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Video Contest for ADHD Awareness Week

There is an exciting video contest that is part of the buildup to ADHD Awareness Week (October 14- 20, 2012). This video contest offers people of all ages an opportunity to share their stories while educating, inspiring and entertaining. Check out the website for rules and prizes at www.ADHDAwarenessWeek.org/videocontest. Video submission starts July 15th and ends August 30th, 2012.

The ADHD Awareness Week coalition consists of CHADD, National Resource Center on AD/HD (NRC, a program of CHADD), ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO), Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and ADDitude magazine. The website (www.ADHDAwarenessWeek.org) has a lot of great information as well as fact sheets that can be downloaded and printed.

Please pass this information along to anyone who might be interested. Thank you!

Succeeding in College

Here’s another tip from Roxanne Fouché appearing in the book, 365 Ways to Succeed with ADHD: A Full Year of Valuable Tips & Strategies from the World’s Best ADHD Coaches & Experts!!!

Available from Amazon.com

College can be particularly challenging for students with ADHD because academic expectations increase while there is a decrease in external structure. Students may have difficulty prioritizing competing demands on their time as there are varying class times and new daily routines. Even if it wasn’t necessary in high school, many college students find it extremely useful to use paper or digital planners to map out their days, scheduling the actual times that they plan to accomplish their goals: going to class or work, studying, eating, sleeping, laundry and other errands, exercise and/or social activities.

Accommodations for Students with ADHD

Students with ADHD may qualify for a Section 504 Accommodation Plan if their symptoms substantially limit one or more major life activities (including learning). The accommodations that are provided are intended to level the playing field to ensure “meaningful equal opportunity” at school. The accommodation plan should include a description of the student’s challenges and how ADHD is impacting the student’s learning and behavior. Accommodations are written to address identified areas of difficulty.

Helpful accommodations for students with ADHD may include:

  • Preferential seating (seating student close to the teacher)
  • Assistance with note taking/assigned note taker
  • Copy of the teacher’s Power Points, notes, or outlines
  • Pairing written and oral instructions
  • Teacher’s checking for understanding
  • Private signal to redirect student’s attention
  • Checking that assignments have been correctly written down
  • Verification that all needed items are placed in the student’s backpack at the end of the day
  • Alternate or modified assignments (e.g., Power Point presentation instead of a written report, ½ of the math problems of a certain type, etc.)
  • Breaking down longer-term assignments and giving intermediate deadlines
  • Acceptance of homework emailed directly to the teacher
  • Reminders for turning in homework
  • Credit for late work
  • Cues for transitions to different activities
  • Allowing movement breaks and use of a “fidget” to increase focus
  • Advance copy of study guides
  • Permission to audio record review sessions
  • Taking quizzes and exams in a reduced distraction environment
  • Use of computer for written tests and/or calculators, as appropriate
  • Extended time for tests and/or homework assignments
  • Oral testing and/or the teacher’s going over the written test with the student, asking questions for clarification of the student’s answers
  • 2nd set of books at home
  • Alternate formats for reading (books on CDs, etc.)

If your child’s 504 plan is not meeting their needs or you want to explore whether your child might benefit from such accommodations, contact the school’s 504 coordinator. You are your child’s first advocate. Remember that you are modeling the skills that your child needs to develop so they can advocate for themselves in the future.

Contact us if we can be of assistance in setting your child your child up for school success.

Parenting a Child with LD or ADHD

Parents of a child with LD, ADHD or associated difficulties likely spend a lot of time trying to understand their child’s difficulties and working to provide support for their child in school, at home and during outside activities. They often walk that very fine line between helping their child so that s/he does well today and doing whatever is necessary so that their child might be independently successful in the future.

In the midst of all this loving activity, it’s easy to forget to address one’s own needs. If your exhaustion, frustration, or worry is not allowing you to be at your best, how can you give your best?

Parents need time to relax, renew, and reconnect, with a walk around the block, a heartfelt conversation, a night out, or an undisturbed bath. Having taken the time to “give back to yourself” as you might advise a friend to do – you will return to the situation with fresh perspective and energy.

Putting yourself first, at least occasionally, is not selfish; it is a practical necessity. What are you doing for yourself today that will allow you to be the parent you want to be?

Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

Here’s one of the tips offered by Roxanne Fouché that appears in the book, 365 Ways to Succeed with ADHD: A Full Year of Valuable Tips & Strategies from the World’s Best ADHD Coaches & Experts!!!

Available at Amazon.com

Mothers, especially those whose children have ADHD or other difficulties, have a tendency to place others’ needs ahead of their own. It would be wise to follow the recommendation of the flight attendants who advise passengers that if there is a loss of cabin pressure, parents should put the oxygen masks on themselves first and then on their children. When parents take care of themselves with a good diet, exercise and sufficient sleep, they have the wherewithal to deal with the challenges of raising children and fully enjoy its rewards.

College and ADHD

Academically, college can be a challenge for any student – but especially for one with ADHD, learning disabilities or related issues. Academic expectations increase in college at a time when there is a decrease in external structure from parents and school. There is often limited feedback on class progress, as tests occur infrequently, and daily homework is rarely assigned to ensure that students are keeping up with their reading or other assignments. Students often have difficulty independently forming daily routines (waking up, going to bed, eating, studying, exercising, taking medication, doing laundry, and other chores), especially because their class schedules typically change from day to day. In addition, students may have difficulty prioritizing competing social and academic demands while enjoying the newfound freedom to make their own decisions.

