Our Web Site Name has changed! We're now www.focus-plus.org!

Effective today, 12/18/2010, the URL for FOCUS+ is now http://www.focus-plus.org/ (note the additional hyphen between focus and plus).

Why the change? Because it's not a hyphen, it's a dash. A dash that represents the added dash of style we've given to the web site! Okay, I just totally made that up. We had to change the name because the original URL expired and was prohibitively expensive to restart. Either way, you can once again visit our official web site, but now at http://www.focus-plus.org/.

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December 14, 2010 Meeting Notes

Ed Keeter presented a summary of a presentation he'd attended in October, "Very Best Treatment for ADHD and the Processing Disorders" by David Nowell, Ph.D. You can find out about Dr. Nowell at his web site, http://www.drnowell.com/.

You can view the slide show from Ed's presentation and download the helpful checklists and related forms that he shared at the meeting here:

• 12/14/2010 ADHD Presentation



• ADD & Related Problems Checklist for Adults



• ADD & Related Problems Checklist for Children



• Sample Letter - Request for 504 Assistance



• Sample Letter - Request for Special Education Services



• Strength & Weakness Profile



• System Overlap in Select Childhood Syndromes

We also discussed how most of the major pharmaceutical manufacturers offer free or deeply discounted rates on their prescription medications for people without health insurance and/or with limited incomes. Three sites to check out regarding this include:

Astra Zeneca: www.astrazeneca-us.com/help-affording-your-medicines/prescription-saving-program

Shire: http://www.shirecares.com/

Forest Pharmaceuticals: http://www.frx.com/

Next month: Exercise & ADHD -- don't miss it!

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FOCUS+ 11/8/10 Meeting Summary

For the November FOCUS+ meeting we led off by introducing ourselves to a few new attendees and briefly discussing our personal experiences either as people with ADHD or as parents of children with ADHD (or frequently, as both). One of the common themes that emerged from our discussion was how ADHD rarely exists as a single diagnosis; most people with ADHD have additional diagnoses ranging from anxiety or depression to learning disabilities, personality disorders, etc.

We also discussed the reasons we participate in groups like FOCUS+:

1. The opportunity to discuss our experiences with other people who understand them. People without personal experience with ADHD often make the mistake of wanting to either offer us pity or to try to "fix" our situations. We certainly don't want pity and the reality is that our situations aren't "fixable" ones, but instead are situations that must be managed over time.


2. The chance to hear some success stories; one group member mentioned a daughter with ADHD who is currently attending Purdue University (not exactly an easy college to get into) while another mentioned a child with ADHD who has become a successful attorney. Other successes mentioned that were equally important, if a tad less dramatic, were stories of picking up more substitute teaching work in recent weeks following a job loss earlier in the year and having tremendous success with a "personal coach" and a very positive experience at an artist training "retreat."


3. The chance to remove some of the shame or stigma that is too often associated with ADHD.


4. The chance to use one's own experience to help someone else.


5. The chance to learn yet one more piece of information to help with finding better ways to manage ADHD.

We discussed some of the terminology surrounding ADHD:

1. ADD vs. ADHD: ADD refers to Attention Deficit Disorder, where an individual has difficulty with sustaining focus, paying attention to detail, etc.; while ADHD refers to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, where an individual has difficulty with hyperactivity -- constant fidgeting, impulsivity, etc. The DSM IV (the official book listing recognized mental diagnoses) currently recognizes three types of ADHD: ADD (difficulty with focus but not with hyperactivity), ADHD (difficulty with hyperactivity but not with focus) and Combined (difficulty with both).


2. We talked about how ADHD could be characterized in different ways:


3. A challenge or deficit -- not unlike challenges/deficits faced by people with visual impairments, mobility impairments, etc.. As with a person with impaired vision, a person with ADHD needs to find alternative ways to accomplish tasks that work around his or her impairment. A blind person might use Braille or a text-to-speech program on a computer to read; a person with ADHD might use special organizing strategies and low-distraction environments to study new material and work effectively.


4. Could ADHD be considered a "gift", like the gift of exceptional musical or artistic abilities? ADHD definitely alters how a person perceives and processes information, and in some situations that unusual perspective can be beneficial -- think of how the comedian Robin Williams does "stream-of-consciousness" ad-lib comedy on stage. But a "gift" generally implies additional abilities in one area without sacrificing abilities in other areas...ADHD definitely brings those sacrifices with it as well. So is ADHD a gift? Yes.....if you keep in mind that the God-awful, super-ugly sweater that your great aunt gave you for Christmas that you're now forced to wear to school on Monday is also a "gift".

Finally, we had two "comics" make the rounds: the first was an inspirational message about letting your inner light shine:



The second, aimed more at the sarcastic members of the group (like yours truly) was a graph representing how the urge to procrastinate ought to be vs. how it actually is:



Finally, we discussed our extra-special, super-guest-presenter for our next meeting on 12/14/10: Me. I'll be sharing some highlights from a seminar I attended in October called "The Very Best Treatment for ADHD and the Processing Disorders" that was presented by David Nowell, Ph.D.. Is this a case of me just parroting what some smart guy said? Absolutely. Is it blatant, shameless plagiarism? You betcha. But it's also really good material and I am sharing it with the author's knowledge and approval. I think you'll enjoy it. Hey, it's got a picture of a pretty girl in it as well as a drawing of Elmer Fudd. Seriously, you gonna pass on a free meeting with snacks and a PowerPoint presentation with that kind of zazz in it? See you on the 14th.



