ADHD Blog

When you think about ADHD symptoms, things like distractibility, impulsivity, or hyperactivity usually come to mind. But along with these “typical” symptoms comes another challenge: low motivation. Kids with ADHD often struggle to muster up the motivation they need in order to be successful, particularly when it comes to schoolwork. Perhaps not surprisingly, research has shown that factors like motivation, the desire to improve, and persistence all greatly impact academic performance.

Did you play this game as a kid? You run to one of your parents and ask, “Can I have a candy bar?” They say no, because you’ll spoil your dinner. So, what do you do, you ask another parent! “Can I have a lollipop?” Sure, they say! And when the parent who turned you down finds you eating a lollipop a few minutes later, your defense is bulletproof: With a finger pointed and a smirk on your face you proclaim, “But they said I could!”

Your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, and you’ve been trying hard to do everything you can to help your child. You’re working with a therapist, explored or started medication, and you’ve put behavior plans into place at home. You’ve even partnered with your child’s teacher to get extra help in the classroom. And while some things are getting better, your child’s grades are not improving and you’re worried about your child falling behind his or her peers. It might be time to enlist the help of a tutor to give your child the academic boost that he or she needs to succeed. But – how do you know how to find a tutor who will be a good fit? What should you look for in a tutor or a tutoring program when your child has ADHD?

Last year, Huffington Post called it “the catch phrase of our digital generation: ‘Find Your Tribe’. It’s been used as a call for those seeking a like-minded community and it’s everywhere. Yoga groups. Cooking groups. Blogathons. Ultimate Frisbee clubs. You name it! But what seems like a luxury for most of us is actually a necessity for kids with ADHD: having a group of like-minded kids (and adults who support them) creates an environment that fosters learning, connection, and growth.

A recent New York Times article entitled, The 4 Traits That Put Kids At Risk For Addiction, featured the results of a study and corresponding treatment program developed by Dr. Patricia Conrod at the University of Montreal. Dr. Conrod’s research points to several ‘personality traits’ that “can identify 90 percent of the highest risk children, targeting risky traits before they cause problems.” The four traits identified in the study? Sensation-seeking, impulsiveness, anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness. As a parent of a child with ADHD who suffers from impulsiveness (one of the cornerstone behavior issues of ADHD), you may then wonder: does this mean my child will struggle with addiction as a teen or an adult?

Spiderman. Elsa. Pokémon. Batman. Halloween is always an exciting holiday for kids, dressing up as their favorite characters and heading out for Trick-or-Treating. All that candy! For any parent, managing the bag of candy that comes home that night can be challenging. But for parents whose children have ADHD, with all of that candy comes extra stress. For years researchers have been studying the effects of sugar on kids with ADHD. If you’ve ever attended a child’s birthday party then you’ve witnessed the surge of energy that fills the room after cake and ice cream have been served. So, it may seem like a no brainer that kids with ADHD, who already have a lot of energy, are going to be even more hyperactive after eating sugary food and drinks– which may leave you wondering why researchers even need to study something that seems so obvious!