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Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid blogAutism, bi-polar disorder, ADD, and LD

Out Of FocusRants, raves and idiocies from an ADHD perspective

Toys Are ToolsProduct advice for all kinds of growth

Can mom be calm?Raising special needs kids without anxiety or depression

GoAdoptionGift of Adoption Fund blog

Adrienne Ehlert BashistaAuthor, school visitor, book lover, and librarian

Easy to Love But Hard to RaiseBlog companion to the new collection of parenting essays edited by Kay Marner and and Adrienne Ehlert Bashista

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Archives: January 2010

posted: Thursday January 28th - 7:24pm

Must-Read Books for Parents Raising ADHD Children

Parenting blogger Kay Marner shares her reading list for anyone seeking extra advice for parenting ADHD children.

Has your Spring 2010 issue of ADDitude magazine arrived? When it does, turn to page 21 for a parenting pep-talk from everyone’s favorite ADHD expert, Dr. Ned Hallowell. In his column, Dr. Hallowell acknowledges that parenting a kid with ADHD isn’t easy -- it’s a marathon, not a sprint—and provides tips to help parents stay strong though out the race. I’m a big fan...
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posted: Thursday January 28th - 6:56pm

Getting ADHD Children to Entertain Themselves

Will my ADHD child ever learn to entertain herself?

"Play with Me" - The ADHD Child's Battle Cry Natalie has to be doing something every waking moment, and she’s almost never willing (or able?) to do that something alone. Is this true for your child with ADHD? I know kids with ADHD need structure, but for Natalie, the need seems to be more about stimulation than structure, and more about being dependent upon one-on-one interaction with someone...
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posted: Monday January 25th - 5:18pm

Howard B. Wigglebottom Books: Bedtime Stories Active ADHD Kids Can Relate to

The "Howard B. Wigglebottom" books teach our ADHD children that it’s okay to be different -- that they’re perfect just the way they are.

Natalie was so tired last night (an unusual occurrence for Little Miss Energy) that she actually let me choose the books we read together at bedtime (ditto!). I was in the mood for Llama Llama Red Pajamas, but couldn’t find it. Darn. That turned out to be okay, though, because I came across another favorite we hadn’t read in awhile; Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens...
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posted: Friday January 22nd - 11:14am

ADHD Impulsiveness, Cold Metal, and Wet Tongues

A certain percentage of impulsive ADHD kids are going to try it — touching tongue to cold metal.

A few weeks ago, Natalie threw open the front door, excited to welcome her ADHD friend Harry to our house. Let the fun begin! She was greeted by a very strange sight. Harry walked in, with his eyes and mouth wide open, and his tongue sticking out—way out—with fully two thirds of its surface seeping bright red blood. “Harry! What happened?” I asked. “He’s bleeding!” I said...
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posted: Wednesday January 20th - 1:44pm

My ADHD Daughter and Her Non-ADHD Friend

I was both apprehensive and trilled when my ADHD daughter was invited on a girls-only shopping trip. Should I let her go, or should I say no?

When Natalie’s friend Lindzey invited Nat to celebrate her 9th birthday with a mom-and-the-girls shopping trip to Jordan Creek Mall in Des Moines, I was both thrilled and terrified. The thrill: A typically-developing friend…an age appropriate activity. The terror: Due to her ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder, Natalie is prone to becoming overwhelmed and overstimulated by shopping, and she falls apart. What if she screams...
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posted: Tuesday January 12th - 10:19am

ADHD and Artificial Sweeteners

Do you believe artificial sweeteners cause hyperactivity in your child with ADHD?

In my last blog post, I offered a whole list of precipitating factors that might explain the extra-challenging ADHD behavior Natalie has been wreaking on our household of late. Now I have a new theory. Could an artificial sweetener be the culprit? Don and I both love the Nu-Val food rating system that the Hy-Vee grocery store chain implemented recently. We use it to guide...
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posted: Monday January 11th - 1:19pm

ADHD and Snow Days

It was a really hard week, for Natalie, with her ADHD, and for me, her crabby mama.

Was it her or was it me? All I know is that it was a really hard week, for Natalie, with her ADHD, and for me, her crabby mama. Natalie was needy, I was irritable. I had stuff to do, Natalie had two snow days home from school. Natalie wanted high-energy, the-excitement-never-ends, 24/7 entertainment. It was too cold to play outside. The neighborhood kids couldn’t play--Lindzey...
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posted: Wednesday January 6th - 2:23pm

ADHD Versus Government Bureaucracy

Unfortunately, in the world of waivers, skilled ADHD pediatricians don’t trump mental-health professionals.

Our family receives respite services through a Children’s Mental Health Waiver to help us cope with the “fringe benefits” of Natalie’s ADHD. A couple of years ago, when the letter arrived informing us that Natalie’s name had hit the top of the waiting list for this program, I was thrilled. But, wait. There were hoops to jump through before we could get started, including confirming...
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posted: Monday January 4th - 10:28am

Treating ADHD with Wii

Unlike traditional video games, a Wii provides a good indoor outlet for my daughter's extra ADHD energy.

I know that too much screen time can be a problem for some kids with ADHD, so I was surprised when, not one, but two professionals Natalie works with recommended we buy her a Wii. First, her former occupational therapist, Summer, made the suggestion. The yoga and balance games on Wii Fit will both be perfect to help Natalie to work on the same...
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