This week's ADHD Solution: Talk to yourself.

They used to say that talking to yourself is a sign of insanity.  Then they said it’s okay to talk to yourself, as long as you don’t answer.  I must be crazy, because I have conversations with myself all the time.   I happen to think it’s healthy.   It’s hard to keep things straight in the ADHD brain with so many different thoughts racing around in there.  Verbalizing helps us sort through things.  Saying something out loud makes it more tangible, and thus easier to follow and remember. 

I think crazy vs. sane, or healthy vs. unhealthy, has more to do with how you talk to yourself than with whether or not you do it.  It’s crazy and unhealthy to berate yourself.  It’s sane and quite beneficial to find that voice of reason and give it air time, letting it be your guide.  

Here are some examples of healthy self talk:

•    I can do this!

•    Ignore the computer.  It’s a trap!

•    Is this really what I want to be doing?

•    I’ll feel much better after this is done.  

•    What can I do differently next time?

Here are some statements you’d be better served to put a lid on:

•    I am so stupid!

•    Why can’t I do anything right?

•    Nothing ever goes my way.

•    Why am I so irresponsible?

•    Why do I always make things so difficult?

Self talk is powerful.  The choice is yours whether you use it to your advantage or your detriment.  As Don Miguel Ruiz said in his book “The Four Agreements”, be impeccable with your word.  Don’t use it against yourself.  You’ll be much happier if you always make it a point to treat yourself with respect.

(www.adhdsolutions.net)

Boys with ADHD may become obese adults

Boys with ADHD may be at risk for obesity later in life, according to a new study - which, if confirmed in larger studies, may have implications for the more than 4 million kids in the United States living with the disorder.

Researchers at NYU's Langone Medical Center have been following more than 200 kids for four decades. They found those who had ADHD in their early years were twice as likely to be obese at age 41.

"This study was started by Dr. Rachel Klein in 1970, and it involved a number of waves of evaluation, during which the results of having hyperactivity in childhood were assessed," said Dr. F. Xavier Castellanos, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU and one of the study authors.

"We brought back individuals who were 41 years of age, and examined a number of measures, including brain imaging analyses.  But during those brain imaging analyses, we noted that men who had been hyperactive children had a greater difficulty sitting in the scanner - they were too large for the research scanner."

That's when the idea took shape to look at all of the subjects' height and weight.  Castellanos and his team instantly noticed the high levels of obesity – twice as high as those adults who never suffered from ADHD.

"This was not the first time this has been noted, so in that sense it is a confirmation," said Castellanos. "But other studies have not been able to be as definitive. Other studies have found a general tendency towards increased weight, but this is the first study that puts this in terms of clear clinical obesity."

However, there is no clear reason as to why ADHD may lead to obesity.

"The most reasonable explanation is that the characteristics of ADHD which involve being impulsive - having a difficult time selecting between (things) that maybe immediately gratifying but in the long run are not such a good idea - that that translates to the choices that are made at lunchtime and dinner and snacking," said Castellanos, though he said there was no direct evidence of that being the case, only speculation.

Other experts say while this correlation appears to be strong, more research needs to be done.

"The sample size was relatively small, and they only looked at white men," said CNN.com expert Dr. Jennifer Shu, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "That said, their conclusion summed it up nicely: people need to be aware that having childhood ADHD may put them at risk for later obesity."

Shu also suggested another possible explanation for the link - current treatments are largely centered around stimulant medications, which tend to reduce appetite. If the medication is stopped, appetite increases and patients may start gaining weight.

The bottom line, says Castellanos?

"It's very difficult across the board for people to lose weight and keep it off, so it's one of those things that is really best prevented," he said. "That's the major importance of alerting the public - we can look into the future and say, 'This is coming up, so it's better to not ignore this potential risk and wait for it to become a problem.'"

Post by: Matt Sloane - CNN Medical Producer

SAP stellt bis 2020 Hunderte Autisten ein

Der deutsche Softwarekonzern SAP will in den kommenden Jahren Hunderte Autisten zu Softwaretestern und Programmierern ausbilden. Bis 2020 soll ein Prozent der weltweit zuletzt rund 65.000 Mitarbeiter von SAP Menschen mit autistischer Störung sein, teilte das Unternehmen heute in Walldorf mit. Schätzungen zufolge leidet in der Bevölkerung etwa derselbe Anteil an Autismus.

