You're Not Alone!

This week's guest blogger is Barbara Hawkins.

At last someone understands.

There is nothing quite like a CHADD conference! My first one was years ago, and I will never forget the sense that, at last, some one understands.

It is hard to describe how much it means to find people who really do understand what it means to be a parent to a child with ADHD, a child whose behavior you do not understand, a child whose behavior you sometimes cannot control. It is not easy to describe the relief you feel knowing that you are not alone. It is not you. It’s the ADHD and CHADD can help.

Many of us have children who do not have ADHD, and we do not understand why the next child does not react the same way to our parenting techniques. I know it is hard and I know that CHADD can help. Support and understanding cannot be understated. Techniques to deal with ADHD issues are invaluable. Join us on Long Island on May 14 for valuable tips and understanding.

Barbara Hawkins

Barbara Hawkins, president-elect of CHADD, is the former coordinator of CHADD of Greater Baltimore and a recipient of the CHADD Volunteer of the Year Award. Hawkins is assistant dean of Villa Julie College in Stevenson, Maryland, and chair of the Children’s Mental Health Conference in Baltimore.

Elimination Diets for ADHD Not Ready for Primetime

The news has been full of reports of the INCA study, including the following conclusion on National Public Radio from the lead author, Lidy Pelsser, MSc: “64 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD are actually experiencing a hypersensitivity to food.” CHADD experts have looked at the study published in The Lancet. Without a great deal more research that supports the findings of this study, we would urge people to slow down and not jump to trying an elimination diet.

The families in the study were either put on a rigorous and closely supervised elimination diet or assigned to a control group that received instructions for a healthy diet. An alternative explanation for the results could easily be that the children in the experimental group responded well to a highly structured environment and lots of attention—both necessary for an elimination diet—and not the diet itself. Another explanation is the all-powerful placebo effect.

While this was a randomized study, the participants all knew which group they were in. This lack of blind experimental and control groups is a major research design flaw. The placebo effect is usually controlled by making sure all participants are blind to the intervention they are receiving. For instance, an experimental group might get the elimination diet and the control group might get a bogus elimination diet which eliminates only foods unlikely to make a difference. Then the children in both groups would receive the same amounts of structure and adult involvement. That did not happen in this study. Conclusions about hypersensitivity to food and ADHD cannot be made on the face of this single study, and certainly not when the groups were aware of the interventions.

Years of research on diet and ADHD have concluded that a very small percentage of children with ADHD who also have food hypersensitivities may do well with a controlled diet. So if you know or suspect your child has food hypersensitivities, then you may want to try an elimination diet with good medical supervision. But for the vast majority of people with ADHD, there is not yet evidence that this will make a difference.

Ruth Hughes, PhD
CHADD Interim CEO

Everyone Claims To Be An Expert On ADHD: Recognizing Bias

This week's guest blogger is Michael J. Labellarte Sr., MD.



Bias can be an obstacle to getting appropriate help for a child with ADHD. My session at CHADD’s conference will focus on how to recognize and minimize bias among the various professionals and family members involved in the child’s life.

Psychiatrists often discuss bias in terms of research and statistics, in the attempt to protect the scientific integrity of research data from factors that can erode the accuracy of research findings. Psychiatrists rarely discuss bias in terms of factors that can erode accuracy of diagnosis.

With a disorder as controversial as ADHD, a discussion of bias as it pertains to professional educators and treatment personnel is a can of worms. However, a discussion of clinical bias regarding ADHD will help parents navigate a complicated system where everyone claims to be an expert, from grandparents to international scholars. The goal here is illuminate how a variety of individuals tend to think, feel, behave, and make decisions, the better to predict and avoid common mistakes.

As soon as parents, pundits, and ADHD “experts” try to judge someone else’s thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, they risk the introduction of observer bias. The most important observer bias is called fundamental attribution error which helps drive the controversy around ADHD. Fundamental attribution error describes this observer attitude: that another person’s behavior reflects their character or personality and not their circumstances; whereas the observer’s behavior depends on circumstances and not character or personality.

