About ADHDNews.com

ADHDNews.com is a community started by Brandi Valentine in 1995. We have provided help to thousands of families looking for help on ADHD.

I think the fact that it's been around for so long and continues to grow shows that there is a real need for the type of site we have. I also want to thank all of you for making it possible because there would be NO site if it wasn't for YOUR contributions. As most of you know, I feel there is a real wealth of information out there that we, the parents of ADHD children, and ADDults have because we LIVE with ADHD everyday and know first hand what works, what doesn't work, etc.. So again, let me thank you and encourage you to contribute anything you wish to share with others. I truly believe that we can learn just as much from each other as we can from the professionals. If you have any thing you'd like to contribute please send it to me at Brandi@adhdnews.

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A couple of words now about our newsletter, which I might add is growing at a rate of approximately 500 new subscribers a month!

In order to make a mailing list, I have a program that extracts email addresses so when I get an email from someone who wants to subscribe, I place it in a special folder then extract the address for the mail list. Some of you have written to me from your work address and subscribed to a second email address that this program can not distinguish from and so there are some of you who are getting these newsletters at your work address. I apologize for this and I try to catch it when I can but sometimes there is so much other stuff in the newsletter that I fail to notice that the address they want the newsletter sent to is different from the one they are emailing from at the time. I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause and I can only tell you that I'm trying to resolve this as best I can.

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I'm pleased to announce that Rick Pierce, The HyperActive Teacher will be giving us his 2 cents worth every month. He now has his own column with ADDed Attractions and I'm looking forward to receiving it. Now here's The Hyperactive Teacher's Column for August:

Those of us with Attention Deficit get tired of all the negatives. We can't concentrate, we can't sit still, we lose things, we don't follow-through, we can't behave...........

I don't believe in can't. Just because we have difficulty in school, it doesn't mean that we won't excel in life. My dad once told me that not everyone can be rich, the world needs ditch diggers and garbage men as well, revealing his beliefs about my future.

But consider Thomas Edison:

As a child Thomas Edison was always asking questions and getting into trouble. One time, Tom read that balloons floated when filled with gas. He then reasoned that if he filled his younger cousin with gas that he would float. Tom gave his cousin several Alka-seltzer-like laxatives, expecting the boy to float. Needless to say, he didn't float. He almost died.

His mom could not wait to send him to school, so that he could bug someone else, and she could have some peace and quiet.

Her peace and quiet did not last long. After three month of tormenting his schoolmaster with his incessant questions, Tom overheard his schoolmaster tell someone from the district that Tom was addled (confused).

Tom was heartbroken.

Tom's mom was furious.

She pulled him out of school determined to train him herself. She resorted to innovating hands-on teaching methods at a time when such things were never done.

This addled, mischievous young man would later become one of our country's greatest inventors. He invented the light bulb, movie projector, phonograph, ditto machine, carbonized speaker and many other useful items that have change the face of the nation and the world.

What made the difference? His mother never allowed Tom's failures get in the way of his drive to succeed.

I encourage all parents and teachers, never allow day to day frustrations and current failures get in the way of your belief in your children. Do not let them give up on success!

Rick Pierce
The Hyperactive Teacher

Rick Pierce is the author of "How to Help an A.D.D. Child Succeed in Life".

He also speaks and does training for parent groups, teacher groups, and schools. Contact him at hyper@ns.net for more information about book or training programs.

I will be sending out the first issue of ADHD Research Update - a newsletter designed to keep parents up to date on the latest information on ADHD later this month. If you would like to receive this initial issue which will review studies on the relation between ADHD and substance abuse, please send me your request at addhelp@mindspring.com.

One issue covered this month is the importance of gathering objective information when deciding on the use of medication to help treat a child with ADHD. I've developed a procedure for doing this that I use routinely that some of you may be interested in. Details on this are below.