The post can be found at the Can Mom Be Calm Blog

http://canmombecalm.blogspot.com/2009/09/ignore-behavior-not-child.html

This is an excerpt of the post …

My ABA Lead therapist and pretty much everyone else told me that I need to firm up on Spencer and ignore his attention-seeking behavior. This includes when he climbs on me, pinches, scatters, and throws things. I know that they are right. I believe it in my heart but gosh…. for an anxious person like me… ignoring is really so hard to do. “Ignore the behavior, not the child,” she said as she reminded me that I should praise his positive behaviors.

I hate to think that my child thinks of me as a toy but I guess it is partly true. Sometimes he pinches me and I am so used to it, that I don’t even say “ouch.” So then, Spencer will even say it for me, “Ouch?” like .. “Hey, how come you are not saying ‘ouch,’ I love it when you say that.”

I think that I can achieve “ignoring” as a behavior modification method if I can remember that “ignoring” is active. That is what was told to me in my parent training program for ADHD preschoolers at NYU Medical Center. They said that I shouldn’t ignore activities that are harmful to him, to others or to property but rather ignore attention-seeking behaviors like whining, nagging, and tantrums. (Tantrums are the hardest because of the neighbors downstairs but I will have to try.)

TO READ THE FULL POST PLEASE GO TO http://canmombecalm.blogspot.com/2009/09/ignore-behavior-not-child.html

This post can be found at the Can Mom Be Calm Blog:

http://canmombecalm.blogspot.com/2009/10/kill-homework-monster.html

Before I was married, I didn’t believe I would be nothing other than a No-Shit Mom.

Okay, this is the second time I used an inappropriate word on my blog and so I apologize if anyone is offended but some words just say it all.

My kid was going to study, I told myself up until he was born. He would not be spoiled. And he would be able to speak at least three languages, one of them being Mandarin Chinese. (By the way, I am not Chinese American)

Even when you have typical children, I’m sure parents laugh at themselves when they compare their pre-baby goals to their actual goals after birth. Gosh, now my goals are not even anywhere close to him being multilingual! My goals are more like: Logan will stay in his seat for five minutes without being told to do so. Logan will make one non-school friend by the end of 2009. Of course, now I must share my personal goal which of course is: Jenn will no longer need anti-anxiety medication after 2010 and/or lose 20 pounds.

Anyway, this year Logan is in Big School and with that I am dragged into the world of Homework Hell. Ohmigosh, this No-Shit Mom is no match for the ADHD Homework Monster. The Homework Monster has daily ways to annoy you so much that in twenty minutes, you don’t care if your child wrote the letter “b” or “d.” Just get it done and go to sleep! Argh!

THE REST OF THE POST CAN BE READ AT: http://canmombecalm.blogspot.com/2009/10/kill-homework-monster.html

ADHD and More
adhdandmore.blogspot.com

ADHD and More is a really informative blog which contains “Essays, articles, news releases, my story as a parent of an ADHD child and more ….”

ADHD Bipolar and Beyond
blog.adhd-bipolar-and-beyond.com

In her blog, Kari, talks about the daily struggles and joys of raising a son with ADHD.

ADHD Guide
adhdguide.blogspot.com
shaneshares.blogspot.com

ADHD Guide offers links to all kinds of really useful resources and interesting articles that relate to ADHD. Shane also has her own personal blog at shaneshares.blogspot.com where she has personal information on herself, her family and her oldest son who has ADHD and learning disabilities.

ADHD Momma
adhdmomma.blogspot.com

Penny’s blog chronicles her and her family’s daily life with ADHD.

Adderworld
adderworld.com

Bryan, a published author, shares media based information on ADHD as well as personl stories that are usually presented in a very humorous light.

Angel’s Mind
http://www.angelsmind.co.za

Angel has a late teenage aged son with ADHD.

Can Mom Be Calm?
canmombecalm.blogspot.com

Jen has 2 special needs kids. Her blog posts are written in a compelling manner which shares a tremendous amount of information and wisdom.

Holly’s Corner
http://www.hollyscorner.com

Holly shares information, personal stories, recipes and experiences with a tweed aged daughter with ADHD.

LD Parents
ldparents.blogspot.com

This blog is from a single mom with 2 great kids each with their own unique learning styles.

Karen’s Blog
www.lipstickwisdom.com

Karen shares information and wisdom she has gained from her family’s personal experiences with their adorable son!

My ADD Blog
www.myaddblog.com

Tara McGillicuddy is a woman with ADHD who is a professional ADHD Coach.

strong>The Peal Family
http://thepealfamily.blogspot.com

Becky shares her experiences with her two boys.

Power Moms Unite
www.powermomsunite.com

This blog is written by a mom with ADHD children who is also a professional Occupational Therapist.

Slurping Life
slurpinglife.typepad.com

A mom by birth and adoption shares — through photography, writing ahd humor — parenting boys who live with autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and more. Reminding everyone that children with special needs are kids.

