Center of Attention
Newsletter of CHADD of Northern California
Also at: http://www.chaddnorcal.org/newsletter
24 June 2001

CHADD Works to Improve the Lives of People with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder through Education, Advocacy,
and Support

===== In This Issue =====

About the Newsletter
Feature Article: Summertime and your ADHD child
This Week: The ADDA conference
Please Tell Us
Calendar of Events

===== About the Newsletter =====

The Center of Attention is CHADD of Northern California's bi-weekly
newsletter. The newsletter is designed to keep you up to date with
CHADD of Northern California's activities and updates in the field.
It's a new step toward bringing the members closer together.

===== Feature Article ======

The following article was published in ADDvisor newsletter earlier
last year. We are publishing this article in our newsletter with kind
permission from Alan Graham and Bill Benninger of ADDvisor.

"ADDvisor(TM) is your link to trustworthy, reliable information about
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). If you would like
to participate in any of our calls or our other programs, or would
simply like more information, including times and fees, call us at:
1-866-ADDvisor. Or you can email Alan Graham at Alan@... or
Bill Benninger at Bill@.... We will give you the information
you request."

SUMMERTIME AND YOUR ADHD CHILD

We all are aware that ADHD children and teens do best in a structured
predictable environment. Summertime comes and school is out. What
will your child do all day? ADHD kids are very creative and will find
many different things to do, many of which may lead them into
trouble. The more supervision you can provide for your child, the
less likely that they will get into trouble and the more likely they
will have a good summer. What follows is a list of activities you can
arrange for your child.

1. Camp - Camps are great opportunities for your child to be involved
with other children in non academic settings. In addition to the many
overnight and day camps available in all areas of the country, there
are camps designed especially for ADHD children. Some camps, such as
boy scout or girl scout camps, last for a week or two. Other camps
may last 4 to 8 weeks. Decide on which camp would best suit your
child's temperament.

Day camps are often available locally. Sports camps, drama camps,
crafts camps, cheerleading camps, and dance camps are all examples of
structured activities that can key into one of your child's interests
and talents.

It may not be too late to arrange for your child to be in one of
these camps. It is also not too late to begin to plan for next year.

2. Sports - There are sports programs for children of all ages. These
programs may be instructional or competitive but can provide your
child with an opportunity to showcase their talents and have an area
where they are applauded rather than criticized.

3. Vacations - Family vacations can be a nightmare but they can also
be an opportunity to spend "quality time" with your child. Remember
that the most important thing to do to increase the odds of having a
great vacation is to plan ahead and be prepared for anything.
Involving your child in vacation planning and setting up plans to
reinforce appropriate behavior are two good ways to prepare.

When my 3 children were younger (between 3-12), we took 2 week
driving vacations. We devised a behavior modification plan that
reduce the number of backseat battles. ("ewwww!, Don't touch me!
Leave me alone! MOM! Andrew won't leave me alone!)

We divided up the day into 7 parts. Wake up until breakfast;
breakfast; between breakfast and Lunch; lunch; between lunch and
dinner; dinner; and after dinner until bedtime. If the children were
1) respectful to each other; 2) cooperative with following directions
and 3) kept their hands (and other body parts) to themselves, they
received a check on a chart. They could earn up to 7 checks a day -
one for each time period - and 3 bonus check if they got all seven in
a day. At the end of the trip, they could turn in their checks for a
dime apiece. For fourteen days this could amount to $42 but it was
worth the piece of mind of an enjoyable trip. You can vary the time
frames, behaviors to modify and the rewards so that it best suits
your children.

4. Summer School - Often, our ADHD children have to go to summer
school to make up classes so this option has been chosen for them
based on their school performance. Some summer school programs,
however, offer enrichment classes or classes that are not normally in
the school curriculum. These programs can help to fill your child's
day in a positive way.

5. Jobs - A summer job is a wonderful opportunity for your teen to
develop responsible adult behavior and to make some money as well.
Your teen may need some organizational help to look for a job, fill
out an application and to manage day to day work issues.

6. Family projects - Summertime is often a time to complete projects
around the house. Painting the house, cleaning out the basement or
garage, refinishing furniture are projects that, if completed with a
family member, can keep your child occupied for days and help build
responsible behavior.

This is not an exhaustive list nor is every activity appropriate for
every child but the point is: a busy child is a happy child and a
happy parent.


