternative treatments such as Attend.

But pills cannot teach the important skills that are needed to be successful in life. These skills have to be taught by us, the parents. One of these skills is the development of our character.

What is more valuable that our character? Is there anything more valuable than good character? Is there anything more worthy for us to focus effort in developing? No. The most valuable lessons that you can teach your children are the lessons necessary to form a good character.

The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.
– Thomas McCauley

Our character is defined by what we do, even when no one is looking. Our character is also defined by what we fail to do, or by what we choose on purpose not to do, even when no one is looking. Character is a matter of the heart, and so it follows us wherever we go. It reveals itself in the choices we make. Character is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.

Our values are our understanding of what is right, or wrong. Courage is doing the right thing even when there is a cost involved. Responsibility is doing the right thing just because it is the right thing to do. Self-discipline involves the denial of selfishness for the sake of self-improvement, or for the sake of other’s welfare. Honesty and Integrity involve the sacrificing of the expedient in order to do the right thing, no matter the cost.

Character involves all of these virtues. It is the living out of these virtues in daily life by the habits that we form, the choices that we make – hour by hour, day after day.

We are too occupied with our own whims and fancies, too taken up with passing things. Rarely do we completely conquer even one vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day by day; hence we remain cold and indifferent. If we were to uproot even one vice each year, we should soon become perfect. The contrary, however, is often the case…
- Thomas a Kempis, c. 1500 AD.

A part of developing or refining our character is found in taking an honest moral inventory of ourselves, and identifying what Kempis called “vices” in our lives that need to be removed. Then we need to do the work to remove the vice from our lives, and replace the vice with a virtue. For example, if we are impatient with others, then we purposefully work on removing that vice from our lives and replacing it with patience or charity for others – impatience replaced with its “opposite,” the virtue of charity.

The challenges of life don’t shape our character nearly as much as they reveal it. They clarify and bring to light what we have tried to keep private about ourselves – both the good and the bad of our natures. Life’s challenges give us the opportunity to pause and take that moral inventory. Then we can either take responsibility for our short-comings, and work to improve ourselves, or we can blame others for our problems and thereby avoid the need to ever work hard or to improve.

There are very few things about ourselves that we can actually choose. We cannot choose our size or hair color. We cannot choose our parents, or our native language. But one thing that we can choose is the quality of our character.

Many forces can work upon a person’s character, helping to shape or mold it. Parents, coaches, and teachers make their impression. So do good times, hard times, joy and grief. But in the end each of us has to decide who we really want to be, and make our choices.

Thoughts for Parents

Perhaps the most important point for parents to remember is that we are not “raising children,” rather we are “raising adults.”

We must purposefully consider what values, what skills, what “world view” that we want our children to master so that they can be successful as adults. If we are not purposeful in this endeavor then we will simply be leaving this responsibility to someone else – to our children’s peers, their teachers, their coaches, or the weird guy in the apartment down the street. This is not a responsibility that we can give to another. We are the parents.

Teaching our children these values, skills, and world-view takes time, perhaps an enormous amount of time. It is a big investment. This is where the “quality time” movement of the 1980s broke down and created problems in families. Parents cannot successfully teach values, skills, and proper world-view without an investment of “quantity time.” Fifteen minutes of “quality time” is no substitute for four hours of quantity time. Each of us as parents have to make the important decisions in how we will spend each hour of our days, which reveals a lot about our own character.

It takes time to build better relationships with your children and teenagers, and quantity time invested is the key to having a more successful family.

Thoughts for Athletes

Sports are often seen as character building opportunities, particularly it seems in our losses. When our team loses badly we are usually told that it is a lesson in humility (which it is) and that it is a lesson in character building (perhaps).

However, after coaching athletes for many years I have come to the conclusion that the greatest lessons to be learned from sports are the lessons learned, the character shaped, in paying the price to win.

Losing is easy, and anyone can do it. But doing the hard work that it takes to win, working both in season and in the off-season, every day, being diligent and self-controlled, forming the habits that are necessary to win, this is the classroom that teaches the great life-lessons of sport. This is the classroom that molds character. But we have to choose whether or not we will submit to the teacher and pay the price of success.

A Simple Tool for the Teaching of Wisdom and the Shaping of Character

Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.
– King Solomon

The wise King Solomon lived over 2,500 years ago. He had 700 wives and princesses, and 300 concubines in his harem, and who knows how many children. He was wealthy and considered the wisest man of his time, as well as an excellent businessman and ruler.

Being a king, and having all those children, it was in his best interest to write down a training manual in “wisdom.” After all, he needed to train his children to become leaders in the nation, from governors to bankers, investment brokers to military officers. So he put together the classic collection of wisdom that we now call “The Book of Proverbs.”

The Proverbs are not very religious at all, at least not in the way that we usually think about religion. They are mostly secular in that they focus on the principles of health, managing and earning money, integrity, honor and honesty, making wise choices, and how to acquire further wisdom. It teaches the fundamental principles of having a successful life as an adult. It is sort of the “high school diploma” in wisdom.

The Book of Proverbs is divided into 31 chapters – one to read for each day of the month. Fathers, let me encourage you to spend some time each day with your children, particularly your sons, and train them in wisdom using this valuable – free – resource. Pretty much all of us have the book on our shelves somewhere, as it is found in the middle of our Bibles. Just spend ten minutes in Proverbs every day, discussing one important concept from that one chapter that you are looking at on that day. Over a period of time, as your child grows into a teenager, he or she will gain in wisdom and understanding beyond that of their peers.

Attitude and Approach: Things that ADHD Pills Cannot Do for You

ADHD Skills Series: Attitude and Approach

Here is article one from our new series on the ABC’s of “Things that Pills for ADHD Cannot Do for You.” Pills used in the treatment of ADHD can be helpful, and we have seen hundreds of lives changed by using stimulant medications such as Ritalin, or alternative treatments such as Attend. But in these articles we will be discussing skills that need to be learned “on purpose” in addition to pills, in order to be successful at school, at home, or in life.

For example:
A – Attitude and Approach
B – Breathing and relaxation
C – Character and Confidence

There are few things in life that we truly have control over, but one thing that we do have control over is our “attitude.” Another is our “approach” to life, to work, to the next task.

For this article, let’s define “attitude” as our state of mind as we live out our lives each day. This includes that experiences that we have had in the past, what we are doing this moment in the present, and what we are looking toward doing in the future.

“So think clearly, and exercise self-control…” St. Peter

Everyone approaches life’s experiences with one of two attitudes about where our “control” or “ability” or the “results of our efforts” comes from: either they come from “within us” or they come from “outside” of us. We call this our “locus (location) of control.”

When individuals have a sense that they control how they will approach each day and how they will prepare for each event, and have a sense that they can control their view of the world and the choices that they make in life, and when they have a sense that their successes or failures are the results of their efforts (or lack thereof), then they can take personal responsibility for their choices, decisions, work effort, and to some extent results.

And these are the people who can, and will, work hard and sacrifice to improve their situation and performance.

However, when individuals live as if they have no control over their approach to each day, or how they will prepare for upcoming events, or when they have the sense that they have no control over the choices that they make or “the way that things turn out,” these are people with no reason to take responsibility for their decisions, work effort, or their results.

And these are the people who will not work to improve their situation and performance. After all, poor performance is not their fault – it is somebody else’s fault. Individuals with an external “locus of control” tend to be less willing to work hard or make sacrifices because “it doesn’t matter how hard I try…” They also tend to be more stressed in life, and perhaps even more depressed.

I have worked with dozens of pitchers at all age levels through the years. I like to tell them that they can only control what they do with their bodies (their mechanics, their release points and arm angles, etc.) when they are on the mound. But once they release the ball, they really cannot control the results of what will happen to the pitch they have just thrown. Though I encourage them to practice hard to seek perfection on every pitch that they throw, they simply have no control over umpires, batters, or fielders.

However, I tell them that I expect them to take responsibility for the results, even though they have no control over what happens after they make the pitch. Why? Because without taking responsibility for the results, a pitcher will just blame the umpire, the fielder, or the baseball gods, for anything that goes wrong. And if he does this, then there is little motivation to come to practice the next day to improve his personal ability and performance.

One must take responsibility in order to make the effort and sacrifices needed to improve performance.

The lesson is the same for children, teens, and adults with ADHD. If someone or something else is the cause of our bad results, then there is no motivation to do the work, or make the necessary sacrifices, to improve either our preparation for success, or our performance. And, as a result, our results will remain the same.

If you keep on doing the same things, you will keep on getting the same results.

For a child with ADHD this means that blaming the teacher, or the test, or the weather, for poor performance in school, is not as good of a strategy or attitude as taking responsibility for the poor performance. If the problem lies outside of us, then there is no reason to improve. If the problem is within us, then the answer is to improve us, through making the necessary sacrifices to improve our skills, knowledge, or performance.

For an adult with ADHD this means that blaming the boss, the co-worker, or the spouse, for poor performance at work or at home, is not as good of a strategy or attitude as taking responsibility for the poor performance. If the problem lies outside of us, then there is no reason to improve. If the problem is within us, then the answer is to improve us, through making the necessary sacrifices to improve our skills, knowledge, or performance.

How can you improve a “bad attitude” and make it a “good attitude?”

First, you have to be honest with yourself and admit that your attitude gives too much control up to forces outside of yourself, and begin to take more personal responsibility for your approach to each day and to your performance each day.

If you want your results to be different, then you have to be different.

Second, try to figure out why it has seemed like a good idea in the past to blame others for your own lack of preparation or poor performance. Take a moment to just experience what it feels like to take personal responsibility for your own life and performance.