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October 12 Meeting Summary

Hi everyone, here's my summary of our 10/12 meeting. You can download the handouts from the meeting by clicking here.

Our meeting started off with a brief review of Dr. Mason's presentation on ADHD & Executive Brain Function. We noted that in addition to the "hardware" issues with our brains caused by ADHD that negatively impact things like planning, time management, etc., there is a second "learned behavior" challenge as well, especially regarding the "activation" (starting an activity) executive function:

Since many people with ADHD often fail to complete a given task, or they fail to complete it with a level of quality and timeliness that justifies the effort they put into it, there is a tendency to think "Why bother starting this in the first place if I'm either not going to finish it or I'm not going to do it acceptably well?"

This led us into a discussion of what it means to do something "acceptably well," especially when many of us strive to be perfectionists much of the time.

Definitions varied a bit, but the point we agreed on was the old addage, "Don't let 'perfect' get in the way of 'good enough.'" Better to start and complete a task with a merely adequate result than to (a) not start it in the first place or (b) not finish it because one got hung up on a perfectionist detail. Similarly, we discussed the importance of allowing ourselves some satisfaction for the "good enough" result even if we may have hoped for more.

We also talked about the balance that must be maintained between being ambitious ("Let one's reach exceed one's grasp") and pragmatic (a B average in night college courses is actually pretty respectable for a person who's juggling school, a family and a full-time job all at once).

We discussed the importance of recognizing changes in our circumstances -- a job we may have done very well when younger, healthier and with fewer competing responsibilities (kids, mortgage, ailing parents, etc.) may be overwhelming when we face it with those additional factors at play.

This brought up some ideas for how to managed that "carrying capacity" challenge:

• When possible, approach these challenges with full awareness of your circumstances. It might be wiser to postpone pursuing a goal, or pursuing it in a less aggressive manner, until you have fewer competing demands affecting you, e.g. after your kids are older and more independent.
• Recognize the total cost of reaching for the very ambitious goal: is getting straight A's in that night class worth it if it means being constantly stressed and seeing your relationship with your family become strained? Might straight B's but a healthier personal/family life be a more satisfying situation?
• Ask for help.

We also talked about maintaining self-esteem when facing difficult - and sometimes overwhelming - challenges. Two quotes pretty well summarized this discussion:

Finally, we talked about the idea of taking "smart risks." We defined a smart risk as:

• A risk where the reward is worthwhile
• Arisk where the cost of failure is acceptable
• A risk where you've researched it as well as possible to make sure you're comfortable about the potential rewards and costs and also the nature and amount of effort it will require.

Next month: Exercise & ADHD

(Spoiler alert: exercise helps to manage ADHD symptoms. Also, at the end of the movie "The Sixth Sense" you find out that Bruce Willis was really a ghost. But the odds are you figured both of these things out already...)

See you on Tuesday, November 9!

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Interesting Article: "Do You Have Adult ADHD?"

From Parade Magazine

http://www.parade.com/health/2010/09/26-adult-adhd.html

Future FOCUS+ Topics: October 12....and beyond...

Hi all,

Our next FOCUS+ meeting will be on Tuesday, October 12. While the agenda is still being tweaked, here are the ideas/activities we're trying to pull together:

• A follow-up review and discussion about Dr. Mason's presentation on ADHD & Executive Function (see the 9/21 blog entry for a summary if you missed it). Both Ruth and I (Ed, your humble webmaster) were particularly intrigued by Dr. Mason's remarks about the challenges of "emotional engagement" in a task to help get and sustain focus on an activity. Maybe you were particularly interested in one of the other aspects of his presentation??
• Our usual open, all-ADHD-related-things-considered group discussion of whatever issues, questions or concerns you might want to share with the group regarding your personal experiences.

We're also looking at the following ideas for subsequent meetings. As always, your input regarding these ideas, and any other ideas you may have, is strongly encouraged.

• November: Activity & Movement for ADHD (Spoiler Alert: Exercise really helps with managing ADHD symptoms! But there's a lot more to this topic as well.)
• December: ADHD and the Processing Disorders

Two other quick notes:

• The Parent to Parent (P2P) classes originally scheduled for this fall have been cancelled due to the low # of people who signed up this time. P2P will be offered again in the spring (March/April 2011).
• Please note the survey that I just added to the upper right portion of the Blog page. Are you a Facebook Fanatic? A Twitter, um, Twanatic? Would you be more likely to track and participate in the FOCUS+ blog if it was based in Facebook? Would you be more likely to track and participate in the FOCUS+ blog if new blog postings were announced via Twitter and/or Facebook?

What are the topics you're most interested in discussing or learning more about? What was your reaction to Dr. Mason's presentation? Do you have any questions you'd like us to pass along to the scheduled November and December presenters you'd like to pass along prior to the meetings?

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9/14 Meeting Handouts Now Available!

The following handouts were shared at the September 14 FOCUS+ meeting and can be downloaded here:

• 25 Things to Love about ADD

• Facts About ADHD

• Snappy Comebacks to ADD Doubters

• You Know YOu Have ADD When...

• You Know Your Child Has ADD When...
  