SAP suche Menschen, die anders denken, erklärte Personalchefin Luisa Delgado den Ansatz. Die Walldorfer arbeiten mit Specialisterne zusammen, einer dänischen Initiative, die es sich zum Ziel gesetzt hat, eine Million Autisten, die intellektuell nicht eingeschränkt sind, ins Arbeitsleben zu bringen.

Suche nach „spezialisierten Menschen“
Bereits seit 2011 beschäftigt SAP Autisten in seinem Entwicklungslabor in Indien, im vergangenen Jahr startete ein weiteres Pilotprojekt mit Specialisterne in Irland. Dem sollen nun acht weitere Länder folgen. In diesem Jahr startet SAP das Programm in Deutschland, den USA und Kanada.

Für SAP sei das Projekt eine Chance, im weltweiten Kampf um talentierte IT-Mitarbeiter besonders spezialisierte Menschen zu finden, sagte Anka Wittenberg, die bei SAP für Vielfalt und Integration zuständig ist. Der Softwarekonzern habe die Erfahrung gemacht, dass in besonders durchmischten Teams nicht nur die Produktivität steige, sondern auch die Kundenzufriedenheit.

Orf.at, publiziert am 21.05.2013.

Daft Punk - Get Lucky (Official Audio) ft. Pharrell Williams

Now that's not a video for people who have AD(H)D *giggle*

Tip: Minute 2:20

How my brain works

Elternseminar: ADHS – Wie das Zusammenleben gelingen kann

Elternseminar nach dem Modell d. Gewaltfreien Kommunikation

Das Zusammenleben mit ADHS-Kindern bringt einiges an Herausforderungen: ungebremste Impulsivität, heftige Wutausbrüche, Konzentrationsprobleme, Zappeligkeit, niedrige Frustrationstoleranz, die Weigerung, vereinbarte Regeln einzuhalten, häufigen Streit mit Geschwistern, Mitschüler/inne/n oder Bezugspersonen – der Alltag wird von vielen Beteiligten als sehr belastend erlebt, und das Umfeld (Schule, Nachbarn, Familie) zeigt nicht immer Verständnis. Niemand kennt ADHS-Kinder besser als ihre Eltern, niemand liebt sie mehr, niemand kann ihnen so hilfreich zur Seite stehen wie sie. Ziel dieses Workshops ist es, Eltern Ressourcen zur Verfügung zu stellen, die das Zusammenleben erleichtern und eine individuelle Förderung der ADHS-Kinder ermöglichen. Die kommunikativen Strategien, die hier vorgestellt und geübt werden, beruhen auf der Methode der „Gewaltfreien Kommunikation“, die von M. Rosenberg entwickelt wurde, um gegenseitiges Vertrauen und Verständnis aufzubauen und Konflikte nachhaltig zu lösen. Empfehlung: Besuch des Einführungsvortrages zum Thema ADHS oder Lektüre entsprechender Fachbücher.

Referentin: Mag.ª Dominique Kerschbaumer-de Valon (Sprach- und Kommunikationstrainerin, zertifizierte Elternberaterin und -trainerin bei ADS-ADHS, selbst Mutter eines ADS-Kindes)

Termin: Montag, 17.00–21.00 Uhr; 5 Einheiten: 8., 15., 22. April, 6., 13., 27. Mai 2013

Kosten: 120,–

Ort: Donaucity-Kirche / Untergeschoß, Donaucitystraße 2, 1220 Wien

Anm. erforderlich: Tel. 01/27 15 023-22 oder bildungszentrum@bildungswerk.at

Thank God no demons anymore! (ADD/ADHD Drug Free: Natural Alternatives and Practical Exercises)

So, after taking Concerta now for many many many years, I started having paranoia like character changes and hallucinations when about to falling asleep.

Plunging down or seeing demons who are attacking you and trying to suffocate you is not really funny, especially when you deeply believe in God and therefore also believe that the evil exists *brrrr* May God protect us from the evil!

So today is my first drug free day *yay* and I want to use the chance and warn everyone to rely too much on meds and advise everyone to use them with caution!

This is the book I want to read now, but no idea yet, if it's good: