The following handouts were shared at the September 14 FOCUS+ meeting and can be downloaded here:
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Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
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.
• 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.
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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Thursday, September 2, 2010
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.
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!!
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