On NPR this morning there was a segment on “smart drugs” or “study drugs” on college campuses. This isn’t a new issue, but it’s still an important issue. One that we need to continually talk to our college-age kids about.
College students are using Adderall (or it’s cousin Ritalin) to help them study. Adderall and Ritalin are commonly prescribed to kids with Attention-deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD). It helps a person stay on task, boosts concentratioin, and helps him/her stay focused. All things college students are looking for when studying for a big test.
One girl said “Addy” (as college students often …read more

I’ve mentioned before how my teenager struggles with homework. We’ve tried everything to get him motivated to get his work done, but nothing seems to work. All of his teachers tell us he is a pleasure to have in class and is very smart. He just doesn’t do his homework so his grades are terrible.
A few months ago he was diagnosed with ADD. I felt terrible because we waiting so long to talk to our doctor about this diagnosis. I really think if we had gone to the doctor sooner, it would have helped him tremendously. Now he’s about to …read more

When my oldest was in first grade he was still living with his mom and visiting us on holidays and summers. One Thanksgiving we planned a trip to Disney World so he had to miss a few days of school. He brought his homework with him along with a letter from his teacher. It said things like, “he’s not organized,” “he’s always distracted,” “he doesn’t turn in his homework” and on and on. I was pretty ticked off. Never once did she tell us what she was doing to work on these behaviors. It was all just “here’s what he …read more

Teens with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are often given extra attention and help with academics and sports, but how about preparing them for life without daily monitoring by parents and teachers? How will these teens do once they are in the college dorms, have their own apartment or in the work force? As parents, we need to prepare our teens (with ADD and those without) with the tools to make it on their own.
An article at ADDvance, titled Helping Your Teen with ADD (ADHD) Prepare for Independence has a detailed list of the activities and tasks your teen needs to …read more