Third, welcome the learning of new skills, information, and attitudes. Begin to dedicate yourself to improving your existing skills, knowledge base, and attitudes. Begin to get more excited about your potential to “take life to the next level.”

Fourth, begin to notice others more. Listen to others. Learn from others. Try to understand other people’s opinions or points of view. Learn to be more compassionate and empathetic. Be more generous toward others. Begin the practice of true humility.

Myth: “Practice make perfect.”

Truth: “Only perfect practice makes perfect. Sloppy practice, or practicing the wrong thing, just leads to sloppy performance or mistakes.”

Another Truth: “Under pressure, we do the things that we have practiced the most.” So we have to practice doing the right things, the right way.

Take personal responsibility for your preparation and approach to each day. If it is less than excellent, then work to make your preparation and approach excellent. Plan ahead for the next day. Eat a proper diet. Get plenty of sleep. Exercise or play outside a little bit each day. Do the best that you can for the next twenty minutes.

Take personal responsibility for your performance each day. If it is less than excellent, then work to improve your performance each day until it becomes excellent. Focus for the next twenty minutes on the most important thing, and do it well. Then repeat.

"Things do not change, we change." -- H. D. Thoreau

Your Approach to each day, and to preparing for tomorrow, is completely under your control.

And your Attitude for the next twenty minutes is completely under your control. As is your attitude for the next twenty hours. Both maturity, and a sense of freedom comes when you realize that you have complete control over your attitude and approach to life. Don’t give it away to others.

Skills that Pills Cannot Teach: B is for Breathing and Relaxation

B is for Breathing and Relaxation: ADHD Skills

Children with ADHD at school, and adults with ADHD in the workplace, both need to be relaxed in order to be most effective, alert, or productive. Tension is the enemy of productivity or performance. Relaxation is one of the skills that those with ADHD need for success.

But this is not relaxation that is associated with laziness or long vacations. Rather this is a state of muscle relaxation combined with appropriate arousal levels. Focused and aware, but relaxed.

Deep breathing can help to relax and relieve tension. It can also help those with ADHD to focus better, and to think more clearly.

Most people who are being treated for ADHD take stimulants. Stimulants are vasodilators, helping to improve the brain’s performance by opening up blood vessels and increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Stimulants also help by increasing the production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain.

Deep breathing can also help to put more oxygen into our blood streams, and into our brains, which also helps to improve the brain’s performance. Athletes know this. Those in the martial arts know this. And everyone impacted with ADHD needs to know this as well.

Deep breathing alone will not replace an effective treatment with stimulants. But deep breathing and relaxation exercises can be a great adjunct to medications, and they are important skills that pills cannot teach you. They are necessary skills in the pursuit of greater self-control.

Take six to ten deep breaths. In through the nose until your lungs feel full. Hold it for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Allow your shoulders to relax more and more each time you exhale. Breathe deeply and fill your lungs and your “belly” with air. Relax your muscles more deeply as you do this.

Do this simple exercise in the morning when waking and again on the way to school or work. Do this after lunch, and again when coming home at the end of school or work. And then one more time, just before bed to relax for the night.

Why do people sigh?

Because sighs are a natural form of deep breathing. We sigh to reduce our levels of tension caused by some stressor. Deep breathing can help to turn off our “fight or flight” system. Those with ADHD, particularly those with Inattentive-Hyperactive Type, are typically “on edge” and are often close to setting off the autonomic nervous system, the “fight or flight” system.

Some research (Fowles, Journal of Affective Disorders, 2003 and others), and common sense and experience, indicates that those who are the most “tense” are often at risk for behaving without self-control. Such persons are at high risk for anger, conduct disorders, “poor control of emotional expression, and “disinhibition.”

In other words, people with impulsive ADHD combined with just high levels of muscle tension can get into a lot of trouble with their emotions and with their behaviors.

When tension gets even higher, the autonomic nervous system can kick in. When this happens our bodies release adrenaline, nor-adrenaline, and cortisol into the bloodstream. Heart rate goes way up, breathing becomes more rapid, the field of vision narrows. Blood is diverted to our large muscles so that we can either fight or run away. When combined with ADHD we can see the Hulk begin to emerge in our children, teens, or spouse.

This is when your kid gets kicked out of school for the week, or your spouse gets fired at work.

As we said, deep breathing can help to turn off our “fight or flight” system. Those with ADHD, particularly those with Inattentive-Hyperactive Type, are typically “on edge” and are often close to setting off the autonomic nervous system, the “fight or flight” system.

The different types of ADHD that would be most at risk, and would need to purposefully practice breathing and relaxation would be “Tigger Type,” “Rabbit Type,” and “Piglet Type.” See the ADHD Information Library for more information on the different types of ADHD: http://newideas.net/adhd/different-types-adhd

Those who are prone to excess tension, or those who have impulsive-hyperactive type ADHD need to practice deep breathing exercises every day. Then, when some kind of threatening situation arises at school or at work, and their tension levels go up along with their muscle tension, the person who has been practicing these skills can begin to breathe deeply, turn down the autonomic nervous system, keep the adrenalin away for the time, and begin to relax.

Progressive Relaxation for ADHD

Progressive relaxation exercises can not only put us into a healing state of profound relaxation, but can give us the skills that we need to relax and reduce tension in any situation. Profound relaxation can be strong medicine to reduce anxiety and tension. Rather than turning to drugs or alcohol to relieve stress and anxiety, learning and practicing the skills of relaxation can accomplish the same results, and are much healthier.

Check yourself right now as you read this. Take your finger and touch your forehead right in the center (from the point between your eyes, and up about two inches). Notice that spot. Is that spot on your forehead actually relaxed? If not, take a minute to relax just that spot.

You will notice that to relax that one spot you have to relax your entire forehead, in fact, your entire face will begin to relax. Then your neck and shoulders will begin to relax. It will feel good, go ahead and relax for a bit.

Robots to Rag Dolls: Teaching ADHD Children to Relax

This is one way to teach children with ADHD how to relax. It is a simple progressive relaxation technique. Make it into a game, “Robots to Ragdolls.” Have the child lay down. Then ask the child to tighten up their feet, “as tight as they can… hold it… now relax your feet and make them as soft as a rag doll.”

Then have them do the same with their legs, below the knee then above the knee. Then for their stomach, have then tighten their stomach muscles by pushing out their stomach, then relaxing like a rag doll. Then their back. Then their chest. Then their shoulders and neck. Then their face.

Then for good measure ask them to just lay there like a rag doll, but take a tour of their bodies to see if any muscles were still tense. If so, have them tighten that muscle group and then relax.

Then allow the child to experience what relaxation, with awareness, feels like. Combine this with the deep breathing to allow the child to become even more deeply relaxed. Allow the child to remain in this relaxed state for about five minutes – relaxed but aware.

The more often the child practices this skill, the better able the child will be to relax himself when under stress. It is one of the skills needed to really learn self-control.

VAXA Attend : ADHD Alternative Remedy | Natural Homeopathic Treatment Choice

Alternative ADHD Treatment - Natural Homeopathic VAXA Attend

Attend by VAXA is a powerful, all-natural treatment alternative that can make a positive difference! Attend is Clinically Tested with computerized testing, in addition to parent reports. The Computerized Testing showed over 70% improved with Attend in just 30 days, and the Parent Rating Scales reported 80% improved in 30 days.

Video: The Truth About VAXA Attend as an Alternative Treatment



We are the world's
LEADING RESEARCHERS on VAXA Attend

People of all ages using Attend become:

  • MORE FOCUSED

  • BETTER BEHAVED

  • HAVE MORE SELF-CONTROL!


VAXA Attend is one of the most popular alternative treatment choices to ADHD medications such as Ritalin, Strattera, Concerta, Adderall, or other medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As some evidence mounts that stimulants may not be as safe as once thought, many parents are looking for an alternative treatment for ADHD that works. Attend is an excellent choice. Try it!

Attend is a great ADHD alternative treatment, and is the most advanced "natural alternative ADHD remedy" available today.

Attend results

Alternative Medication - Natural Remedy for ADHD

VAXA's Neuro-Scientists developed the Attend formula using cutting edge research with amino acid combinations, Essential Fatty Acids and Lipid complexes, homeopathic medicines, and precursors to specific neurotransmitters.

This combination of neural building materials gives the brain what it needs to optimize performance in filtering out noise from the "outside world," and noise from "the inside world," to focus better on the task at hand. Attend is helping children and adults who have problems with attention, learning, or impulse control, and Attend will help your child... or your money back!
attend for adhd
Attend is formulated with 72 specific ingredients for maximum benefit:


ADHD Alternative Treatment with VAXA Attend

Attend is a safe homeopathic medicine that is combined with the most advanced nutritional formula available. Providing nutritional and homeopathic support to the Central Nervous System, Attend gives the brain the support required for new neural growth and neurotransmitter production.

Taken regularly, Attend complements our body's natural calming and balancing agents, helping us to focus attention, calm down and relax more, and finish our tasks.

We personally performed the clinical studies for the development of Attend, and we have seen the positive results in real life settings through our clinical practice.

Attend helps 70% to be more focused, to get their work done, and to think more clearly. Attend can help you too! Look at the results below...



Improvement in Self-Control with Attend


The study group showed the greatest improvement in the area of Self-Control, shown by a reduction of "Commission Errors". This item improved by 1.6 standard deviations.

This means that as a group they made fewer mistakes, guessed less on responses, slowed down to get the right answer, and showed better neurological self-control.