This kind of bias is lethal to accurate diagnosis and management of ADHD (or any other psychiatric disorder) whether it comes from parents, educators, psychiatrists, or whomever. Bias opens the door to easy distortions (such as oversimplification or overgeneralization) and more destructive factors such as insufficient data, insufficient comprehension, misinterpretations, misattributions, desperation, misinformation, deception, and mistrust between professionals and patients and families.

My conference session will detail steps parents can take to minimize bias in all its various forms as an obstacle to getting appropriate help for their child, including:

1. Assemble an experienced team for short-term consultation and longer-term management.
2. Get the “lay of the land” by identifying all of the various professional and familial “stakeholders” involved in the child’s life.
3. Gather information systematically, through a variety of sources.
4. Focus the information in the medical model style: A consultation begins with a presenting problem, it does not begin with a conclusion to rule in or rule out a diagnosis.
5. Observe for evidence of professional bias, including shortcuts, forced conclusions, and clichés.
6. Demand enough feedback for informed consent before making a decision about treating or not treating ADHD, if it is present. True expertise will manifest during the informed consent process, which usually includes the rationale for diagnosis, a plan for further assessment, treatment options that include medical, psychological, and school-based interventions, the risks and benefits of treatment or withholding treatment, and the expected course of ADHD if treated or if not treated in your child.

I hope you will join me for this important discussion at the CHADD conference in Atlanta from November 11 through November 13.


Michael J. Labellarte Sr., MD, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who treats children and families at his CPE Clinic, LLC, in Towson, Columbia, and Severna Park, Maryland, as well as Vero Beach, Florida. He is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the University of Florida College of Medicine.

Can School Be a Positive Turning Point for Children with ADHD?

This week’s guest blogger is Mark Katz, PhD.

School can be a positive turning point in the lives of children with ADHD when we create a school culture that takes the danger out of learning differently. Schools can be places where successes far outweigh failures, where mistakes are seen as learning experiences—and where other children are quick to lend a helping hand, rather than a cruel remark.

One institute at the CHADD conference in Atlanta will share the ways some schools are successfully accomplishing this goal. The panel will discuss the specific practices these schools rely upon as well as how attendees can implement these practices in their local schools and after-school programs.

Joining me on this panel will be Marlene Snyder, PhD, a professor at Clemson University who is the national training director for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and the founding president of the International Bullying Prevention Association. Our third panelist, Jeffrey Sprague, PhD, is a professor of special education and director of the University of Oregon Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior.

We’ll also be talking about proven practices for preventing and reducing bullying at school. The national news media recently reported upon a series of tragic events where children and teens have actually taken their lives as a result of bullying. Many people are just now realizing how widespread bullying is, and how serious the consequences can be.

Some schools are intervening early in the lives of children with learning and behavioral challenges in ways that are preventing more serious problems down the road. We’re excited about these advances in the field of prevention and excited about having the opportunity to share them with attendees.

We’ve also set aside time to discuss how to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue among teachers, parents, and other caregivers. We’ll discuss helpful strategies that attendees can implement in their local schools and communities.

And we’ll learn how teachers, parents and others in a child’s circle of support are helping children with ADHD and other challenges find ways to view these challenges in a hopeful new light. We know from the research on resilience how important this is, and we’ll be discussing programs, practices, and resources that can help.

We hope you can join us in Atlanta.


A clinical and consulting psychologist, Mark Katz is the director of Learning Development Services, an educational, psychological, and neuropsychological center located in San Diego. He is a contributing editor to Attention magazine and a member of its editorial advisory board, a former member of CHADD’s professional advisory board, and a recipient of the CHADD Hall of Fame Award.

What's So Great About ADHD Coaching?

Jodi Sleeper-Triplett, MCC, SCAC, returns as our guest blogger this week.

In my last post, I shared a few coaching tips for families with ADHD. But many of you might still be wondering—what’s so great about ADHD coaching?

ADHD coaching consists of a collaboration between client and coach to help the client move forward with his or her agenda, whether it be general (e.g., feel more satisfied with life, fit in better at school, enjoy work more, experience less daily stress) or specific (e.g., find more time for family, earn a job promotion, get accepted into college, or develop a healthy lifestyle). Coaching involves a free-flowing, creative process driven by the client and supported by the coach.

