Hi. I'm new to this forum and am very excited to be here. A little bit about me. I found out I had ADHD when my oldest child was flagged in kindergarten. Ahhhh, suddenly my life made sense. Since then figured out I also have Dyslexia and Auditory Processing because I "gifted" all of these to my 2 kids. Therapy helped me identify that I really struggled with anxiety. I didn't know or even recognize that I was living with a great amount of anxiety.
Fast forward 9 years later, I am now a certified Life Coach that specializes in ADHD. In my journey, a constant was that I kept my passion for finding out more and more about ADHD. I just can't get enough of it. I now help adults and parents of children with ADHD to move forward with ADHD. To me, my diagnosis is part of me but doesn't define me. I hope to help others learn to accept ADHD, find strategies that work for them and finally find inner peace.
I'm excited to be on this board for both professional and personal reasons. It's so nice to be with a community that understands my struggles and is supportive and hopefully, I will be able to help others.
I'm also new to this board. My son was officially diagnosed with ADHD last month. Fortunately, we already have a 504 plan in place at his school. I'm trying to learn more about ADHD and figure out how to help him now, but also get an idea of what he will need to succeed in the future. If you have any suggestions of books or how to find a therapist that can work with my son, I'd really appreciate it.
I highly suggest CAROLINE MCQUIRE- She is amazing and works with children and teens. She has a book coming out in the next few weeks and you can pre-order it on Amazon
Welcome CatLady250,
Congrats on doing what you have done for your son already. You and he are on the road to success! Yeah for the school too. My girls both have 504's and they were instrumental to them when they were younger. Knowledge is power, so kudos to you for wanting to learn as much as you can about ADHD for now and for your son's future. I will try not to overwhelm you with books/resources that I love.
ADDitudemag.com is AMAZING. (Totally into their podcast lately too. Listened to an amazing one yesterday on self-advocacy.)
CHADD is great too.
Books:
Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults, Dr. Thomas Brown (Great overview of ADHD. Anything by Brown is great)
Late, Lost and Unprepared: A Parents Guide to Helping Children with Executive Function, Joyce Cooper-Kahn and Laurie Dietzel (Great for strategies on how to strengthen EF's and a quicker read.)
There are tons of other books too but these are great to start with. Let me know if you have already read these 2 books and I can add to this list.
As for a therapist, how old is your son? Coaching is an option if he's over 12 and mature. If that wasn't helpful in your area, I'd ask your Ped or whoever diagnosed your son about a therapist who knows ADHD in your area. Knowing ADHD is the key to any kind of Dr. your son should see. Not every Dr. really understands it, especially if he is inattentive. CHADD has a great resource directory for coaches and therapists.
You mentioned that you were diagnosed with an Auditory Processing problem as an adult. I was also diagnosed with that as an adult. I was misdiagnosed and treated for ADHD for years. Do you know of anything that helps Auditory Processing? I have tried everything to combat anxiety depression and ADHD when I thought I had it. I'm extremely sensitive to medication unfortunately. I have been on SSRIs and adderall. I had a terrible time with side effects to these meds. I also started biofeedback treatment recently. I havent noticed a difference in anything.
Hi! The only thing I do to help me and my girls with our APD, is to make sure we look at each other when we speak and avoid loud environments or just understand why we struggle in those environments. We also try to laugh at the dinner table a lot. We are constantly not hearing things correctly which can be pretty funny.
***You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I’m curious what led you to a mis dx of ADHD? Anxiety and Depression are common sidekicks of ADHD and it can be hard to tell what is what. You definitely have to have a good Dr who really knows ADHD.
As for the meds, if you truly don’t have ADHD, those meds won’t work. I’m sensitive too which is why I’m choosing to treat my ADHD with Wellbutrin, fish oil and finally trying to figure out how to sleep better. Turns out I have mild sleep Apnea. Getting used to a dental device right now.
Hope that helps. Please feel free to PM me if you want.
I had tubes and had trouble hearing as a child. I was diagnosed with APD then also had a second opinion. That opinion suggested I had ADHD.
I have been treated for ADHD over the years with adderall. I basically felt like I was on speed and would shake and sweat profusely. I also had alot of trouble with SSRIs causing me extreme stomach problems.
I recently had a QEEG due to starting biofeedback treatment. My brain looked more like brains of other testers who had APD and not ADHD.
I am now in my late 30s and have noticed that I often have to have someone repeat what they just said to me. Usually at the start of conversations.
On having trouble in loud environments that completely makes sense now. Most of my working career has been in an open office type of environment and I have struggled mostly.
You mentioned having mild sleep apnea. I have that also. I have been using a CPAP for two days. So far I havent been able to sleep with it on.
I know sleep is a big problem for me. How about you?
That is interesting about the QEEG. I hope that biofeedback works for you.
I didn't want to get a CPAP. I have hard enough time sleeping if I'm slightly too cold, too warm, if there is a little bit of light, etc. Princess and the pea stuff. I have always been a sensitive sleeper. Menopause has made it worse. I now have really good sleep hygiene and still struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep. I also have developed Restless Leg syndrome in the last few years. So far, exercising, stretching and taking B12 has helped with that. As for my dental device, I can't say I really like it but I'm getting used to it. I have been using it for about a month and do feel more rested. I think a lot of people who use dental devices usually start with a CPAP but can't get used to it. Good luck with getting used to yours. I really hope it works for you.
I am a newbie as well on here. I am 47 years old who was diagnosed INATTENTIVE ADHD who will be completing her ADHD Coaching accreditation in the next few weeks. I will be coaching females 18 and older to help guide them as much as I can so they do not have to struggle as I did.
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My 7 year old daughter has ADHD and severe anxiety 
10 yrld ADHD +Anxiety +drawing to be liked!!!
What to do next?
Do I keep my daughter in Taekwondo when she seems to go even more downhill each class?