More Consistent Performance

The next greatest improvement was in the Consistency of Performance, which is the most difficult category to improve whether using Attend or stimulant medications. The group saw an overall improvement of 1.2 standard deviations.

This means that as a group they were able to maintain their initial focus to the task longer, and they had less "ups and downs" during the test. They were simply performing better, for a longer period of time.

Improved Focus to Task

The Focus to Task category, improved 1.0 standard deviations. This is also a very strong improvement considering it is for an entire group.

This means that as a group they were paying attention to the task much better, and for a longer period of time. Their "attention span" increased to the boring task of the TOVA test.

Improved Reaction Time

The improvement in Reaction Time was 5 points, or 1/2 of a standard deviation, which is still statistically significant, especially for a group.

Reaction Time is obviously neurologically based. Improvement in RT indicates that neurological performance had improved for the group for some reason. That reason was the use of Attend as an alternative treatment choice for 30 days.


Getting the Most From Attend

To get the most benefit from using Attend, we strongly recommend that you also use our ADHD diet recommendations. We also recommend that you study the Different Types of ADHD, and order recommended products for your type's Specific Treatment Strategy.

We believe Attend is the best alternative to ADHD treatment with medication available today!



Go to the OFFICIAL ATTEND WEB PAGE now on the manufacturer's web site.



IMPORTANT: Use our eating program, and our Specific Treatment Strategies for your specific type of ADHD for the best results! Find them under our section on the Different Types of ADHD.

Yes! Attend really works! See the articles below to see how using Attend for 30 days compared to using Ritalin for 30 days or EEG Biofeedback training for 30 days.




70% Improved with Attend

The computerized TOVA CPT test showed that 70% of children and teens using ATTEND made statistically significant improvements, including:

It is best to buy Attend directly from the manufacturer, as they have the freshest and most potent product available, and offer the best money back guarantee.


Are There Any Side-Effects With Attend?

No. There are no known side-effects with Attend.

Safe and non-toxic, Attend is unlike prescription stimulant medications that may have harmful side-effects. Attend works to naturally stimulate neural growth patterning, creating more neural connections and a wider neural network.


When you buy Attend directly from the manufacturer (VAXA International) you get the freshest product (it hasn't been sitting in somebody's garage for a year or so), which means that the product will be the most powerful available. We have concerns about the lack of quality controls from those who resell Attend and other VAXA products via ebay or other venues. We strongly recommend that you buy it from the manufacturer directly - either through our links to VAXA website or by a phone order.

To order by phone, call VAXA directly at 1-800-248-8292 during business hours on the east coast. They are located in Tampa, Florida. For general questions, or to order Attend, ask for customer service. For more detailed questions about Attend, email Daniel Giddens (daniel @ vaxa.com), VAXA's Director of Education. Tell them that Dr Cowan said "hello."

The order will be professionally processed and shipped out to you quickly. Plus you get VAXA Attend's money back guarantee!


Buy Vaxa Attend Risk Free! VAXA offers a great guarantee of satisfaction. Attend either works for you, or you get your purchase price back. See the details of their money back guarantee here.

Listen to Dr Young on Attend. Here is a rare radio interview with Gregory Young, Ph.D., Oxon., Neuroscientist and developer of Attend as an alternative treatment for ADHD. This is from one of Dr Cowan's old "Your Family's Health" radio program from c.1999 on KERI radio. It is about 14 minutes long and is very interesting and quite in-depth.

Learn Much More about Attend as an alternative treatment for ADHD in the articles below.

Diet for ADHD Kids, Teens, or Adults

ADD ADHD Diet:
Natural Alternative for Kids, Teens, Adults with ADHD

ADD Diet and Eating Program for Attention Deficit Disorder

With somewhere between 5% and 9% of children meeting the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, it is becoming very important that we as parents make whatever changes we need in order to help our children. Many of you reading this are parents of children or teens with ADHD, and you are looking for ways to help your child. This ADHD Diet is a great place to begin.

You may already be trying interventions such as medications, Attend, or EEG neurofeedback, which are all good treatment interventions for ADHD. But none of them will work well if you (or your child) is just eating junk. No ADHD treatment intervention is strong enough to over-come a diet of junk foods and junk drinks. And every treatment intervention will work better if the person is eating foods that help the brain to work better, and drinking drinks that help the body to perform better.

Eating foods that help to optimize brain performance is one of the most important things that you can do to help your child, your teen, or yourself. This ADD ADHD diet will help!

This ADD diet is recommended for every member of the family, so in that sense it's not just an "ADHD diet". It's the same program that we put professional athletes and business executives on for optimized performance, with only minor changes.

We have found that this eating program really helps about 20% to 25% of those with ADHD that try it without using any other intervention. We strongly believe that whether one is using a medication such as Ritalin, or using a natural alternative such as Attend, that this type of eating program plays a big role in achieving success when used as a part of a treatment program.

The most common feedback that we get from parents is, "Well, it helped my kid somewhat, but I really feel great!" Results fall into a "Bell Curve." A few do great, a few are completely unaffected, and most do somewhat better but it is not enough as a stand-alone intervention.

Please have realistic expectations with this ADD ADHD Diet, or any diet for ADHD. But please try it. It just may be a big help to your family, and there is no "down-side" to trying it.

Step One: ADHD Diet: First, Find Out if it is ADHD or Food Allergies

What NOT to eat for TWO WEEKS

First, let's find out if there are food allergies causing ADHD - like behaviors. Eliminate these foods for two weeks, then get ready to add them back in to the diet...

SUMMARY: Just eat foods that God made for a while. Eat like people did in the 1940's. Go to a used book store and get a Betty Crocker's Cook Book for recipe ideas. There really are about 10,000 meals that you CAN eat. Just not much in the way of “fast foods” or “convenience” foods.

Diet for ADHD: Step Two: What to Eat for the Next Two Weeks

AFTER TWO WEEKS begin adding these foods back into your diet, one food every other day. Eat A LOT of that food every day for four days.

If you have a problem with one of the foods, you will see some kind of a “reaction” within four days. The reaction can vary from big red splotches on the body to ears turning bright red to explosive temper outbursts. If there's a problem, you'll know. If there's no problem, enjoy the food.

ADHD Diet : WHAT TO EAT TO FEED THE ADHD BRAIN

Just as some foods make the brain "foggy", other foods can enhance brain performance. Here are some things to eat to feed the ADHD brain...



Try these recommendations out and let us know what you think.

Oh, before you email back and ask, “Well, what can we eat on this diet for ADHD?” please look through your Betty Crocker Cook Book and you'll find hundreds of recipes that will work well. It's the convenience foods that are most of the problem. Re-discover the lost art of cooking with this ADD ADHD Diet.

Ten Tips for Healthy Parenting


Parenting Tips for Parents of ADHD Children

Here are a few tips that I hope will be helpful to you as you invest your day in raising our next generation. Feel free to leave other "quick tips" in the comments at the bottom of the page for others to read!

TV Watching and Learning Problems

TV Watching, Video Games, and Learning Problems

Yes, its just like you thought. The more TV you watch, the less you know. And if you watch too much TV, you will be at risk for learning problems and attention problems. The same is true of time spent playing video games. Too much time spent playing video games puts you at risk for learning problems, and attention problems.

And while TV watching may be mildly addictive, video games may be very addictive. In fact, up to 30% of all males who play video games regularly may be physiologically addicted to game playing. The more violent the game is, the more potentially addictive it is.

Parents, understand that your children are growing up in a culture that is far different from the culture that we grew up in. Our children don't know about Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Viet Nam, or even Jimmy Carter.

Our children have far more media and entertainment choices than we ever imagined, and they don’t know that they can live without cell phones, ipods, video games, rental videos, cable TV, and the internet – because they have never known a world without them!

Children and teens live their lives saturated with media. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s most recent study of children ages 8 to 18:

Of course, we parents have created this media entertainment environment for our children and teens to grow up in.

Our homes average 3.6 CD players, 3.5 television sets, 3.3 radios, 3.9 DVD players, 2.1 video game consoles, and 1.5 computers. In fact, 25% of children are growing up in homes with five or more TV sets!

A new study was just published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine by Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute research team led by Jeffrey Johnson, and Tara Stevens of Texas Tech University.

This study shows that teenagers who spent a lot of time watching TV were more likely to have attention and learning problems “that persist, and interfere with their long-term educational achievement.”

The researchers advise parents to limit the amount of time they let their children watch TV (or we would add any entertainment that is similar to TV viewing, such as video game play) to less than two hours per day, adding that they should only watch quality programming.

They specifically noted that video games have little educational value, and may promote attention problems in children. We are concerned by other studies that show that violent video games, they kind that can cause the release of adrenalin, can be highly addictive, and that about 30% of boys who play these games are already addicted to them.

The researchers found that watching TV for three or more hours per day at the age of 14 often resulted in attention problems, failure to complete homework, boredom at school, failure to complete high school, poor grades, negative attitudes about school, overall academic failure in high school later on, and failure to go on to college.

This list looks a lot like a list for someone abusing drugs too, doesn’t it? We have always been concerned that TV viewing acts on the brain much like a narcotic, and that too much viewing can be addictive. Though this study doesn’t address that issue, the list of results from too much viewing is certainly troubling.

The researcher conclude that we should restrict the time that our children and teens spend viewing TV or playing video games.

By the way parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two years of age not watch TV at all.

TV watching by infants has shown to be associated with problems of attention control, aggressive behavior, and poor mental development. The AAP views excessive television viewing by infants as “one of the major public health issues facing American children.”

Parents, its time that we come to understand that TV and video games are not our friends, and they are not our children’s friends.