  

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FOCUS+ 9/14/10 Meeting Notes

The FOCUS+ Group celebrated its 5th anniversary and National ADHD Awareness Week at our 9/14/10 meeting.

In addition to door prizes, a review of past FOCUS+ presenters and a terrific spread of food *and* custom coffee drinks, the group listened to Dr. Oren Mason discuss ADHD and Executive Brain Function.

• There are a broad range of "executive functions" of the human brain, but eight of them are the ones most frequently and profoundly impacted by ADHD:
o Activation
o Timeliness
o Planning
o Attention
o Effort
o Emotional Control
o Memory and
o Action.

• When describing impairments to executive functions of the brain, there are six terms that are frequently use:
o Absent - When the executive function is simply missing; this does not occur with ADHD
o Diminished - Happens in people with ADHD, but not consistently, e.g. difficulty with Attention in some situations but not others.
o Crescendo - Where the effect on an executive function increases as the day goes on
o Decrescendo - Executive function actually improves with sustained use (rare)
o Erratic - Shows no logic or pattern; with ADHD a pattern can usually be identified
o Infuriating but Predictable? -- That's ADHD!

The following is a *very* abridged summary of Dr. Mason's remarks...he was able to get into far greater detail than we can relate here. Hopefully this will generate some questions and new thinking within our group, however.

Dr. Mason made the following analogy to describe the impact of altered executive function in people with ADHD in comparison to people without ADHD:

A "normal" person who needs to run errands has a brain that works like a Vespa scooter...he/she can easily stop, start again, regulate their speed and change directions at will.

A person with ADHD is trying to run those same errands on a rocket-sled; it's extremely fast from Point A to Point B, but it's very difficult to stop/turn/restart/speed up/slow down.

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Special 5th Anniversary FOCUS+ Meeting Tuesday, September 14

The 7th Annual NATIONAL ADHD Awareness Week is September 13-17!

Come and Celebrate with us!!

The next FOCUS+ meeting on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, will be fun and informative!! We will be celebrating FOCUS+ 5th anniversary (WOW! ), as well as National ADHD Awareness Week.

Mark you calendar, so you won't FORGET!! SEPTEMBER 14!!

Our special guest will be the author of the recently published book,

Reaching for a New Potential : a Life Guide for Adults with ADD, From a Fellow Traveler.

Dr. Oren Mason, of Attention MD, will present ADHD and Executive Function.

We will be looking for YOU!! Help us launch the beginning of our sixth year with a bang! Let me know if you would like to bring some goodies!!

Step Four: Keep Some Perspective.

In order to help encourage more online discussion about the four basic steps for managing ADHD that we discussed at our 8/10/10 meeting, I'm creating separate blog entries for each of them, focusing on each specific topic and elaborating a little bit. Hopefully this is helpful for the group.

ADHD is not like the chicken pox. You don't "get" ADHD somewhere along the road of life; you're born with it. And if you're reading this now, you've obviously survived the impact of it thus far; it's nothing new...though it may be a new area of emphasis as you work on improving your overall performance or quality of life.

Like dozens of other web sites, we could list dozens of highly successful famous people who either achieved their success despite ADHD or who attribute part of their success to their ADHD. That's fun, and maybe a bit inspiring on some level, but to me that's like saying "Lance Armstrong is a middle-aged white guy just like you, Ed!" -- as if to imply that just because Lance and I share a couple of characteristics, I should aspire to be a 7-time Tour De France champion. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

When I try to keep perspective on the impact of ADHD in my life, I try to personalize it more than that. Forget about the comedians, CEOs and movie stars with ADHD. Looking back over my own life, what obstacles have I overcome even when ADHD was a barrier? What accomplishments have I achieved where the impact of ADHD probably benefitted me? Well...I earned a Master's Degree; not an exactly ADHD-friendly pursuit. and I've had some success with creative writing and public speaking, where I think the energy and stream-of-consciousness thought process that accompany ADHD were assets.

I'll never be a millionaire. Having ADHD probably hurts my chances of achieving a goal like that but, let's be real, I can hardly lay the full blame of my non-millionaire-ness at the feet of my ADHD. There are also variables like general intelligence, level of ambition and tolerance for risk that play much larger roles in my having a more modest lifestyle.

So: Perspective. How do you keep yours?

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Step Three: Experiment

1. In order to help encourage more online discussion about the four basic steps for managing ADHD that we discussed at our 8/10/10 meeting, I'm creating separate blog entries for each of them, focusing on each specific topic and elaborating a little bit. Hopefully this is helpful for the group.
   
   

I seriously doubt there's ever been a person with ADHD who was able to completely, satisfactorily manage all of the symptoms of his or her ADHD through one single change, e.g. starting a medication or starting using a calendar and to-do list.

We're all far too busy and complicated for it ever to be that easy. In reality, most of us require a range of tools to keep our ADHD in check and function at our best: some medication, some behavioral/lifestyle changes, some tools or technologies, possibly counseling or support group assistance, etc.

With dozens of medications that can be used at different dosages, at different times of day and in different combinations with each other, One could spend months or years trying to find the optimal "cocktail" of medicine to help them.

Similarly, there are a seemingly endless array of diet, exercise, stress management, organization skill and other choices that a person can test out in a variety of combinations, with new ones being invented daily.

So how can one experiment safely, effectively and efficiently?