The coaching process offers a useful time and space for brainstorming options, exploring next steps, and engaging in simple coaching exercises to help the client and client family become more confident and motivated to achieve goals. In addition, coaching may involve accountability check-ins that provide the client with an opportunity to receive support, report progress, and share successes along the way. The sum of the experience for the client is a supportive environment in which he or she can explore new options and have a partner on the journey toward developing the life he or she wants. Ultimately, a trained coach will use his or her skill to evoke thought in the client and encourage the client to identify goals, as well as the actions that need to be taken to reach those goals.

Ready to learn more about coaching? Attend the information-packed preconference session, The Positive Impact of Coaching on Family Dynamics. Join us in Atlanta for CHADD’s annual international conference on ADHD from November 11 to 13!


Considered the founder of the movement for ADHD coaching for youth, Jodi Sleeper-Triplett is the cofounder of the Institute for the Advancement of ADHD Coaching and the director of coach training for the Edge Foundation.

All Roads Lead to Atlanta

This week’s guest blogger is Rick Lavoie, MA, MEd.

The child with attention deficit disorder faces challenges in all aspects of life. This puzzling condition serves to complicate and compromise the child’s social, academic, and emotional development.

Teachers and professionals must be aware of the pervasive nature of ADHD and be willing to make accommodations and modifications in all activities and areas. ADHD is not simply a “school problem.” It impacts the child’s ability to function at home and in the community as well.

There is currently a virtual explosion of ADHD research being conducted throughout the world. Much of this research is poorly done and biased and is not valuable to parents and teachers who serve these students. However, there is also some research that can make significant, positive change in our schools and households.

So where does a concerned parent or professional get current information on the care and education of students with ADHD? All roads lead to Atlanta.

I am looking so forward to delivering a keynote address at the annual CHADD conference in Atlanta on Friday, November 12, 2010. This conference is widely recognized as one of the most effective and valuable meetings in our field. It provides an opportunity for you to meet with colleagues from all over the world and learn from some of the most accomplished speakers in education. Personally, I find that I learn as much as I teach at CHADD conferences.

See you there.

With every good wish,
Rick Lavoie


Rick Lavoie, MA, MEd, served as an administrator of residential programs for children with special needs for 30 years. He holds three degrees in special education and two honorary doctorates, and has served as a visiting lecturer at numerous universities. His numerous national television appearances include the Today Show, CBS Morning Show, Good Morning America, ABC Evening News, and Walt Disney Presents.

Coaching and Family Dynamics

This week's guest blogger is Jodi Sleeper-Triplett, MCC, SCAC.

How can coaching help the dynamics of families with ADHD?

ADHD impacts all family members and family dynamics can get complicated. The coaching process helps families improve communication, learn time management and organizational strategies, find new ways to stay connected, and much more! Here are some tips for improving family dynamics:

• Make all family members accountable for household tasks. If everyone pitches in the work gets done faster. Decide in advance how the tasks will be divided and post a schedule where everyone can see it to avoid last minute “must-do” tasks.

• Reduce morning chaos by getting everything "ready to go" for work and school the previous night. This includes selecting clothing, setting out homework, book bags, projects, briefcases and preparing lunches.

• Parents—be curious and ask open-ended questions. Instead of “How was school?” ask “What did you do in school today?” to elicit conversation with your children.

• Hold weekly family meetings to review the past week and plan ahead.

Does this sound valuable for you and your family? Join Nancy Ratey and me for an interactive, thought-provoking preconference session on The Positive Impact of Coaching on Family Dynamics, at 1:30 PM on Thursday, November 11. Our session will be one of the dynamic preconference institutes offered by CHADD’s 22nd Annual International Conference on ADHD in Atlanta this year. See you there!


Considered the founder of the movement for ADHD coaching for youth, Jodi Sleeper-Triplett is the cofounder of the Institute for the Advancement of ADHD Coaching and the director of coach training for the Edge Foundation.