We were not created to spend 40 hours per week inside our rooms, sitting on sofas, playing video games or watching TV shows. We were made to move, to go outside and play, to work, to interact with others, to make conversation, to think.

It is time for us to re-evaluate how we let our children live their lives. It is time for us to re-evaluate our own lives.

What is truly important to you?

Building Your Child's Self Esteem

If we are to define self-esteem as "having feelings of worth or value," then people with adequate levels of self-esteem should display a sense of realistic confidence in their abilities and performance.

People with low levels of self-esteem would be expected to display feelings of inadequacy, a fear of failure, a sense of being unworthy, and perhaps depression.

According to researchers, most children enter school with a good sense of self-esteem (at least as defined by psychologists) and yet leave high school with a poor sense of self-esteem. What happens in between?

Challenges for Our Children…

It is estimated that 25-35% of children have Learning Disabilities.

At least 5% have Attention Disorders. All too many times during the course of their academic careers these children are labeled by teachers (or parents) as being "lazy," or "stupid." Remarks of this type are typically interpreted by the child as, "You're no good," and the self-esteem levels drop.

At least 50% of children will experience the divorce of their parents prior to turning 18 years old.

Most children, for whatever reasons too complicated to go into here, will tend to place at least a portion of the blame for the parent's divorce on themselves. Since the parents are typically placed on a pedestal in the eyes of the child, the blame for the divorce cannot be placed on the parents and must be placed elsewhere, most commonly on themselves. This also significantly impacts children's self-esteem levels.

There are other important challenges to maintaining reasonable self-esteem, such as merely being "average" in a world that worships only the good looking, the good athletes, and the well-to-do.

Too Much Can Be Bad For You…

Let me say here and now that inappropriately high levels of self-esteem may be worse that low levels.

Levels of self-esteem that are too high lead kids to believe that they are more important than anyone else, and that they should never be frustrated by work or challenges in life.

It leads young people to believe that they should always have their way.

Inflated levels of self-esteem ultimately discourages children and teens from learning how to work hard, and may well lead into criminal behavior (criminals tend to have high levels of self-esteem, not low levels).

Inflated levels of self-esteem also are directly at odds with the development of one's spirituality and relationship with God. After all, who needs to develop a relationship with God when he believes that what he wants is more important than what God wants?

The ultimate out come of the self-esteem movement is seen in the New Age doctrine that you are, in fact, God. Yes you. The guy who can’t balance his check book or keep his car fixed. You are God? So they tell us.

People are cheated in every important aspect of their lives, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, when their sense of self-esteem is over-inflated.

So how can we instill appropriate levels of self-esteem in our children?

Briefly, here are five key thoughts . . .

First, change the way that you look at this area of life from "self-esteem" to "self-confidence." There is a difference as wide as the sea.

To "esteem" someone, including one's self, involves feelings of "reverence" or "awe" or "honor" or "glory." Words have meaning.

Let's not get carried away with trying to make our kids feel good about themselves by starting to ascribe to them positions of honor normally reserved for God, and perhaps for Presidents and Kings. The majority of our society's problems are caused by people thinking that they are as important or as powerful as God, or at least that they are more important than anyone else in the world. This is not something that we really want to encourage in our children, or in ourselves.

Instead we do want to encourage self-confidence.

This attribute becomes especially powerful and beautiful when paired with the virtue of self-control. Raise your children to have these two character traits, and you will have wonderful and successful children, ADD/LD or not.

Second…

* Encouragement
* Praise
* Acceptance and
* Responsibility.

Encouragement comes when you focus on your child's assets and strengths in order to build his/her self-confidence. See the positive. Even failures can be outstanding learning experiences.

Encouragement sounds like this, "I like the way that you did that," or "I know that you can do it," or, "It looks like you worked very hard at that."

Encouragement is NOT giving compliments for work poorly done, but under those circumstances it IS inspiring your child to work harder and do better.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
-St. Paul (Eph. 4:29)

Ultimately self-confidence comes from having accomplished things worth being proud of.

Reserve Praise for things well done. Where Encouragement is given for effort, Praise is given for accomplishment. Just say, "That's a good start, keep at it," when the work is not yet worthy of praise.

Accept your child for who he/she is. If you expected that your baby would grow into an Olympic athlete with an IQ of 148, and instead he/she is "average" then you might be very disappointed as a parent (most children are "average," which is why they call it "average").

Disappointment is often turned into anger, or at least frustration. If your child cannot live up to your dreams for him or her (and why should they?) then please be careful of your emotions. If you are not careful, your own dreams and expectations for your child will become a wedge between you and your child.

Please never make your love, encouragement, or acceptance, dependent on their performance or behavior.

Teach Responsibility to your children.

Let them try things and let them fail once in a while. Don't keep bailing them out. Victory only tastes sweet if we taste the bitterness of failure once in a while. Trust me, the dog's not going to starve if he misses a meal or two. The newspaper won't come to publish a story on your family if your child fails to make his bed once in a while.

Just use these occasions to remind your child that if his dog is going to ever eat again, he needs to get out there and feed it (assuming that's your child's job). Remind your child that he or she is an important member of your home and that he needs to be responsible with doing his chores.

Make the consequences for not being responsible fit the crime. And of course be sure to reward/praise your child when he does act responsibly. Behavior that is rewarded tends to reoccur, and behavior that is ignored tends to go away -- so always reward/praise responsible behaviors.

A Call to Fathers

Dads, please let me encourage you to change some things in your life.

Another recent University study found that the average father in America spends less than sixty seconds per day in conversations with his children!

The actual number was 47 seconds per day.

Where is the investment in the life of the child? In our work? Our paycheck?

What's with us men? Have we as fathers come to think that our kids really just need our money?

Our children need us to look them in the eyes and talk with them. We need to actually be involved in the lives of our children and teens. We need to actively raise them, teach them, and shape their character and morals and values.

Parenting is a "hands on" activity.

So, spend time with your kids. Be available for your kids. Make your kids a major priority in your life. Protect your family. Be involved in your family.

Essay on Family: "Family Matters"

FAMILY MATTERS was the headline that caught my attention in the newspaper.

That's the name of my radio program here in California's central valley. It was interesting enough for me to buy the paper and read the story.

The article was about a recent study called The National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health, a survey of about 90,000 teenagers (age 12-18). The sub-headline was "Study debunks belief nothing works with teens." (Whose belief is that?)

The reporter wrote as if a new revelation had just been handed down from heaven in the form of this study.

As a result of this major study on adolescents, she wrote, we have found that "families are more important than previously thought, perhaps as important as peers. . . The primacy of peer relationships has been a widely held concept among professionals since the 1960's."

Yes, the reporter, and the researchers, were shocked to find out that the family is still important!

"These findings offer the parents of America a blueprint for what works in protecting their kids from harm," said Richard Udry of UNC Chapel Hill.

What is this amazing, secret blueprint that will now be revealed to you parents who are assumed to not know any better?

"The most significant finding is that the teenagers who reported feeling close to their families were the least likely to engage in any of the risky behaviors studied . . . Nearly as important were high expectations from the parents for their teenager's school performance."

I'm stunned.

They surveyed 90,000 kids to find out that families that love, care for, and nurture each other produce kids who don't get in trouble as much as families that cast their kids into the hands of other teenagers (known as the "peer group") to be raised by a pack of 15 year olds.

Also, families where parents actually CARE about school performance, and expect their kids to work to their potential produce kids who don't get into trouble as much as families who don't care.

I'm glad science has finally come around to this point of view.

How bad are things across America?

Pretty bad for many families

Using a sample size of 12,118 students interviewed, here's the picture of teenagers in America today:

Parent Resources

Here are several great resources on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD ADHD - that we recommend for parents and teachers.

ADHD BOOKS

Visit the ADD ADHD Bookstore at www.ADD411.com for hundreds of selected books on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

This site has 100 recommended books on ADHD. Product is provided through Amazon.com, the Internet’s largest book-seller. There are books for parents, teachers, and professionals.

LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADHD

It is very important that you learn about the different types of ADHD, and the specific targeted treatment strategies for each type. This will really help to get you better results - fast!

Here is a FREE resource on the different types of ADHD that you can download in PDF format that will really help!

DOES ATTEND REALLY WORK?

Visit ADD-Products.com for information and unique research comparing the effectiveness of stimulant medication such as Ritalin to EEG Neurofeedback training and to the nutraceutical medicine called ATTEND.

Yes, stimulant medication wins, but not by as much as you might think. This is a great site to visit as you consider your treatment options.

FREE ADHD NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our free ADHD Newsletter by Dr. Doug Cowan, our clinical director at NewIdeas.Net. This is a great resource for both parents and teachers. It comes via email, usually every week. And it is free!

THE ADHD LINKS PROJECT

The ADD ADHD Links Project has 400 Links to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder sites, service providers, neurofeedback providers, and related links on learning disabilities or other disorders.

This is an outstanding resource. We use it for our own research on ADD ADHD. Check out the Further Study section for very helpful links to research search engines. Bookmark this site!

ADHD DIET

Our recommended ADHD EATING PROGRAM: Want to try a diet for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

We have provided this resource for free to parents in our practice, and over the internet, for years. It doesn’t work for everyone. In fact it only works for about 25% of those who try it. But if it does work for you, you will think it is the greatest thing in the world! Give it a try. You will know within a month if it will help or not.

ATTEND FOR ADHD

Attend is our highly recommended all natural alternative to Ritalin.

NUTRACEUTICAL MEDICINES

VAXA International makes, and sells, all of our recommended nutritional products. They have a great product line of advanced nutraceuticals for men and women too.