There are several ways to set students up for success at college. Students with ADHD may be eligible for accommodations in college, whether or not they had a 504 plan or special education services in high school. Such accommodations might include testing in a separate and quiet environment, extra time for exams, note taking assistance, and/or priority registration among other accommodations. Students and their parents should contact the disabilities office at the college to find out the department’s procedures for beginning this process.

Another very helpful option is coaching for college students so they might discover personalized tools and strategies that allow them to successfully set goals, manage time, begin (and complete!) tasks, maintain focus, organize and prioritize, as well as balance life’s demands.

Call us today for a complimentary consultation to see how coaching might help you or teen succeed in the college environment.

Getting Things Done

One common frustration of people with ADD/ADHD is not being able to accomplish the things that need to get done. Sometimes we know what we need to do and just can’t seem to “make ourselves” do it. Sometimes, we are so overwhelmed with the sheer number, or the complexity, of the things that need to be done that we just don’t know where to begin. Sometimes we know the things we need to do, and are determined to accomplish them, but distractions get in the way of our best intentions.

In order to get things done, the first step is figuring out the stumbling blocks. Once we know what’s getting in the way, it’s easier to know how to move forward. In getting through the tedious or boring tasks, we can keep ourselves on track by working in small increments with breaks, as needed, until we finish the task and can reward ourselves. In getting past the overwhelm of complex tasks, we can break down the tasks into do-able steps, giving ourselves intermediate due dates for accomplishing them. If distractions are an issue, we can set up our working environment to minimize distractions, by listening to soft music with earphones, or turning off email notification on our computers, for example.

Of course, everyone is different and what works for one person may or may not work for another. (And it’s often the case that what works one day may not work the next.) Pay attention to what’s getting in the way and experiment with ways to use your strengths while working around your challenges.

Call us for a complimentary consultation to explore how coaching might help you work smarter and accomplish more.

ADHD Awareness Week. It’s here!

It’s here! ADHD Awareness Week 2011!

Make a difference! Download the 7 Facts You Need to Know About ADHD, and the ADHD Awareness Week poster, and (with permission) put them up at your school, local library, and place of work.

You can also take the ADHD Awareness Week Survey – how much do YOU know about ADHD?

Focus For Effectiveness is celebrating ADHD Awareness Week 2011 by waiving the $250 start-up fee for anyone who signs up for one month of coaching during the week of October 16 – 22, 2011.

So give us a call at 858-484-4749 or send an email to Info@FocusForEffectiveness.com. We’ll be happy to talk with you about whether coaching is the thing you’re looking for.

Warmly,

Roxanne Fouché
Sarah D. Wright
Founders, Focus For Effectiveness, LLC
With locations in Encinitas and Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego County, California

Book Launch!

Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 11, 2011), 365 Ways to Succeed with ADHD, a book we have helped co-author, becomes available!

Click here on Tuesday, October 11th to buy our new book!

In 365 ways to succeed with ADHD, you will learn from us, and 80 other ADHD experts, what you need to succeed with ADHD – all in bite-sized ADD-friendly format. There is a full year of tips and strategies to succeed with ADHD, written with you in mind. Within its pages is that tip or strategy you have been looking for, so don’t miss out!

Make sure you buy on Tuesday, October 11th!

Because on October 11th, 2011, and October 11th only, when you order a copy of this brand new book, you will also have access to over a thousand dollars worth of amazing bonus gifts from the co-authors themselves, including:

  • Complimentary consultations from your very own Focus For Effectiveness Coaches
  • Chapters from popular ADHD books and authors, such as Fidget to Focus, a perennial favorite on using natural strategies and techniques for managing the symptoms of ADHD by Dr. Roland Rotz and Focus For Effectiveness co-founder and coach Sarah D. Wright.
  • Your own personal Time Management Guide and Workbook
  • The 5-step Mindset Program for Success
  • MP3 recordings of the one hour Teleclasses: Time Management Strategies for Adults with ADD / ADHD, How to Overcome Procrastination, and Connect with Your Teen
  • The Seven Step Guide to Getting Control of Your Day – and Maybe Your Life!
  • Invitation to a live upcoming Teleclass to answer your ADHD questions
  • Transformational Meditation Guide for People with ADHD
  • Immediate access to download the e-books: The Keys to Getting Started and Brain Surfing and 31 other Awesome Qualities of ADHD
  • A copy of The Parenting Wheel of Life
  • The No-Nagging Guide to picking the right college for parents and students
  • And much more!

These amazing bonuses, worth over a thousand dollars, are available only when purchasing the book on Tuesday, October 11th, so make sure you follow this link on Tuesday to learn more and get your own copy of 365 Ways to Succeed with ADHD, plus all the great bonuses!

Here’s to your success!

Warmly,

Roxanne Fouché
Sarah D. Wright
Founders, Focus For Effectiveness, LLC
With locations in Encinitas and Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego County, California