I'll open that question up to the Comments section, but I'd like to share a couple of my own thoughts to get things started:

1. Journal about what you tried. As the saying goes, "You can't manage what you can't measure." If you're not tracking which interentions you've tried (and in which combinations), you'll never be able to identify the most and least effective of them.
2. Change one variable at a time. If you're about to try a new medicine, don't choose that same moment to switch to an entirely new calendar/to-do list setup. If you change multiple variables, it's harder to determine which changes had what effect.
3. Think about timing. For example: As a student, fool around with small, easy, low-risk experiments that aren't likely to greatly upset your performance if they don't go well. Save bigger, riskier experiments for summer break.
4. Keep in mind the external variables. We as individuals are constantly changing, as is our external environment. A medicine that wasn't helpful when a person weighed 240 pounds might be much more effective if they've recently dropped to 190 pounds. An exercise program that never really worked out when you were dealing with your newborn child might be a better option now that the child is off to school each day. You get the idea.
   
   What experiments have you tried?
   
   What do you do to experiment safely, effectively and efficiently?

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Step Two: Learn.

In order to help encourage more online discussion about the four basic steps for managing ADHD that we discussed at our 8/10/10 meeting, I'm creating separate blog entries for each of them, focusing on each specific topic and elaborating a little bit. Hopefully this is helpful for the group.

As I shared in the last entry, About a year ago we added a "New to ADHD? Start Here." page where first-timers could start to explore how to more effectively manage ADHD.

The second step I listed was "Learn." There is no shortage of information available online, at libraries and through groups like FOCUS+ to help people educate themselves on the range of options available for managing ADHD. That knowledge empowers people to take greater control over the situation.

Learning about ADHD isn't a one-time-thing, however. ADHD is a moving target; as we age and move through different phases of our lives, it impacts us differently and we have different internal and external resources available to us to deal with it. Also, there are constant advances in the types of medications available as well as counseling techniques.

My question to you is: Once you've scoured the internet and flipped through every ADHD-related book you can find at the local library or Barnes & Noble, what have you found to be useful in continuing to uncover new information? Similarly, what are some "dead ends" you've encountered that you might steer others away from?

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Step One: Relax.

In order to help encourage more online discussion about the four basic steps for managing ADHD that we discussed at our 8/10/10 meeting, I'm creating separate blog entries for each of them, focusing on each specific topic and elaborating a little bit. Hopefully this is helpful for the group.

About a year ago I helped to update the FOCUS+ web site and in response to suggestions from a few group members, we added a "New to ADHD? Start Here." page where first-timers could start to "get their bearings" as they began to explore how to more effectively manage living with ADHD themselves, or living with a loved one who had ADHD.

The first step I listed was "Relax." In the context that I was writing at the time, I just wanted to remind people that they weren't facing some new crisis -- If someone has ADHD, they were born with it. The only real change was that now with a diagnosis of ADHD they were in a better position to try things to manage their ADHD symptoms.

However, at our August 2010 FOCUS+ meeting, the notion of "Relax" was revisited in a different context. We all know that when a person is physically and mentally calm and relaxed, they are more perceptive, more effective critical thinkers and more creative...in short, they think and function far better than when they're in a stressed, "fight or flight" state. (Don't believe me? Check out these articles: Rational Positive Thinking, The Relaxation Response: reducing stress and improving cognition in healthy aging adults), Relaxation Techniques to Reduce ADD Symptoms)

As I took notes at our meeting, I saw a "continuum" of relaxation techniques ranging from what might be called "soft" or "passive techniques such as visualization or meditation to "hard" or "active" techniques like engaging in high-effort, high-risk athletic activities such as martial arts. Which ones work best for each of us depends on a lot of things, obviously -- our general temperments and outlooks on life, our physical health, how much time we have to explore these things, etc.

Some of the "passive" techniques we discussed included: prayer, visualization, meditation and quite activities like painting. "Passive" probably isn't the best word for these activities as they require effort and focus, but relative to other options we discussed, they're more quiet, tranquil and mental in nature as opposed to active and physical.

The "active" techniques we discussed included high-concentration and/or high-effort/high-risk activities like mountain biking and martial arts. The common theme among these activities is that they require a person to totally live in the moment and (therefore) let go of any anxiety-producing thoughts. Mountain-biking down a steep, narrow, rocky trail at high speed is the absolute wrong time to start ruminating about how much you're struggling at work; that lapse in concentration will probably result in you crashing your bike and getting hurt! Even "active" activities without the danger element such as golf, yoga and playing an instrument still require one's full focus to perform well, which at least temporarily forces a person to live in the moment and push out any other distracting thoughts.

Here are some questions to weigh in on with your experience:

• Do you tend to have the best results from the "soft" types of relaxation techniques or the more "active" ones? Why?


• Do you have any personal relaxation techniques not listed here that
  you'd recommend? Cross-stitching? Fly fishing? Writing annoyingly long and poorly laid out blog entries with gratuitous graphics inserted in them?


• Do you notice the difference in how well you manage your ADHD symptoms
  between when you're anxious/stressed/wound up and when you're physically and mentally calm?

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FOCUS+ August 10, 2010 Meeting Notes

The FOCUS+ support group had its first post-summer-break meeting on 8/10/2010 at Christ Memorial Church. The following is a summary of the meeting discussion:

This is the beginning of the 6th year of FOCUS+!
Where do we go from here? Sub groups? Different locations? Status quo? More speakers? More sharing? Leverage Blog more?