Our Clinical Director, Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., serves on their Medical Advisory Board and has a great deal of input into the design and production of VAXA’s products for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

EEG BIOFEEDBACK INFORMATION

To find a provider in your area, try EEG Spectrum or if you are in Los Angeles, phone them at (818) 789-3491. They have a number of affiliated providers around the USA using their equipment (which is very good equipment). Tell them Doug Cowan sent you. Sue and Siegfried Othmer are old friends, and very nice people.

Using Games to Teach Your Child Problem Solving Skills

Teaching Problem Solving Skills: Checkers and Chess Can Be Helpful

This past year has been fun for our family as Grant (7) has picked up the game of chess and has been very successful with it. We have enjoyed traveling to several tournaments, and have met dozens of wonderful children and their families. teaching adhd children problem solving skills

For several years I used checkers with my adhd clients of all ages to teach them problem solving skills. Checkers is an easy tool to use, as it is fun for children, especially younger kids, and if the parent or coach is not too competitive, is a great way to teach children how to think before making a decision and to look at the possible consequences of their decisions.

What surprised me was how many "hyperactive" children in the 8 to 12 year old range could sit down, focus, and play a really good game of chess with other kids their age. Perhaps you could help your child by teaching checkers first, as below, and them over a year or so moving them into chess. It is a wonderful strategy game, and I told Grant that it is just a way to play "army" with someone else, and there are rules that both players have to play by. He loved that idea.

I know that the "Stop and Think" movement in ADHD treatment has lost some momentum lately, but I still believe that the basic strategies and techniques are still worth teaching your children. After all, problem solving skills are important for everyone to have, whether ADHD or not. In fact, many marriage researchers agree that if married couples had basic problem solving skills better mastered that many marriages would be happier and many divorces averted. So problem solving skills are important for everyone.

Its easy to teach your child this five-step problem solving strategy. My favorite version of this simple skill goes something like this. . .

  1. Ask yourself, "What is the problem?"
  2. Think up three possible solutions (options) to the problem.
  3. Look at each option for a minute. Ask yourself, "Is this a good move or a bad move?"
  4. Pick what you think would be the best option or solution.
  5. Try it out and see if it works.

I use Checkers to teach this formula. It is a great way to practice without it effecting anything in the "real world." I use this formula to teach the skills in Checkers:free white paper- 101 classroom interventions

I really like the kids to be able to think in terms of "Look at all of your options," and "Is this a good move or a bad move?" and "If I do this, what will happen next?"

Parents, you can do this with your kids at home. Just remember the point of the checkers game is for the child to learn the problem solving strategies (let him change his move even if he's taken his hand off of the game piece!). Game by game watch your child (if age 6 or older) get better and better at making decisions and good moves. Then use the "language" from the game to talk about real life situation. Good luck with this.

ADD ADHD Diet Information

ADD ADHD Diet

Eating Program (ADD Diet) for Attention Deficit Disorder

Our ADHD diet and eating program for ADD ADHD kids is not a very strict program, like Feingold's ADD diet, unless you are used to having most meals at your local fast food restaurant.

This program is recommended for every member of the family. It's not just an "ADHD diet". It's the same program that we put professional athletes and business executives on for optimized performance, with only minor changes.

We have found that it really helps about 20% to 25% of the ADHD kids that try it without using any other intervention. We strongly believe that whether one is using a medication such as Ritalin, or using a natural alternative such as Attend, that this type of eating program plays a big role in achieving success when used as a part of a treatment program.

The most common feedback that we get from parents is, "Well, it helped my kid somewhat, but I really feel great!"

Results fall into a "Bell Curve." A few do great, a few are completely unaffected, and most do somewhat better but it is not enough as a stand-alone intervention.

Please have realistic expectations with this ADD ADHD Diet. But please try it. It just may be a big help to your family.

Finding Out if it is ADD ADHD or Food Allergies

What NOT to eat for TWO WEEKS

First, let's find out if there are food allergies causing ADHD - like behaviors. Eliminate these foods for two weeks, then get ready to add them back in to the diet...

SUMMARY: Just eat foods that God made for a while. Eat like people did in the 1940's. Go to a used book store and get a Betty Crocker's Cook Book for recipe ideas. There really are about 10,000 meals that you CAN eat. Just not much in the way of “fast foods” or “convenience” foods.

After the First Two Weeks

AFTER TWO WEEKS begin adding these foods back into your diet, one food every other day. Eat A LOT of that food every day for four days.

If you have a problem with one of the foods, you will see some kind of a “reaction” within four days. The reaction can vary from big red splotches on the body to ears turning bright red to explosive temper outbursts. If there's a problem, you'll know. If there's no problem, enjoy the food.

WHAT TO EAT TO FEED THE ADHD BRAIN

Just as some foods make the brain "foggy", other foods can enhance brain performance. Here are some things to eat to feed the ADHD brain...



Try these recommendations out and let us know what you think.

Oh, before you email back and ask, “Well, what can we eat?” please look through your Betty Crocker Cook Book and you'll find hundreds of recipes that will work well. It's the convenience foods that are most of the problem. Re-discover the lost art of cooking with this ADD ADHD Diet.

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Anger Management Question

Dear Dr. Cowan,

It seams to me that my son has many reason to have some anger issues - that we have not dealt with - some kids seems to move in life easily, however, he still remembers how his grade 2 teacher was very unfair to him when he is the one who was hurt by some else and even gave him a whole week suspension. I find that once you have the label you might as well work with it and make the best of it.

My question is - my son is now is grade 7 - but has had to take the blame - some times unfairly, we also are going through major health challenges in the familly and also lost our home - so needless to say there is some anger that he talked to the school pchychologyst about. Now I am being asked to send him for an anger management program. Where do I start - to find the most effective and fun place to take my son to?

Many thanks - for you continues support!

Mom

Dear Mom,

I am sorry to hear about your circumstances. This sounds like a very difficult and challenging time for your family. Regarding your son, here are some thoughts just off the top of my head - but they might help.

First, if you are involved in a church you'd want to have your son meet with, and hang around, the pastor (or rabbi, etc) and with some young men who are mature and wise for their age. Find some guys who are in High School or college that are "really good guys" and see if your son can spend some time with them doing service project in your community or serving people in some capacity. We take teams to Mexico to build houses, to help elderly people in our community, and try to help feed people too. He can do these kinds of projects, and helping others who are less well off that yourself can take the edge off of anger.

Also consider the martial arts. I know that seems counter-intuitive, but I have seen lots of good results of children and teens taking karate or judo lessons. They demand self-discipline and self-control of students. You just have to shop for teachers who desire that their students gain perspective and wisdom, rather than teachers who want their kids to know how to fight.

Your son also needs to understand that there are several options in how to respond to perceived injustices in life. Some people feel helpless and get depressed. Others feel picked on and get angry.

But these are not the only options. Some few see injustice in the world and seek to change the world, beginning with living righteously in their own life, and then seeking righteousness and justice in the world around them. Whether your candidate is Obama or McCain, you see in both men a long-term desire to change the world for the better. Though they disagree on the best ways to accomplish the goal, they have both devoted their "lives and their fortunes" to this.

Tell your son not to waste his life, or his time, on things that don't matter. Ask him to spend his days, weeks, and years in the pursuit of helping others and making the world a better place for us all. Make a difference. Do things that really matter.

I hope these ideas are at least somewhat helpful to you.

Thanks for writing.

Doug Cowan

ATTEND Homeopathic ADHD Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medication - Homeopathic Nutraceutical for ADHD

Attend is a great ADHD alternative treatment, and is the most advanced "natural alternative ADHD remedy" available today.

Watch this Video: THE TRUTH ABOUT ATTEND



We are the LEADING EXPERTS on Attend

Attend is a powerful, all-natural treatment choice that is Clinically Tested with computerized testing, in addition to parent reports. The Computerized Testing showed over 70% improved with Attend in just 30 days, and the Parent Rating Scales reported 80% improved in 30 days.

People using Attend are:

  • MORE FOCUSED

  • BETTER BEHAVED

  • HAVE MORE SELF-CONTROL!

Attend is one of the most popular alternative choices to ADHD medications such as Ritalin, Strattera, Concerta, Dexedrine, Adderall, or other medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As some evidence mounts that stimulants may not be as safe as once thought, many parents are looking for an alternative that works. Attend is an excellent choice.

Attend results

Alternative Medication - Natural Remedy

VAXA's Neuro-Scientists developed Attend using cutting edge research with amino acid combinations, Essential Fatty Acids and Lipid complexes, homeopathic medicines, and precursors to specific neurotransmitters.

This combination of neural building materials gives the brain what it needs to optimize performance in filtering out noise from the "outside world," and noise from "the inside world," to focus better on the task at hand. Attend is helping children and adults who have problems with attention, learning, or impulse control!

Attend is formulated with 72 specific ingredients for maximum benefit:


ADHD Alternative Treatment with Attend

Attend is a safe homeopathic medicine that is combined with the most advanced nutritional formula available. Providing nutritional and homeopathic support to the Central Nervous System, Attend gives the brain the support required for new neural growth and neurotransmitter production.

Taken regularly, Attend was formulated to complement our body's natural calming and balancing agents, helping us to focus attention, calm down and relax more, and finish our tasks.

Turning Struggles into Success since 1996

We personally performed the clinical studies for the development of Attend, and we have seen the positive results in real life settings through our clinical practice.

Attend helps 70% to be more focused, to get their work done, and to think more clearly.