======== This Week ==========

The information in "This Week" has been taken from addconsults.com.
We are grateful to Terry Matlen for permitting us to publish these
articles in our newsletter. Addconsults.com is Terry's personal
website. It lists resources for consultation, finding a professional
and much more, for ADHD. It also is a site where professionals list
their practices.

The ADDA Conference
Contributed by Terry Matlen MSW, ACSW

ADDA 2001, held in Seattle, WA May 3-6 was a huge success. Speakers
included Dr. John Ratey, Dr. Peter Jensen, Thom Hartmann, Sari
Solden, Dr. Tom Brown, Nancy Ratey and many many more. There were
sessions on the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, ADHD and bipolar
disorder, social skills, women with ADD, etc. I had a wonderful time
presenting a session on "Survival Tips for ADHD Women", as well as
co-presenting "Chaos in the Kitchen" with Kate Kelly. If you've never
been to an ADDA conference, you really should make a point of
attending the next one. Not only is it a wonderful learning
experience, but one also feels validated and comforted by being with
hundreds of others with ADD. No one is phased when folks are losing
their keys, dropping notebooks and purses, or forgetting names of the
person they just shared lunch with. It truly is a great feeling.

ADDA's magical talent show included a troupe of local Russian
dancers who entertained the dinner crowd. Even Dr. Jensen got into
the act, when one of the dancers pulled him onto the dance floor for
a folk dance. Later, attendees shared their multitude of talents on
the stage.

Tapes of the conference can be purchased at ADDA's website at
www.add.org. Hope to see you next year!

- Terry

========
Nonstimulant Therapy Shows Effectiveness in ADHD
Contributed by Reuters Health Press Release (Posted on 6/15/01)

An experimental drug could offer an effective nonstimulant
alternative for treating attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), according to Dr. David Michelson, who spoke at the 154th
annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Read more
about this new medication here:
http://taxa.psyc.missouri.edu/abnormal/2001/msg00442.html

===== Please Tell Us! =====

We thank members for their responses to the Newsletter. In order to
give you the best newsletter, we need your feedback. Any comments,
suggestions, or criticisms will be greatly appreciated. Please tell
us what more would you like to see in the newsletter and how we can
improve it.

Please e-mail your comments to us at CHADD_Dimples@....
Simply replying to this e-mail will also send your message to the
right place.


======== Calendar ==========

6/27/2001, Wed. 7-9pm - San Francisco
ADD and Your Medication - Dr. Richard Goldwasser,
CPMC Pacific Campus, San Francisco - Contact: San Francisco Warmline:
415-442-1944
============================
6/27/2001, Wed. 9-10:30am - Marin
Support Group for Parents of Children / Teens with ADHD, Share your
concerns with a parent who really understands.
10 Glen Drive, Mill Valley - Contact: Mary Jo Sorensen: 415-388-8817
============================
7/10/2001, Tues. 7-9pm - Marin
"ADHDers are from Mercury - Romantic Relationships with ADHD" with -
Lew Mills, PhD, Marriage & Family Therapist. Hear how couples are
affected when one or both have ADHD. Pick up strategies to understand
and solve problems from the facilitator of CHADD of Northern
California's online "Partners Group"
(http://www.chaddnorcal.org/Virtual/Partner.htm).
Town Center Corte Madera Community Room, Corte Madera - Contact:
Beverlee: 415-789-9464
============================
7/16/2001, Mon. 7:30 - 9pm - San Francisco
Adult Drop-In Support Group, If you have questions about AD/HD, then
this is where you should to start.
CPMC California Campus, San Francisco - Contact: San Francisco
Warmline: 415-442-1944
============================
7/17/2001, Tues. 7-9pm - Marin
Drop in Support Group, for Adults and Teens with ADHD and Significant Others
Marin Community Mental Health, Greenbrae - Contact: Beverlee: 415-789-9464
============================
7/24/2001, Tues. 6-8:00 PM PST - Online
Chris Zeigler-Dendy - Adolescent ADHD,
CHADD Online Chat, Internet - Contact: Message Line: 510-291-2950
============================
7/25/2001, Wed. 9-10:30am - Marin
Support Group for Parents of Children / Teens with ADHD, Share your
concerns with a parent who really understands.
10 Glen Drive, Mill Valley - Contact: Mary Jo Sorensen: 415-388-8817
============================