›› Information on ADHD
We may feel like
some of the most unlucky, most victimized people on the planet if we
have ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder), also known as ADD
or adult ADD. But we might also appreciate that we are some
of the most spoiled people in history thanks to the internet with its
abundance of sources for information on ADHD. And thanks to the
brilliant, experienced, and qualified specialists who provide books,
magazines, video and audio information on ADHD.
But maybe you have yet to experience the books, magazines (yes, whole
magazines are devoted to Attention Deficit Disorder), articles, and
other media sources giving up-to-date and exceptionally helpful
information on ADHD, ADD, and the companion maladies (such as
depression, manic episodes, and illnesses related to or brought on as a
fallout of our having this complex disorder).
So here are a few places for you to look, sources for you to consult,
or communities for you to join:
ADDitude Magazine - I found copies of this in my
colleague’s office, where, as a differential skills therapist
she worked with many students with ADHD. The magazine is so
real-world coping, so progressive and proactive, I subscribed to it
after reading the first two or three articles.
Any books by Thom Hartmann—Dr. Hartman, an ADD specialist,
has clinical, casual, and readable materials. He also writes
of a theory he has about ADDers, saying we are the hunters in a
hunter-gatherer society—where secretaries, assistants,
accountants, and agents, for instance, are our gatherers to our
creative, out there, dynamic go-go-go
personalities…. That book is titled ADHD Secrets
of Success, though his other books and articles are equally fascinating
and supportive.
You Mean I’m Not Crazy, Stupid, or Lazy? Will, if
you have never read any information on ADHD yet, change your
life. It was the first book I grabbed after a student with
whom I worked and a friend recommended it to me. It is
written by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo, and is thorough, candid, and
most informative. Also good to know, maybe, is that
publishers rejected this book many times, so the authors humped it to
bookstores until it finally got taken (by a VERY wise
publisher). It is one of the best-selling books on ADHD, and
when you read it, you will know why, and you will agree.
Other supportive and ADHD-proactive authors include Sari Solden and
Michelle Novotni, who both tout and praise the creative side of ADDers,
when many have written us off as having merely behavioral
problems. Au contraire, say Novotni and Solden: we are some
of the most creative people one could ever hope to meet.
And here are some urls for sites and specialists with whom I have
limited experience but whom and which I have studied intensely:
ADHD WEBSITES and SPECIALISTS
ADD Consults-- http://www.addconsults.com/
All Kinds of Minds--allkindsofminds.org
Disabled Peoples International—dpi.org
Disability Information + Resources-- http://www.makoa.org/index.htm
Information Center on Disabilities and Gifted Children --
http://ericec.org/digests/e560.html
Learning Disabilities Resources--
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Strategies/Disability/LD/ld_resources.html
National Arts and Disability Center-- http://nadc.ucla.edu/
PSPIZ—Artists with Disabilities-- http://www.pspiz.net/
Breath & Shadow, ROSC's Journal of Literature and Disability
Culture-- http://www.abilitymaine.org/breath/
So we can quit bellyaching any time now, for not only are we gifted, I
think, with the unusual talents and skills that come with being an
ADDer, but we are gifted with technology, sources, and resources for
information on ADHD that not many before us (say, 20 years ago) knew
about or had access to.
››
A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