Improvement in Self-Control


The study group showed the greatest improvement in the area of Self-Control, shown by a reduction of "Commission Errors". This item improved by 1.6 standard deviations.

This means that as a group they made fewer mistakes, guessed less on responses, slowed down to get the right answer, and showed better neurological self-control.

More Consistent Performance

The next greatest improvement was in the Consistency of Performance, which is the most difficult category to improve whether using Attend or stimulant medications. The group saw an overall improvement of 1.2 standard deviations.

This means that as a group they were able to maintain their initial focus to the task longer, and they had less "ups and downs" during the test. They were simply performing better, longer.

Improved Focus to Task

The Focus to Task category, improved 1.0 standard deviations. This is also a very strong improvement considering it is for an entire group.

This means that as a group they were paying attention to the task much better, and for a longer period of time. Their "attention span" increased to the boring task of the TOVA test.

Improved Reaction Time

The improvement in Reaction Time was 5 points, or 1/2 of a standard deviation, which is still statistically significant, especially for a group.

Reaction Time is obviously neurologically based. Improvement in RT indicates that neurological performance had improved for the group for some reason. That reason was the use of Attend for 30 days.


Getting the Most From Attend

To get the most benefit from using Attend, we strongly recommend that you also use our ADHD diet recommendations. We also recommend that you study the Different Types of ADHD, and order recommended products for your type's Specific Treatment Strategy.

As an herbal remedy, natural remedy, homeopathic medicine, or advanced science, we believe Attend is the finest natural alternative to ADHD medication available today!


Visit the Official ATTEND web page now!






IMPORTANT: Use our Specific Treatment Strategies for your specific type of ADHD for the best results! Find them under our section on the Different Types of ADHD.

Seventy Percent Improved with Attend

The computerized TOVA CPT test showed that 70% of children and teens using ATTEND made statistically significant improvements, including:

Attend is available directly from the manufacturer (VAXA International) for just $38.95 per bottle, far less than your cup of coffee per day, and far less than a visit to a therapist. It is best to order directly from the manufacturer, as they have the freshest and most potent Attend available, and they offer the best money back guarantee - 1 full year!


Are There Any Side-Effects With Attend?

There are no known side-effects with Attend.

Safe and non-toxic, Attend is unlike prescription stimulant medications that may have harmful side-effects. Attend works to naturally stimulate neural growth patterning, creating more neural connections and a wider neural network.

Visit the OFFICIAL ATTEND WEB PAGE at VAXA



Or phone VAXA directly at 1-800-248-8292 during business hours on the east coast. They are located in Florida. Ask for Daniel, the supervisor in customer service. He is a friend who will give you great service. Tell him that Dr Cowan said "hello."


Save about $15 off the list price when you order an "Attend Strategy Pac" with 1-Attend, 1-Memorin, and 1-Extress together for just $81.95. That's a bargain!

When you order directly from the manufacturer (VAXA International) you get the freshest product (it hasn't been sitting in somebody's garage for a year or so), which means that the product will be the most powerful available. The order is professionally processed and shipped out to you quickly. Plus you get VAXA's 1 year money back guarantee!

Try Attend Risk Free! VAXA offers a great guarantee of satisfaction. Attend either works for you, or you get your purchase price back. See the details of their money back guarantee here.

Learn Much More about Attend for ADHD in the articles below.

And Remember! Bookmark this page:
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Visitors to this page since Oct 12 2008

Brain Warm-up Exercises: Summer is the Ideal Time to Begin

Brain Warm-up Exercises: Summer is the Ideal Time to Begin

We have written about exercises to warm-up your ADHD child’s brain in the recent past and we want to encourage you to use the summer vacation months to learn these routines so that they will be “routine” by the time school begins again in the fall. Like athletes in the off-season, our children with learning challenges need to use their time wisely in the summer to prepare for the fall.

The exercises that we recommend have been gathered from a variety of sources, including my friends in education and baseball, my years in private practice, and from the book Brain Gym. They are simple to do, but like any exercise routine you actually have to do them, not just think about doing them.

They can be very helpful at activating both hemispheres of the brain for better performance in class, in sports, or just around the house.

Visit http://newideas.net/adhd-child-brain-exercises for the complete article. And by the way, my nephew Casey Fien, pictured in the article, is pitching for the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers’ AAA affiliate. He just threw 1.1 innings tonight, striking out two. Nice job Casey!

Designing A Calm Home ADD ADHD Atmosphere: Guest Author

Designing A Calm Home for ADHD

by Ron Rougeaux
June 30, 2005

Attention Deficit Disorder is a mild brain disorder that is passed down from parent to child. If one parent has Adult ADHD, then their child has a 50% chance of inheriting it. If both parents have it, a child is almost 90% likely to have attention deficit disorder. This means there may be more than one ADHD child in a family.

What this means is that attention deficit disorder hyperactive children who have trouble concentrating and sitting still are born to hyperactive ADHD adults who have trouble organizing their day and staying focused on tasks. This is a real problem, because the ADHD child does best in a very structured environment.

ADHD children function best when there is a definite routine followed hour by hour...day by day. Yet they are born to parents who are unorganized and unstructured - this is where the family problems start. That is why most ADD ADHD specialists recommend that the family go into counseling as a group, or that the parents get trained in how to handle children who tend to be difficult. If you cannot afford a therapist trained in attention deficit disorder or if your insurance does not cover this service, you may want to join a support group through CHADD. Books like Conquer ADD ADHD help you. Here are some things ADD ADHD coaches and counselors typically recommend. This kind of advice is the hardest for someone with attention deficit disorder to follow, because they prefer to "live on the edge" and find well-organized houses "boring" and "uptight."

1.Set up a soothing, calm physical environment. Keep the house neat. Paint rooms in soothing colors like light blue and beige. Don't put up a lot of posters and artwork, clocks, and other decorations. If you DO put up artwork, buy soothing pictures of nature and landscapes, not violent pictures with bright colors.

2.Buy simple furniture and aim for an uncluttered look. Don't put up a lot of knickknacks or use busy patterns for draperies and rugs. Think simple, minimal and "less is more."

3.Organize supplies in an orderly way. The mentality is "Everything in its place and a place for everything." Store things like forks and spoons, pencils and stationery, and all other household supplies in an orderly way. Put things away after you use them. Clutter is very distracting to the ADD ADHD mind.

4.Keep televisions, computers and other "screens" covered or enclosed in cabinets. Otherwise they will "call" to you to use them. The ADHD child and adult ADHD have problems controlling the impulse to turn these machines on when they pass them. Keep televisions, radios, CD players and everything else that makes noise turned off and shut away, unless you are going to sit down and use them for at least a half-hour..

My children and I all have one thing in common...We all haveAttention Deficit Disorder (ADD ADHD)... and we were all able to Successfully cope with it.

Contributed by: Ron Rougeaux Website: http://www.Adult-Child-ADD-ADHD.com

We appreciate all of our guest authors. Thank you for contributing! The views of our guest authors do not necessiarly represent the views of the ADHD Information Library or its staff.

Does My ADHD Child Qualify for Special Education?

How do I find out if my Child with ADHD qualifies for Special Education?

By: Erin N. King, Ed.S
Nationally Certified School Psychologist

Children with ADHD or ADD often have unique difficulties in school, academically and/or behaviorally. It may be more difficult for these children to focus and they may miss valuable information in academic lessons or instructions for assignments. They may struggle with organization to the point that they forgot what the homework assignment was, or they lose completed work before it is turned in. Children with ADHD may have difficulty sitting still during instruction or act out due to impulsivity.

Accommodations may be necessary to address these issues. It is important to use the least restrictive accommodations for your child. Accommodations can occur within the regular education classroom and do not always require a formal special education document such as an IEP or a 504 Plan.

There are also situations when a student will require special education to address ADHD. When a student’s needs cannot be reasonably addressed within regular education and the ADHD is negatively impacting education, then special education should be considered. As a parent, if you want the school to consider if your child should receive special education services to address ADHD, talk to your child's teacher or principal immediately.

There is a process within each school that usually begins with a meeting. This meeting will involve teachers, principals, other school personnel (maybe a School Psychologist). At this meeting, interventions to attempt with the child will be decided. If those interventions are unsuccessful, the committee may recommend a full evaluation for special education services.

If you have any questions about the process in your school system, ask your school psychologist, teacher, or principal. Parents have every right to ask questions and usually school personnel are happy to help make this process less anxiety-provoking for you. It is important for parents to understand their rights during the special education process. A copy of parental rights should be given to you, or you may look at your state’s Department of Education website.

Once a referral for a full special education evaluation has been made, schools have around 65 business days to complete the assessments (the number of days varies by state). During this process, several testing components will be completed with you and your child. The evaluators will write reports and a copy will be given to parents at the eligibility meeting. However, schools are required to have a copy available for parents to pick up two days before the eligibility meeting. It is advised, that parents take advantage of this and read reports before the meeting to help get familiar with the information and to formulate questions. The reports hold a lot of information that can be overwhelming if you are not familiar with this type of testing.

See our School Psychologist Files for more information about Special Education testing.

The eligibility committee will review the reports and then look at criteria to determine if your child qualifies for special education. Students with ADHD are typically considered under the category of “Other Health Impaired” or “OHI.” To be eligible, a student must have a documented medical health impairment (ADHD), that is adversely impacting education, and can not reasonably be addressed through regular education. The way in which a school determines the educational impact will vary among districts.

Our FAQ section at School Psychology Files has more information on ADHD and special education eligibility.

If your child is eligible for special education services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be written by a committee within 30 days. Parents are a valuable member on this committee. If he or she is found ineligible, work with your school to develop accommodations to be used within regular education.