The group concensus was that speakers were helpful and we should continue to invite them, but that the core value of the FOCUS+ group is in the group exchanges with one another.

September is National ADHD Week. Ideas to acknowledge this?
1. Email Ruth (revenhouse@hotmail.com) with ideas.
2. Panel discussion on neurofeedback pros and cons?

Quote of the meeting:

“Self Awareness is the core component of managing ADHD.”

Ruth Evenhouse facilitated a discussion about the four “big picture” strategies from the FOCUS+ web site for managing and living with ADHD; the group offered their own experiences and ideas on each strategy:


Relax. It’s a well-established fact that when we’re physically calm, we’re mentally the most creative, perceptive and flexible. What methods do you use to help yourself relax/calm down?

1. Relaxation techniques
   A. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
   B. Deep Breathing
2. Meditiation techniques
   A. Meditation
   B. Visualization
   C. Prayer
3. “Hobby” techniques
   A. Listen to/play music
   B. Yoga
   C. Exercise
   D. “Zen” types of sports activities like archery and golf
4. Behavioral techniues
   A. Take a break from stressful situation; go for a walk
   B. Journal. Writing down things that you’re ruminating about and are generating anxiety can help to “let go” of them mentally
   C. Support Groups. Meeting and interacting with other people who face similar challenges to your own can help to feel less isolated.
   
   Learn. Learning more about ADHD, treatment options – and just as importantly, learning more about yourself – can be empowering and help identify new options to explore.
   
   1. Reading
   
   2. Conferences/Presenters
   
   3. Internet
   
   4. Learn from your mistakes.
   
   5. Learn that it’s okay to make mistakes…everyone does.
   
   Experiment. Find out which solutions, or more realistically, which combinations of solutions, work best for you.
   
   1. “Cognitive Kinestetics” activities…activities that involve repetition, focus ad muscle memory, are beneficial for relaxation and for developing improved focus and concentration. Examples include physically challenging (and often with an element of danger) activities like figure skating, downhills skiing, mountain biking and martial arts are enjoyable and require your full attention. The risk element motivates you to “live in the moment” and perform the activity to avoid potentially getting inured.
   
   2. Organizational/planning techiques
   A. Scheduling “concentration” activities around the times of day when you’re most focused
   B. Maintaining journals,calendars and to do lists
   C. Keep goals realistic and achievable
   D. Focus on the priority tasks first; don’t use low-priority tasks as an excuse for procrastination.
   E. Learn starting with the last step and working backward to the beginning
   F. Plan starting with the last step and working backward to the beginning
   G. Develop mutual accountability / mutual support arrangements for things like exercise, relaxation practice, etc. with another person
   H. Sample different activities, e.g. trying Wii Games, Wii Active Fit, Wii Sports,
   I. Revisit on communication
   1. Compassionate Communication; Refocus on empathy, "seek first to understand" to help with communication.
   2. Are you picking the best time and place to communicate with the other person?
   3. When working for someone or as part of a team, get clarification on what the priorities are.
   J. Neurofeedback, e.g. the NeuroCore program
   K. Change or control your environment (eliminate distraction, create ‘always visible” reminders, set up a plan where important things (like car keys) are “pre staged” in the same places every time, etc.
   L. We all have “to do” lists, but do we have “don’t do” lists? Half of improving things is adding new behaviors; the other half is ceasing current, counterproductive behaviors.
   
   Keep some perspective. ADHD is a situational disorder. There are times when it's an impairment and times when it's an asset.
   
   1. ADHD is also an “interest-based” disorder; we focus best on the things we’re most interested in.
   
   2. Keep in mind the positive attributes shared by most people with ADHD: empathy/compassion, creativity/problem-solving, humor, rapid “big picture” analysis
   
   3. As part of the Keep Some Perspective discussion, three new basic strategies were suggested…and rejected  (In other words, keep a sense of humor!)
   A. Find a Scapegoat - How do you transfer the blame for your mistakes to other people in a convincing way?
   B. Deny - What methods do you use to ignore the negative impact of ADHD on your life?
   C. Retaliate - How do you exact revenge against people who have angered you because of your ADHD?
   
   The conversation raised several other common challenges and considerations for addressing them:
   
   Many of us continue to put off projects until the last minute. Some like the excitement and challenge of the time pressure, others find that scrambling at the last minute “absolves” them of making incorrect choices or mistakes that they’d feel accountable for if they had more time to think through the project more thoroughly (but still made mistakes).
   
   Many of us are terrible at estimating time and anxious when assigned an arbitrary time frame to do something.
   
   “What” (am I doing) is a more helpful question than “Why” (am I doing it)
   
   Questions about the discussion? Anything we missed in our notes? Anything you'd like to add to the discussion? Jump in! We're anxious to hear from you.
   
   Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 14, 6:30PM, Christ Memorial Church, Holland. Details to follow.
   
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Molly Raaymakers, MA, LLP from Neurotherapy Associates of West Michigan has agreed to present at our April 13 meeting to address the relationship between neurofeedback and the strategies for controlling or coping with ADHD symptoms. Watch this blog for more information regarding this meeting.