Totally ADD
www.totallyadd.com

This is the website associated with the film “ADD & Loving It?” The movie is a documentary about adult Attention Deficity Disorder. The one hour film is hosted by actor/comedian Patrick McKeena and written, produced and directed by fellow comedian Rick Green who has ADD.

Tracy Nicolaus
www.tracynicolaus.blogspot.com

Tracy has ADHD and has 3 sons each of whom has ADD or ADHD.

From: http://thepealfamily.blogspot.com

Becky
I am… wife to a wonderful husband, mother to 2 awesome boys, daughter to fabulous parents, sister to 2 phenomenal women, friend to many… and a child of God.

Do They Know?

http://thepealfamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/do-they-know.html

The other day, as I was watching all the kids get on the school bus outside our front door, I dreamed about having a “normal” kid… a kid who gets themselves ready in the morning without 100 reminders or redirections… a kid who does their homework without complaining and completes it in a normal amount of time… a kid who doesn’t have a meltdown every time he doesn’t get his way… and the list goes on and on.

Then I wondered… Do they know?

Do the other parents know what we go through on a daily basis, just to get ready for school?
Do the other parents know what we go through every night when we have to do homework?
Do they realize how good they really have it? Do they appreciate their kids?

I love my kids with all my heart and I wouldn’t trade them for the world… but some days I just wish for some semblance of normalcy. What is our “normal” you may ask – here are just a few glimpses of what it is like to be a parent of a kid with ADHD:

- Simple tasks like getting dressed, making a bed, or brushing their teeth require numerous reminders and redirections and it takes 10 times longer than it should.
- Sometimes I just help them get dressed, eventhough they can do it by themselves, just so that it won’t take so long.

Read the rest of this entry at: http://thepealfamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/do-they-know.html

The Website: www.totallyadd.com
The Film: http://news.globaltv.com/Loving/2009300/story.html

Description of the Film from the totallyadd.com website. The description can be found at: http://totallyadd.com/about/the-film/

ADD & Loving It?! is a refreshing, witty and inspiring documentary about adult Attention Deficit Disorder (also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD). The one-hour film, which will be broadcast on Canwest Global Television in the fall, is hosted by actor/comedian Patrick McKenna and written, produced and directed by fellow comedian, Rick Green.

ADD & Loving It?! explores and explains the disorder by following Patrick’s journey for a diagnosis so he can confirm what he’s always suspected – that he has ADD. Along the way, Patrick and his wife Janis open up about their challenges and struggles, something Janis admits “we’ve spent our whole lives trying to hide.”

Patrick notes, “Some people think the diagnosis is the kiss of death, while others think there’s no such thing; it’s nothing, it’s all made up.” But after talking with the experts and with ordinary people, as well as drawing from his own experience, he confirms that ADD is real. It’s genetic, it can destroy lives, and adults with ADD have a higher rate of accidents, addictions, suicide, bankruptcy, divorce, illegal drug use and financial problems.
Read the rest of this entry »

http://thepealfamily.blogspot.com

Becky
I am… wife to a wonderful husband, mother to 2 awesome boys, daughter to fabulous parents, sister to 2 phenomenal women, friend to many… and a child of God.

Sample Blog Entry:

This Blog Post Can Be Found at : http://thepealfamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/easy-essays.html

Friday, September 11, 2009
Easy Essays
I stumbled upon this site this week and it has been a huge help to my older son who is not formally diagnosed but has mild ADHD symptoms. He really struggles with planning his thoughts and getting started on writing. He is in 5th grade this year and they are doing weekly essays – yeah more work for mom! I had a discussion with him yesterday about needing to do his essay before soccer practice and he complained that it would take too long and there was no way he could get it done before soccer… but when I got home, the essay was completed thanks to this wonderful FREE site! He said he did it in less than 30 minutes and it was the first time the essay actually flowed properly. Three cheers for The Easy Essay website!

www.theeasyessay.com

In this video I share what we have immediately seen with medication for our son’s ADD. It is a testimonial for anyone consider medication for their child.

I wanted to provide you with a quick update on our journey with ADD. As of a couple of weeks ago, we put our son on Adderall on a very low dose. The results have been immediate! Although I agree that ADHD and ADD are overused terms in our society, ADHD truly is a neurological disorder that can respond quite well to medication.

We were lucky. Our son responded immediately to the first medication we put him on. We realize that as he grows, we will probably need to modify or switch medications. Each medication’s efficacy is relative to each individual’s body chemistry.

Our first day that we put him on medication, we immediately noticed that he was much more task oriented than he had ever been; he was highly communicative and his responses to others were much more empathetic. This may sound like a silly example but on the first day of medication, he peeled an entire cucumber by himself and presented it at the dinner table. He had never done anything like that before.
Read the rest of this entry »