Other resources by Erin N. King, Ed.S, Nationally Certified School Psychologist
http://www.schoolpsychologistfiles.com
http://www.schoolpsychologistfiles.blogspot.com

Response by an Attorney

We received the following comments to Erin King's article on Special Education that we wanted to pass on to you, our readers. The author of these comments is an attorney, which means that by training he anticipates things going wrong, and only gets involved when bad things have happened. Though we see his words as too harsh, his advice is good: Put things in writing!

William A. Rossbach, Esq. sent a message using the contact form at
http://newideas.net/contact.

re: advice to parent of ADHD afflicted chile by: Erin N. King, Ed.S

Ms. King's suggestion to a parent inquiring about the possible need for special education services for her child is simply bad advice. When a parent suspects that her child may be in need of additional services and does not know if special education is appropriate, the only thing to do is to put a request for evaluation for special education and/or 504 accommodations IN WRITING. Only a written request will give legal notice to public school personnel that the clock has started and they must convene a team to conduct an evaluation.

A part of the process at the meeting will include mandated dissemination by school personnel of appeal rights. The suggestion by Ms. King that parents should anticipate school administrators who are eager to assist is helping to establish a very dangerous frame of mind for parents. There are double vertical lines
through the S in Special Education, and the resistance to additional budgetary expenditures is frequently, if not always, a driving force in the determination of just what services, if any, a school will offer.

William A. Rossbach, Esq.

Michigan attorney practicing in the areas of general and special education, and parent for the last twenty-two years of a special needs child.

How to Be Successful

As a parent, how are you defining "success" for your children?

As the parent of a child with ADHD, have you changed the definition of "success" for your ADHD child?

How do you define "success" for yourself as a parent?

How have your ADHD children come to define "success" for themselves?

Our definition of success is

"THE PROGRESSIVE REALIZATION OF MORAL, VIRTUOUS, OR GODLY GOALS"

Each of these questions is important for us to think through. Many of us, kids included, only define success in terms of what we have, or what we have accomplished so far in life. Some define success in terms of how society and culture define it, while others have chosen to define "success" through the eyes of God, as best as they can know it.

As for me, I define "success" as "the progressive realization of moral, virtuous, or Godly goals." As I look at my kids and rate their levels of success, or rate myself as their parent, I want to keep in mind what, or rather who, my kids are becoming, rather than what they have accomplished in the past.

As long as I can see my kids on a path toward becoming productive and honorable adults, then I will feel successful as a parent.

RELAX A BIT

I want to encourage each of you to take a long term view in regards to your role as parents. I have received many emails from parents of 4, 5, and 6 year old kids who are having trouble with attention span, or coloring within the lines, or reading, or whatever.

Please relax.

Focus on getting your child onto a road that will lead them to be productive as adults. Teach your children how to be good fathers and mothers to their own children in the future. Teach your kids how to love and serve other people. These are the major lessons.

See life in the context of eternity, and your definition of success will change radically, both for your children and yourself.

Michael Phelps Wins Eight Gold Medals

Michael Phelps and his mother have been open about his ADHD for quite some time, and have been an encouragement to many children and teenagers. Now that he has won a record eight gold medals in swimming in the 2008 Olympics, Michael is a true inspiration.

What are the lessons that this incredible athletic achievement teaches, not just those with ADHD, but all of us?

1. That focus, determination, and hard work do pay off.
2. That ADHD is a problem, yes, but it does not have to be a disaster. ADHD can be over-come, worked around, used as a strength.
3. Individual sports may be better for an athlete with ADHD than team sports.
4. That a supportive family and supportive coaches are priceless.
5. That the stigmas about ADHD kids, ADHD teens, and ADHD adults should disappear.

Whether we are ADHD or not, it is very rare that something worthwhile will just be handed to us. May Michael Phelps’ achievements in the 2008 Olympics be an inspiration to us all to work hard at good goals, to be willing to make sacrifices for what is worthwhile, and to encourage others to do the same as well.

Way to go Mr. Phelps!

Q and A: Five Year-Old and Chores?

My 5-year-old son has no interest in helping with jobs around the house, either inside or outside. Often, he will drop to the floor, whining/screaming for something such as being asked to help set the table.

Recently I asked him to drive his ride-on dump truck around my garden and collect the weeds in exchange for some bubble gum. "No thanks" was his answer. He is not interested in pleasing me. We are doing a m&m's reward program for "flush and wash without being told" (this has been going on for 6-8 months). Should I be requiring him to assist with chores? I don't want him to be totally self-centered. . what can help this process?

Thank you for your help!!!

MOM

Dear MOM

Thanks for writing. You are in a difficult situation. Our culture says that you should just let your child be "who he is, and who he wants to be," but in your heart you seem to know that is not right - that path leads to selfishness and self-centeredness. That path also leads to rebelliousness against authority, your authority and eventually against all authority.

Yes, your five year old should help and do chores. But that is not really the issue that you write about, is it? It seems that you are really asking whether or not you should expect your child to obey you, or if it is OK for your child to look you in the eyes and say "no" to you. "Who is in charge?" is the larger issue, and "what can I expect from my five year old?"

At the root of the matter is deciding whether our "culture" is right in thinking that children are naturally "good" and "kind" and "loving" and need to just be left alone to grow up and be a wonderful person, or if our culture is wrong.

The possibility must be considered that past generations were right in observing that children are by nature self-centered, and must be taught to share and consider other people's needs as well as their own. Even Solomon, the wise King who lived 2,700 years ago, wrote that "foolishness (not goodness or wisdom) is bound up in the heart of a child".

So, this is where the decision must be made: either let your five year old run his life (as if he had wisdom, self-discipline, and life-skills), and run your home (as if he were the parent), or not. (As you point out, he is just learning to "flush and wash" so he's probably not ready to be in charge yet).

If you choose the "not" then you must take the active role of parent, teacher, disciplinarian, wise man, rabbi and pastor, drill instructor, and of course the most important role of "mother."

In general, here is a good principle: "foolishness" should be addressed by teaching to it, and "rebellion" should be addressed by discipline and/or punishment. The wise parent must know the difference between foolishness and rebellion so that they know how to respond.

Two good books by a wise man who gets a bad rap from the "culture": Raising Boys, and Dare to Discipline, both by Dr. James Dobson. They are worth reading and pondering. The people who would say to just let your child alone just hate Dobson. The people who feel like there must be a better way typically like Dobson and his books a lot. They are worth checking out from your library (if they would carry them) or you can get them at Amazon. Consider them, and then choose what works for you and your family.

You are the parent. May God grant you great wisdom and insight as you do this most important job in the whole world - being a parent.

I hope this helps. Stay in touch.

Doug Cowan

Questions to Ask the School

It's back to school time! Here are some questions that parents might want to ask the school to try to optimize the management of a child with ADHD:

1. What strategies does this school have for assessing, and meeting, the needs of an ADHD child?

2. Who are the people that provide actual evaluations or assessments of children at your school? If they are making an assessment of my child, will they contact me to get a good family history, developmental history, and medical history of my child?

3. Is there a school psychologist on campus? Is there one available? Does he/she do achievement and ability testing?

4. Is there an advocate or case manager available to my child?

5. What kinds of interventions are typically used in this school to help ADHD children?

6. Who is the adult on campus who is responsible for the administration of medication to children with ADHD? Are they on campus everyday? What are their hours?

7. Will the school contact me if my child fails to show up to receive his/her medication? Or will the adult on campus who is responsible for the administration of medication to children with ADHD go find my child and take care of it? Or will the school just allow my child to go without his/her medication?

We hope that some of these questions will be helpful to you, and we wish you the very best of success in this coming school year!

Some Tips for Parents on Non-Compliant Children

Non-compliance is the family therapist's big word for your child not obeying you when you have asked him or her to do something. The child may be rebellious, scream "no" to your face, and slam the door. Or the child may say "yes, I'd be glad to help," smile, and go play the X-box. But either way the child does not do what you asked him to do. The word is helpful because it is descriptive, and because it may also motivate us as parents to move our kids from being non-compliant to being compliant.

Here's how we are going to define the term "non-compliance" in children:

  1. The child fails to begin doing what he was clearly asked to do within a reasonable amount of time, which would easily be 15 seconds.
  2. The child fails to keep doing what he was asked to do until the job is finished.
  3. The child fails to follow previously taught rules of conduct in a specific situation, such as at church, at school, at the store, or with friends.

Non-Compliance in Children, Some Tips for Parents

When your child is non-compliant you need to take action.

You simply cannot ignore the behavior hoping that it will go away. In fact, non-compliant behavior can be “self-reinforcing” or “self-rewarding” behavior. In other words, every time your child gets away with not doing what you had asked him to do, he feels “rewarded.” And behavior that is “rewarded” tends to re-occur. So every time your child gets away with being non-compliant it increases the odds that he will be non-compliant the next time too.

Here are some really good resources to read...

Deal with the situation immediately yourself. And in very tough situations consider getting some professional help. In fact, non-compliance in children is the most frequent complaint of parents seeking help in clinics. It is frustrating to parents, and underlies most negative interactions between family members (parents, and siblings) and the child.

Disruptive behaviors, aggressive behaviors, or explosive behaviors, usually do not occur randomly. Instead they occur in "bursts" and are usually associated with either having asked the child to do something around the house, or after having been asked for something by the child and the parents responds with a “no.”