Video Podcast: ADHD & Self-Employment

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a condition that many people live with that can pose serious challenges to performing well in the world of work. Most employers place high value on a worker's ability to focus, pay attention to detail and handle complex tasks in a consistent manner, most people with ADHD tend to struggle with those kinds of activities more than the rest of the world. Meanwhile, a lot of the special attributes that people with ADHD tend to possess in greater levels than the rest of the world - energy, creativity and a love of novelty and variety - can often go unnoticed or at least under-appreciated by many employers. Not surprisingly, I've encountered a lot of people with ADHD who want to know how feasible and/or desirable it might be for them to become their own boss, choosing self-employment over traditional employment. Everyone's situation is unique, of course, but the video podcast included in this blog entry covers a lot of the considerations that are shared almost universally by people with ADHD who would like to run their own business.



What has your experience been with self-employment? Is/was it better suited to how you operate as a person with ADHD? Did it introduce new challenges? How did you handle them? What other advice or considerations do you have for other aspiring entrepreneurs with ADHD?

Check Out This Resource: Parent to Parent: ADHD Training

Hello,

I am eager to tell you about the Parent to Parent Training classes which begin very soon, on March 11. The classes encompass six 2-hour classes presented by an experienced and certified Parent to Parent Teacher (me). Click here for a .pdf document that describes the course in greater detail.

Feel free to call or email me directly,

Ruth

Ruth Evenhouse, ACAC,
Associate Certified ADHD Coach
CHADD Certified Parent to Parent Trainer
revenhouse@hotmail.com
(616) 392-4381

www.focusplus.org URL Working Again!

For 2010, FOCUS+ made the decision to rebuild its web site and blog and to relocate them to new web site and blog hosting services. While the process overall went very smoothly and early feedback on the new site and blog have been positive, we did encounter some difficulty getting our old domain name, www.focusplus.org, redirected to link to the new site. But it's done!

Be sure to add www.focusplus.org and focus-plus.blogspot.com to your Favorites folder, and to subscribe to the RSS feed for the FOCUS+ blog (look on the right hand side of this window for details) to be sure to stay current on new developments from our group.

Rick Diamond Update

We have new details regarding the guest presentation at our March 9 FOCUS+ meeting!

Rick Diamond will be discussing: "Job Coaching or How to Work WITH Your AD/HD"

Rick is the Director of Employment Services for Disability Network of the Lakeshore, a position he's held for 14 years. He is the former Co-Chair of Michigan’s Freedom to Work Initiative Implementation and is a member of Michigan’s Job Coalition.

In representing Community-Based non-profit organizations, Rick has served for the last nine years as a member of Ottawa County’s Workforce Development Board, a board which oversees all workforce development as well as training activities funded or administered by the Ottawa County Michigan Works!

March 9 Presenter: Rick Diamond, Michigan Rehabilitation Services (Holland Office)

Do any of these questions relate to you or your family?

• As a K-12 student with ADHD, is there anything special I should be considering as I plan for continuing my education or entering the workforce after graduation?


• Are there any resources available to help me with that transition?


• How can I identify the best career options for me, considering my interests and abilities, the current and future job markets, and - of course - the impact that ADHD has on me?


• Does ADHD qualify as a "disability" under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?


• What types of reasonable accommodations have employers and employees used in the past to effectively address the impact of ADHD on a person's job performance?


• How can I most effectively discuss my ADHD with my current employer, or a prospective employer?


• What the heck is Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS)?


• What the heck is the Disability Network of the Lakeshore (DNL)?

Rick Diamond from Disability Network of the Lakeshore and the MRS Holland office will be on hand at our March 9 meeting to address these questions and more with our group.

Do you have a specific question that would be appropriate for Rick? Post it here and we'll make sure he has the chance to review it prior to our meeting.

Tuesday, Feb 9, 2010 Meeting

Our regularly monthly meeting for Tuesday, February 9, was cancelled due to weather, but fear not! We've still got several interesting & useful handouts to share with you *and* we'd still love to hear your questions, comments and experiences regarding this month's planned topics.

February's discussion topic: How to Ask for Help! (It's easier to do than it sounds)

• Click here to download a handout on asking for help from Ruth Evenhouse
  

Additionally, Ruth shared handouts related to disability rights as they relate to ADHD, filing insurance claims related to ADHD and tax filing; click on any of those hyperlinks to pull up the related documents.

We'd also planned on sharing information and tips on how to start, and stick with, a regular exercise routine. While we all know how important exercise is to our physical health, most people greatly underestimate how important it is to our mental health and our brain's ability to function efficiently as well. You'll be amazed at the positive impact that regular exercise, even if it's only at a moderate level, can have on your ability to manage your ADHD symptoms. Stand by for more information on this topic at our March meeting instead.

Do you know how to ask for help when you need it? If so, what has been an effective approach to asking for help for you?

What has your experience been with submitting claims to your insurance company related to your treatment and management of ADHD and related concerns?

Have you noticed a difference in your attitude or mental functioning between times that you're exercising regularly and times that you aren't able to do so? What impact have you observed that diet has on you, cognitively speaking?

Check this Resource Out: ADDCclasses.com

The following announcements of current and upcoming events was recently published by ADDClasses.com (not affiliated with FOCUS+), in case any of them catch your interest:

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You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!

During the months of February and March the ADD Book Club is discussing the book You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy? Click here to sign up now...

