You are here: Home / Archives for Kayla

Redshirting* and Recent Research

Posted by Kayla
redshirting kids with adhd

If you’re looking for another reason to consider redshirting, you may want to consider findings published online recently in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to research done over several years on elementary to middle school aged children in Iceland, younger children may not perform as well academically in mathematics and language arts as their slightly older peers. Additionally, children who are in the youngest third of the class are 50% more likely to be prescribed stimulants to manage symptoms of ADHD between the ages of 7 and 14. Let me be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: School and ADHD-Inattentive Tagged With: ,

Make up Your Mind Already!

Posted by Kayla
having trouble making a decision

Every kid does certain things well and other things, not so well. I used to think that decision-making just wasn’t Lesley’s thing. Somewhere I had read that a parent should give choices where the decision’s outcome solely affected the child. Would you like orange juice or apple juice? Do you want your sandwich cut into triangles or rectangles? Lesley never took these choices lightly. She pondered the benefits of pulp-free, calcium-fortified orange juice, and she finally concluded that sandwiches cut into triangles tasted better. As decisions became more complex, she thought harder … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ADHD in Real Life Tagged With:

Book Review from a Parent: Survival Guide for ADHD Kids

Posted by Kayla
adhd survival guide

Today's post is brought to you courtesy of - you! One of our wonderful readers recommended this book on our Facebook page, and graciously agreed to write a review. What ADHD book - or any ADHD product - do you recommend? Please let us know in the comments below! For a couple of years now I had been asking myself.."How will I know it's the right time to talk to my child about her "special" qualities?" I Googled it, asked other people, I read articles and blogs. They all had pretty much the same thing to say...."You'll know when the time is right". But, being new to this whole ADHD thing, I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ADHD in Real Life, ADHD-I Products

Good Grade Wall

Posted by Kayla
good grade wall

Our kids run into so much negativity from other people, from situations, and - admit it - from their own head! And while we *do* have to be firm with our kids, we have to set expectations and dole out discipline, we should still be a source of support and encouragement. That's why I LOVED what one of our Facebook friends shared her "Good Grade Wall". Here's what she said: Since our daughter struggles so much in school due to her ADHD and multiple Learning Disabilites, we are always looking for ways to let her know that with extra work and putting the time in she can achieve … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Encouraging Tagged With: , ,

I Call This Drivel.

Posted by Kayla
spelling hint auditory processing

This week someone showed me an article that I forwarded to Brock with the note: "THIS is what I never want us to write..." The article was discussing how to get ADHD children to get on the band wagon and complete their chores and homework. There was not ONE concrete solution offered. Instead, there was what I will call "drivel". I'm paraphrasing, lest you take it upon yourself to Google..."Sit your children down and talk about the situation. Tell them that when they finish their work quickly and efficiently, the family will be happier and can spend more time together." Doesn't that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ADHD Thoughts

Homework and Project Hint – Using Wikipedia as a Source

Posted by Kayla
using_wikipedia_as_a_source

Teachers generally frown on using Wikipedia as a source. Back when I was in school they had the same attitude toward encyclopedias. Nonetheless, for a general overview of a subject, I find Wikipedia to be of great value. There is generally a good outline of any topic, an outline that you can use to formulate an outline for a report – or to identify areas that have sufficient information to expand. The links at the bottom of the page are usually very helpful, too. But sometimes Wikipedia is a bit over my head. (Should I admit that?!) Well, for kids (or adults) who need simplified … [Read more...]

Filed Under: School and ADHD-Inattentive

Does My Son Have ADHD?

Posted by Kayla
does my son have adhd

This question is taken from a comment on our blog. Question: I am concerned about my 7 year old, who can be very hyper but in classroom he is calm but inattentive. In first grade we had a lot of unfinished work come home and homework is a struggle. A task that should take 5 mins could take him a hour on a bad day. He is above average at spelling and reading but struggles with writing. Math he has good days and bad. Apart from the spelling and reading, he needs a lot of hand holding i.e adult/teacher helper being there almost always to get him to finish his task. Reward points system … [Read more...]

Filed Under: School and ADHD-Inattentive

Memorizing Hint…In the Middle of the Night

Posted by Kayla
memorizing hint

Just heard this memorizing hint, which probably isn't good for a younger child. But for high schoolers and college age kids - and their parents, it sounds very promising. If you have to memorize anything that can be put onto notecards, set a stack of the cards beside your alarm clock, and set the clock to go off in the middle of the night. When the alarm sounds, go through the cards very briefly, then go back to sleep. The person explaining this said that he learned it from a college professor, and that it really, really worked. What do you think? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Succeeding Tagged With: ,

Mom, where’s my….?! Lost and Found with ADHD.

Posted by Kayla
lost and found adhd

Truly, I thought I was past the days when I was the chief locator, but this Christmas holiday proved that those days are not over. The boys may be adults, and they may successfully be finding their way in their respective chosen paths, but they are not successfully finding their: cell phone shoes iPod Kindle Fire (oh, my, the drama!) keys glasses jackets or jeans All the boys were home at one point; Joe stayed about a week, and Mike stayed almost a month. And ADHD was at home again, too! Yes, I saw wonderfully encouraging evidence that they were growing up. Joe is preparing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ADHD in Real Life Tagged With:

The PAC-kit – Our Planner for ADHD

Posted by Kayla
adhd planner

We don't talk a lot about the PAC-kit, but this is the time of year that we should! The PAC-kit is the Planner, Agenda, and Calendar that evolved from our attempts to keep Ron and Joe organized. We always found that store bought planners didn't work for our guys. Here's what would happen. It's Tuesday night. Your son has a new $8.95 planner that you just bought because he lost the one he had before. You flip to today's date. Nothing is written on it. He patiently shows you where he wrote his homework - on the wrong page. Because he couldn't fit all the words onto the tiny lines, his … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ADHD-I Products Tagged With: , , ,
«Older Posts