Over the years I have developed some presuppositions with respect to children and their behavior. I'd like to pass this on to you, as parents, with the hope that it will help you in dealing with a non-compliant child. They are:

Here are two phrases for parents to remember in understanding your children:

A child's behavior occurs because of

  1. who the child is,
  2. what the child knows about you, and
  3. what the child wants from you.

The child will do things either

So please spend enough time with your child to let him know that you are on his side, and that you want the best for him.

There are certain things that our children need to know in order to be successful in life, and one of those things is knowing how to listen and obey parents. Stay the course and be consistent with teaching your child wisdom and compliance.

Virtual Idols and Addictions

I'm beginning to prepare for a parent-teen seminar that I will be leading in January on "Virtual Idols and Addictions," and the more I study the more my heart is saddened. I am learning things that as a parent I never wanted to know, but need to be aware of. And I guess that someone had told me some of these things ten years ago, so that maybe I could have made things easier for my own kids growing up.

I want to pass some of these things on to you, so that you can be warned, and so that you can begin as a parent to prepare yourselves to deal with these issues in your own home with your teenagers. So here are some excerpts from a press release in our local paper promoting the seminar...

Virtual Idols and Addictions

Can a person become addicted to something that doesn’t really exist, except in a virtual world? Is there in fact the danger of becoming physically “hooked” on video games, electronic entertainment, cell phones, or cyber sex? What kind of an impact is the electronic entertainment industry making in our culture, and in the lives of our teenagers today?

The whole idea of addiction to video games or to other electronic media is a new concept. No one ever explored the idea before the year 2001, and really, no one had to ever even look at the possibility before 1997 when the internet began to become popular. Think of how fast the internet has grown! Just fifteen years ago very few people had even heard of such a thing as an “internet.” Today we act as if we can barely survive without it.

The video gaming industry has grown over the past ten years to a 33 billion dollar per year giant. Video games are one of the biggest and most consistent influences in the lives of our children and teenagers today, with over 80% owning one or more video game consoles, most of which are kept in the teen or child’s bedroom where parents have little or no supervision over what is being played or how many hours are being spent playing.

David Walsh, Ph.D. from the AMA has estimated that as many as 20% of children and teens (mostly males) are addicted to video games. Gaming addicts show all of the classic symptoms of drug addicts, or other addicts, including dependence, tolerance, withdrawals, and mood disorders. Adrenaline is released, dopamine surges, and the brain gets “hooked.”

Virtual Idols are not limited to video games. Female brains are stimulated by conversations on phones in ways that no one would have considered thirty years ago. And now that everyone has a cell phone, teen girls can talk on the phone nearly all day, every day, constantly stimulating pleasure centers of the brain in ways that begin to train the brain to seek out the activity more and more. One researcher notes that, “It used to be that girls called friends on the phone when they ‘had a feeling’ to share, now they have to call friends in order to ‘get a feeling.’”

It gets worse. A new study funded by Cosmo Girl reports that 20% of teens, mostly girls, have sent either nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves via their cell phones to others, or have posted online, and about 40% of teens are sending sexually suggestive messages via text or email. According to the study, the problem grows as young people enter their 20’s. Once this sexually oriented material is sent to the intended recipient, it often gets forwarded to others including complete strangers, or posted on a website for the entire world to see. See http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/sextech/ for the study.

And that’s not all. The biggest problem of all is internet pornography addiction, particularly in males (70% of those visiting porn sites are males, 30% are females), beginning as young as age 12. In fact, The largest group of viewers of Internet porn is children between ages 12 and 17. The Internet pornography industry generates $12 billion dollars in annual revenue-more than the combined annual revenues of ABC, NBC, and CBS (Family Safe Media, January 10, 2006) and has over 450,000,000 million web pages of porn online. Searches for “sex” or “porn” in the top ten search terms on Google or Yahoo search engines.

Addiction to internet porn has neurological roots. Dr. Jeffrey Satinover writes, ". . . modern science allows us to understand that the underlying nature of an addiction to pornography is chemically nearly identical to a heroin addiction," and Dr. Judith Reisman reports that, "Pornography triggers a myriad of endogenous, internal, natural drugs that mimic the ‘high' from a street drug. Addiction to pornography is addiction to what I dub erototoxins – mind altering drugs produced by the viewer's own brain."

Parents are barely aware that these problems exist, and are not equipped to deal with these problems in their own teens as these problems did not even exist just fifteen years ago. In fact, our society is just now beginning to come to grips with the reality of the situation in the virtual electronic world. Certainly no one has a good grip on just what the consequences will be for families or society in the future. No society has ever walked down this road before.

Warming Up Your ADHD Child’s Brain

Casey Fien warming up in spring trainingJust like a pitcher goes through a series of exercises and a routine of throwing in the bullpen to warm up for pitching in a game, your child will benefit from “warming up his brain” through a series of simple exercises. Have your ADHD child “warm up” prior to doing his homework, or when possible prior to taking a test at school. It won’t hurt, and may just help your child a lot!

The exercises described below are collected from a variety of sources, including my years in private practice, seasons as a pitching coach, from my friend and professional educator Brian McFarland, and from resources such as the Brain Gym book. The exercises below are fairly simple and the “warm up” can take range from just a few minutes to about fifteen minutes, depending on your schedule.

The warm up exercises below are primarily “bi-lateral” movements, where one is using both sides of his body and activating both hemispheres of the brain at the same time. Crossing the mid-line of the body with hands or knees or feet can be a challenge to some people, especially younger children. But everyone can learn to do this with time and practice.

Begin by just marching in place for 60 seconds: lifting your left foot and right hand together, then right foot and left hand, and so on. If your child has trouble with this, help them by putting a yellow dot on their right hand and left foot, and perhaps a red dot on their left hand and right foot. Then just say “yellow” and “red” to get them going…

Next is an old sumo wrestler warm up exercise that also activates both hemispheres of the brain and may give one sensation of being more focused and energized. Simply lift the right knee up to where it can be “slapped” by the left hand, then the left knee up to where it can be slapped by the right hand, and keep repeating at a “walking” pace. Slap…slap…slap…slap… Continue for about 90 seconds, or 90 “slaps.”

Your child can do these two exercises at school between classes or toward the end of recess before returning to class, and these two and a half minutes will be well invested.

ADHD warm up exercise ballAt home before doing homework or going off to school in the morning, your ADHD child can also do these exercises using an exercise ball – the type that you might sit or roll on to exercise or stretch. In fact, your child can do his homework sitting on the exercise ball, and might be more focused and comfortable doing that. But here’s a tip: don’t put your child at the table to do his homework right away. Allow him to do these exercises below before he settles in to do the homework while seated on the exercise ball. Otherwise you will find him off the ball and under the table in seconds.

Begin by just having your child simply sit and balance on the ball for about 60 seconds.

The roll a bit to the left, and roll a bit to the right. Back to the left, over to the right, and so on for about 30 seconds. Once they master this, then also have them do this for about 30 seconds with their eyes closed.

Then have your ADHD child “march in place” while sitting on the ball. First, raise the “yellow” hand and “yellow” foot, then the “red” hand and foot, then repeat. They only have to raise their hands and feet a few inches. Large movements are not necessary.

After about 30 seconds of these movements, have your child cross over the mid-line of their body with their hands, simply reaching toward their opposite shoulder rather then lifting their hand upward. Do this for about 30 seconds.

At this point your ADHD child will be warmed up enough to begin with his homework, and as we mentioned before, he may benefit from sitting at the table on the exercise ball where he has to work a bit at staying balanced while he learns.

There are several other great brain exercises, but these will get you started. We hope to produce a quick video of Brian McFarland teaching a child to do a complete brain warm up routine, using both exercises that require the ball, and many that do not. Until then, these simple warm ups will help.

Ten Great Tips for Your ADHD Marriage

While collecting comments, ideas, and wisdom from readers on the topic of ADHD and Marriage, our reader Christie and her husband wrote in sharing these marriage tips. -- ED

My husband and I are both ADHD and we have developed several strategies over our 20 years of marriage. Here is what we have come up with off the top of our heads.

1. EVERYTHING goes on the calendar and EVERYONE is responsible for checking it before they go to bed and again when they get up in the morning.

2. Keep the extracurricular activities to minimum.

3. Have a set schedule and do your best to keep to it, but remember to build some flexibility into it.

4. Lists of chores help. I have daily, weekly, monthly and yearly lists so I remember what needs to happen and when. www.flylady.net may be a help to some of your readers.

5. Do it now. Put away that item/paper/jacket/box right away otherwise it becomes part of the scenery and will never be found again.

6. Make allowances for each other. Everyone is going to have a bad day where things get missed. Pick up the slack and don't tell your partner that you have done it. They don't need the additional guilt when they are already struggling.

7. Talk about things that are bugging you BEFORE they get out of hand. It may be hard now, but it will be even more difficult if you let it fester.

8. Ask yourself if the thing that is bugging you is going to matter to you in 25 years. If the answer is no, then let it go. If the answer is yes, then you need to deal with it NOW.

9. Laugh whenever you can. A sense of humor is hugely important in an ADHD marriage. Things are going to happen, you had better learn to smile and shrug or you are going to spend your entire life being really angry.

10. Chances are, you have a child (or children) with ADD or ADHD. Teach them coping skills now. Show them that they have a gift, not a handicap. Then show them where they can shine. Help them where they need help, but let them make small mistakes and face the consequences. They will learn from their mistakes if you treat them as a learning experience. Trying to micro-manage their lives, while keeping your head above water is a shortcut to insanity.

We keep coming up with more, but these are the best so far. Pearls of wisdom? Maybe not, but we are still married and enjoying each other's company. :)

Thanks Christie!