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Free Teleseminars

Adult ADD / ADHD Strategy Hour

• Instructor: Tara McGillicuddy
• Date: Tuesday, Feb 2, 2010
• Time: 9:00 p.m. EST (New York Time)

Supporting Your ADD / ADHD Child's Success

• Instructor: Ronda Stone
• Date: Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010
• Time: 9:00 p.m. EST (New York Time)
• Space is limited

Sign up now...

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Free Audio Class

ADHD & Exercise (Instructor: John Ratey, M.D.)

Sign up now...

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Morning DeClutter Action Group

Do you have clutter to clean up in your house or office and you just can't seem to get to it?

Our 3 week DeClutter Action Groiup will help you Attack Your Clutter!

• Instructor: Becca Colao
• Dates: Feb 9, 16 & 22
• Time: 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST (New York Time)

Sign up by 2/5/10 and save $100. Space is limited!

Sign up now...

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Parenting Strategy Sessions

Evening Strategy Session

• Instructor: Ronda Stone
• Date: Weds, Feb 10, 2010
• Time: 9:00 p.m. EST (New York Time)

Morning Strategy Session

• Instructor: Linda Hillger
• Date: Tues, Feb 16, 2010
• Time: 10:00 a.m. EST (New York Time)

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Affordable Coaching Options

Part of the mission at ADDClasses.com is to provide quality, affordable coaching options. If you have been thinking about working with an ADHD Coach but can't afford the cost of traditional one-on-one coaching, they have affordable options available through ADDClasses.com.

ADD Coaching Club (addcoachingclub.com) - provides 4 weekly group telephone sessions.

ADD Action Club (addactionclub.com) - is text-based and great for visual people who don't do well on the telephone or listening to audio recordings.

ADD Book Club (adhdbookclub.com) - a virtual book club for adults with AD/HD

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Have you had any experience with programs through ADDClasses.com? If so, what was your opinion, good or bad?

1/12/2010 Meeting Summary

We didn't have a guest presenter for the January 12 meeting, but instead had a "round table" discussion that covered a variety of topics.

The first topic was a review of the "Reclaim Your Brain" presentation that many group members had attended the previous evening; the previous blog entry regarding that presentation pretty well summarizes the discussion. One FOCUS+ member indicated that the cost of the "brain retraining" therapy was a $500/month rental of the machine that a participat uses to monitor his/her brain activity and learn to control it.

The group also discussed a few specific situations concerning its members; I won't go into that in this forum for obvious reasons, but from the standpoint of ADHD, a few things came forward:

Career planning, problem solving and recognizing alternatives to a preferred option are all issues that require a degree of motivation, planning and organization that can be very challenging to a person with ADHD.

• Having a peer support person or support group can help with keeping on task and spotting/addressing "roadblocks", as can working with a counselor who has some experience with ADHD issues.
• Writing down specific action steps to be taken, and recording progress, is also critical to success.
• We tend to do better when we can impose some level of structure to our days, or find situations where that structure is already present.
• From a career standpoint, it's helpful not to think of ADHD as a limitation we might have, but just as a trait (like being good with numbers or having good people skills). Some jobs that require sustained focus, attention to detail and that offer limited variety are particularly tough for us. Other jobs that call for frequent changes, fast thinking, lots of activity and creativity, on the other hand, may actually favor people with ADHD brains as we tend to handle those things very well.

Lastly, the group checked out the new FOCUS+ web site and blog. If you're reading this, then there's really not much need to review that discussion other than to remind you to participate! Please post your questions, comments, experiences and ideas in response to the blog entries. Also please pass along any ideas for improving the web site or blog to either our fearless facilitator, Ruth Evenhouse, or me, our wiley webmaster, Ed Keeter. Lastly, if any of you would like to get involved in maintaining our web site or blog, let us know!

How have you addressed the impact of ADHD on you from a job/career standpoint?

How do you tackle problem-solving? Does ADHD affect how you do it?

Do you have any initial feedback regarding the new web site or blog?

Summary of "Reclaim Your Brain" Presentation

On Monday, 1/11, several FOCUS+ members attended the "Reclaim Your Brain" lecture at the Hope College Maas Center. The presentation was made by Dr. Timothy Royer of The Neuro Core (formerly Hope 139).

This summary of the presentation is for those who weren't able to attend and it's also intended as a starting point for group members to share and react to what they heard. Please flag anything you see that I didn't capture accurately.

Presentation Notes:

Web Site: http://www.theneurocore.com

• The Neuro Core (formerly Hope 139) offers a live webcast with Q&A every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m and 7:00 p.m. EST.
• They also offer "podcastforyourbrain"
• The Neuro Core provides an assessment of a person's brainwaves and other variables (see below). They maintain that many people being treated for ADHD may be misdiagnosed and/or taking medication that is less than optimal for their needs. They offer a recommendation for a plan to help the person retrain their brain and body to keep their variables within the range where they are most mentally effective. They maintain that this can be helpful with ADHD, anxiety, migraine and insomnia problems.
• The presentation included several anecdotal accounts of people including professional athletes who found this retraining process very beneficial.

