Meet the Winners of My Blog-iversary Goal Setting Challenge!

September 30 has come and gone, marking the end of ADDitude’s Back to School IEP Challenge. Thanks to everyone who participated by leaving comments outlining accommodations listed in your ADHD children’s IEPs. Before we announce the 5 people who won free downloads of ADDitude’s ADHD at School eBook, I need to announce the winners from my Blog-iversary goal setting challenge...from back in May. (Believe it or not, there are things I’ve neglected to do even longer!)

We also had five winners in that challenge. I already reported on one winner, Jennifer Covello, who made progress towards going easier on both her son and herself.

For out next winner, meet Dana Domalski, from Royal Oak, Michigan. Dana figured out she had ADHD when, at age 12 or 13, she read a list of ADHD symptoms. She wasn’t officially diagnosed with ADHD until 2001, at the age of 20. Adderall XR partially relieves her symptoms, but she’s continuing to work with her doctor in hopes of finding consistent relief. Dana’s goal was typically ADDish: to finally finish unpacking -- three years after moving. She’s been hitting it hard when she feels a flash of motivation, then coming back to it later when the feeling hits again. She’s made amazing progress, and is almost done. Friends who visit can’t believe it’s the same house! Dana is, deservedly, proud and excited by what she’s accomplished. (Dana, when you’re finished there, I have a closet...) Dana chose a complimentary one year subscription to ADDitude magazine as her prize.

Winner number three was Kim from Alabama, mother of 9 year old Mark. Kim’s been working on changing the way she interacts with extended family in regards to her son’s behavior. She’s working to stand up for herself more, and to put an end to their continuous negative comments. I’m so impressed with the strategies she’s using! She’s careful to clarify whether or not she’s asking for advice when conversing about her son. She’s also using what I’ve heard called the “broken record” technique -- repeating one, or maybe a few similar phrases when faced with criticism: “I don’t find that to be a problem,” and “that’s your opinion, not mine, and he’s my child.” Her extended family is becoming aware of when they overstep boundaries. For example, her brother apologized for offering an opinion in the form of a command. Not only is Kim improving her own relationships with family, she’s setting a great example for her son! Kim also chose to receive a complimentary one year subscription to ADDitude magazine.

Our fourth winner is W., mother of two. Her younger son has ADHD, and her older son has executive function problems. W.'s goals were to help the whole family by organizing the house, to take advantage of not being in crisis mode with her ADHD son, and to turn her energies towards helping her older son return to school in the fall more organized and with a better game plan. W. reports that her ADHD son ended the school year on a high note. His grades improved after getting started on ADHD medication. He made it the whole fourth quarter without a visit to the principal’s office! During the summer, W. continued to work with her son's doctor to fine tune his medication, especially those related to sleep problems.

W.'s older son entered middle school this fall, which meant he began switching classes. In order to help him manage the increased need for school organization that this change brings, W. planned to help him implement strategies from the book The Organized Student: Teaching Children the Skills for Success in School and Beyond, while sticking to her own strategy of helping him to get started, then slowly backing out of providing direct support as he gains the skills to manage independently. W. chose a one year subscription to ADDitude magazine as her prize.

And finally, our fifth winner was T., whose son M. has ADHD. T.’s goal was, after trying six different prescription meds with limited success and negative side effects, to try alternative treatments for her son’s ADHD. Two months into treatment with natural supplements, T. reported that overall they were working well. Although her son was still hyperactive and had some attention problems, he was happy, and was not suffering any negative side effects. Her next step was to try adding chiropractic treatment. Due to an email snafu, I’ve been unable to reach T. for another update. I’d love to hear if she found a chiropractor who thought he/she could help, and how the treatment is working. T. also chose a subscription to ADDitude magazine as her prize.

As usual, I’m so impressed by how resourceful, smart, and caring ADDitude readers are. It’s great to be part of the ADDitude community. Please stop back soon for the announcement of our five winners of ADDitude’s Back to School IEP Challenge.