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.

Patrick uses his gift of comedy to demonstrate the three characteristics of ADD – inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. He uncovers the 18 symptoms used to diagnose ADD in childhood, and illustrates how these traits develop by adulthood. After all, adults learn not to bounce in their chairs during meetings, while kids in grade three rarely go bankrupt.

Janis guides Patrick through several ADD quizzes and their banter sets a warm, loving tone for the film. Patrick’s high score leads ADD expert Dr. Umesh Jain to diagnose Patrick with ADD. Patrick is stunned but begins to see his life from a whole new perspective and recognizes how much his ADD has cost him and his family. And realization becomes motivation. Now that he knows he has ADD, he can deal with it.

The experts interviewed are among the top names in the field of ADD in North America – Stephen Kurtz, Kate Kelly, Edward Hallowell, Annick Vincent and Margaret Weiss to name a few. No film has ever assembled such a powerhouse team. As each expert explains the details about ADD, he or she is backed up by at least two or three others. What you will see and hear is information from the most reliable sources on the topic of adult ADD.

The film creates recognition and laughter. That in itself is healing, especially for those struggling in isolation. Research has shown that laughter does improve health. While laughter may not be the best or the only medicine, it’s certainly the easiest to swallow.

“Although we’ve had counselling, and I’ve talked about it until I was blue in the face, it wasn’t until my fiancé saw your documentary that he “got it.” … I’ve never been able to put the whole picture together for him.” Focus Group Participant

In the end, Patrick realizes that he had resisted being diagnosed and getting treatment because “pretty much everything I knew was told to me by people who had no idea either.” He finds his own answer to the film title’s question, “You can’t love your ADD. But you can have ADD and love life.”

1. Achievement: An assessment of our son’s current academic skills.

Word Recognition

Spelling

Reading Comprehension

Math Computation

Math Reasoning
 
2. Memory

Verbal Memory – Retention of spoken information.

Visual Memory – Retention of visual information important in memorizing information that is
presented as a picture.

Attention/Concentration

General Memory – The aggregate of the three memory skills listed above.
 
3. Processing

Visual-Motor Integration – The accurate visual perception of a geometric shape and then the
integration of that perception with a precise fine-motor movement
in order to copy it.

Phonetic Decoding – Perhaps THE most crucially important reading skill.

Phonological Awareness – The realization that spoken words are not one sound, but
are made up of several sounds.

Fluency (Rapid Naming) – Research shows that rapid naming of a series of letters and
numbers is a powerful predictor of reading achievement.
 
 
I realize that these categories are age and grade specific. However, by having the information grouped into categories and then broken down into specific areas with one sentence definitions, I was able to understand my son’s issues at a much deeper level than I have ever been able to before.

Previously our Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV (WISC-IV) results had been grouped into the following categories: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed with no further explanation into the sub-categories. In several categories, the testing results were presented as a “scaled score”. I still have no idea what that is.

Who else feels the same way about special needs test results? If you do, email me at kgriffithgryga@lipstickwisdom.com and tell me your stories and ideas. Now how do I get started on this Plain English movement?