What They Measure/Notes

• EEG (electroencephalogram) - a measure of electrical activity in the brain. EEGs are unique for every individual. Brains operate between 1 and 32 hertz.
• Breathing (respiration around 6 breaths per minute when relaxed is ideal)
• Pulse
• Skin temparture at extremities (lower when a person is stressed and in "fight or flight" mode)
• Brainwaves

Brainwaves:

• Alpha: active when using creativity/imagination; repressed when Theta or Delta waves are too high
• Beta: Related to fight/flight response; resting Beta of 1.4 or higher is regarded as too high. Closer to 0.9 is preferred.
• Theta: Occurs when awake every 3 seconds or so; rests/resets brain for just an instant, but during that time person is unaware. If Theta waves are too high, they're followed by a deeper, longer lasting "crash" resulting in a person becoming disoriented or "zoning out." A 3.0 for Theta is considered high; 2.0 or lower is ideal.
• Delta: Occurs during sleep; critical to memory consolidation.

What was your reaction to the presentation?

Tell Us What You'd Like To Learn or Discuss!

Are there specific topics related to ADHD that you'd like to see covered at a future FOCUS+ meeting? We take a broad view on this - presentations from experts on general issues that impact people with ADHD such as finances, career planning, psychology and technology are every bit as useful as presentations specifically regarding ADHD.

Do you know of any presenters or subject matter experts that you feel would be of interest to the FOCUS+ members? Better still, is there a topic that you'd be willing to facilitate a group discussion regarding, or that you'd like to present to the group?

Is there an upcoming event related to ADHD that FOCUS+ members may want to attend?

Do you have any feedback regarding how we might improve our meetings (or our web site)?

We'd love to hear your input and ideas! Please post them here as comments.

Post Meeting Discussion: "Relationships and ADHD"

(This is a repost of the 10/13/2009 entry on the old FOCUS+ blog)

Click here for meeting notes.

Ruth Evenhouse guided a discussion on the topic of "Relationships and ADHD", which focused primarily on close personal relationships.

Issues raised:

• Stress associated with impulsive behavior by a person with ADHD - sudden plan changes, impulsive statements, impulse shopping, etc. The groiup also discussed the flip side of that issue, i.e. how many of us with ADHD have difficulty adjusting quickly and effectively when someone else changes plans on us on short notice.


• The frequent disconnect between individuals with ADHD and those close to them without ADHD regarding things like organization. Individuals with ADHD are frequently disorganized, with information in piles instead of being neatly filed and with the all-too-common side effect of arriving late for appointments or missing them altogether.


• The fact that ADHD minds are drawn to the newest and/or most interesting tasks before them instead of the most urgent or important ones.

Some options for improving those factors in relationships, as well as the ability of the person with ADHD to function effectively, included:

• Hiring a professional organizer to help cull and organize elements of a person's work or personal life and to put in place a realistic, sustainable organization system with the apropriate tools.


• For the more budget-minded among us, one member suggested a DIY (Do It Yourself) approach by reading The Personal Efficiency Program (PEP). available at Amazon.com and most bookstores.


• Setting up "launch pads" for onesself and one's children that are pre-staged every evening for the morning' s launch. Homework, backpacks, lunches, car keyes, cell phones, etc. are all placed in one specific area for "grab and go" use in the morning. This speeds the process, lessens stress and greatly reduces the chance of running late because one hat to search for his or her car keys for a half hour.


• Setting up ground rules. If the punctual, non-ADHD partner is ready to go, then she/he has the option of leaving alone to arrive on time for the event and the slower partner can simply follow when ready.


• Setting up a calendar/to-do list that is permanently visible at one's workstation or in one's home. This avoids the out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem. A calendar can also help one to be more realistic when factoring in preparation, clean-up and travel time for activities.


• Using an alarm watch or something similar to remind the person to "remember to remember" - to pause and ask themself: what am I forgetting to do right now?

Finally, the group took some time to acknowledge the positive impact that ADHD can bring to a relationship. Persons with ADHD can be very spontaneous, energetic, enthusiastic and creative people. Very often they (we) are mutually drawn to people who need that "spark" but also bring with them the more practical and organized characteristics that we need.

Any comments or personal stories you'd like to share on this topic?

Any questions that you didn't get the chance to ask?

Any other suggestions for how to make sure that the impact of ADHD on a relationship is a positive, or at least a neutral, one?

Post-Meeting Discussion: Technology & ADHD

For our November meeting, Ed Keeter (yours truly) presented on the topic of Technology and ADHD. The discussion/presentation focused on what some of the "tech" tools are that can be helpful in managing some of the effects of ADHD. Gadgets ranged from simpole alarm watches and digital recorders and GPS units to desktop PCs and smart phones. Discussion focused on how to best select and use the right tool(s) for your unique situation.

The second half of the meeting was a review and discussion of the soon-to-be updated FOCUS+ web site and blog. (note: the site is now available at www.focusplus.org - Ed)

All members were encouraged to share their thoughts on what would make the site more user-friendly and useful. One suggestion was to add a "So I (or someone I know) have/has ADHD: Now What?" tab to help newly diagnosed people determine and weigh their options. The new blog will be divided into four key areas:

1. Information about the upcoming meeting topic (where members can pose questions and find pre-read material if available);
2. Information about previous meetings/topics (where members can continue the discussion);
3. Ideas for future meetings: topics, presenters, activities, etc.; and
4. More specific topics, e.g. "ADHD and Teens" or "ADHD in the workplace", where members with shared areas of interest can collaborate.
   

What "tech" have you found to be helpful in managing your ADHD symptoms? Do you find that sometimes technology can be counterproductive, like when your cell phone interrupts you when you're concentrating on an activity?