Please share some do's and don'ts when it comes to adhd.

DO: Do get a full assessment by a trained professional before you consider a trial of medication.

Become: Become educated about understanding your illness. Work on behavior habits, not just taking meds.

Inattention: Inattention makes them not complete tasks and move on to others, so they appear hyperactive.

Understand: Understand that children with adhd have inattention and it is very difficult for them to focus.

Check: Check for food sensitivities such as artificial colors and flavors, additives and preservatives.

Stimulation: Stimulation to focus will help with the symptoms.

Include: Include behavioral therapy and medications. Medications work better when combined with therapy.

Optimize: Optimize omega-3 fatty acids. Try 1000 mg daily of epa+dha from fish oil or algae-based.

Omega: Omega 3 essential fatty acid can help your child a lot.

Set: Set up a special time to read books with your child each day. Familiar structure helps them focus.

Pinpoint: Pinpoint the problems your child is having and determine how you can help.

Try: Try a variety of novel strategies to remind your child about chores and other responsibilities.

Help: Help your child to explore things around her by taking her on a walk or wagon ride.

Use: Use positive phrases when giving instructions.

Give: Give one direction at a time. Multi-step directions can get confusing and overwhelming.

Give: Give your child attention and praise when they follows instructions.

Instead: Instead of having your child pick out his own outfit for school, lay out two outfits the night before.

When: When you notice the early signs of a stress meltdown, take a timeout.

Follow: Follow a routine. It is important to set a time and a place for everything to help a child with adhd.

Work: Work closely with your doctor, psychologist and/or adhd coach to create a treatment plan.

Try: Try to understand the problem and how it affects you and your child’s life.

Trust: Trust that your child can learn, change, mature, and succeed.

Keep: Keep things in perspective. Remember that your child’s behavior is related to a condition.

Don’t: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Be willing to make some compromises.

Remember: Remember in raising a child with add/adhd, you don’t have to do it alone. Find support groups online!

Schedule: Schedule regular meals or snacks no more than 3 hours apart. Knowing what to expect enforces structure.

Set: Set a time and a place for everything to help the child with adhd understand and meet expectations.

Allow: Allow enough time for what your child needs to do, such as homework or getting ready in the morning.

Simplify: Simplify your child’s schedule.They may become distracted if there are many after-school activities.

Make: Make sure your child has a quiet, private space of their own.

Take: Take high quality fish oils especially dha. Zinc, B12 injections, taurine, magnesium may prevent.

Give: Give full attention to your child, be there in person, don't let tv + junk food do the job for you!

Decrease: Decrease simple sugar & colored foods. Medications, stable home environment & meditation will help.

Lead: Lead a balanced lifestyle, laugh at yourself and learn time management.

Stay: Stay organized. During work, focus on only one thing at a time. Decrease distractions. Prioritize.

DO:: Do: have fixed routine & stick to it. Don't use chocolate, decongestants, marijuana or antihistamines.

AAP: Aap standard of care is to use a stimulant medication in the treatment of adhd. 10/2011 see files.

ADHD: Adhd can be related to, and caused by, an underactive thyroid gland.

Don't: Don't use stimulants (concerta, Adderall (dextroamphetamine and racemic amphetamine) etc) if blood pressure is high. They worsen hypertension.

Brain: Brain based disorders e.g. Adhd can't be prevented but strong parenting can help your child deal with it.

Study: Study shows that short bursts of exercise in children is equal to one of the medical treatments.

Make: Make prioritized "to do" list. Check off each item as it is completed and stick to the list.

Have: Have a detailed discussion with your doctor about medication choices. Inform your decision.

"Drug: "drug holidays" are a thing of the past. Medications should be on board at all times.

About: About 50% of those with adhd have sleep apnea. Have a sleep study.

Talk: Talk with your doctor about using symptom lists to monitor your responses to medications & doses.

Make: Make a priority list. Someone with adhd often has problem deciding what to do first.

First: First step is accurate diagnosis.

They: Myth: they can't ever focus. Reality - many individuals are capable of "hyperfocus".

Knowledge: Knowledge about the condition and understanding it, is paramount in successful coping.

Do: Do embrace it... Don't fear it... It is who you are so study it like a subject. Knowledge is power!

Keep: Keep diary to let doc know what time of day symptoms are bothering you, to adjust meds accordingly.

ADHD: Adhd meds: one of the few things in psychiatry that has potential to transform someone overnight.

Stay: Stay calm. Be compassionate. Avoid shouting matches or power struggles.

Build: Build on strengths instead of magnifying weaknesses.

Listen: Listen to your teen with adhd and help them develop social skills.

With: With a teenager with adhd, stand your ground on important topics. You are the authority.

Living: Living with a teenager with adhd, give them choices. That promotes confidence and autonomy.

Don't: Don't let adhd be diagnosed too easily in your child. Seek a second opinion!

Don't: Don't be quick to commit your child to meds. Do research of adhd on your own.

Research: Research adhd for yourself. Look for different ways and not just focus on meds. Monitor progress.

Medicines: Medicines can decrease activity level. They cannot teach good behaviors.

Medicines: Medicines can decrease impulsivity. They do not teach how to control anger or how to be happy.

Medicines: Medicines can decrease reactivity & aggression, but do not motivate you or make you try new skills.

If: If treatment has been suggested, and pills taken, and still no change, question the diagnosis.

During: During pregnancy, avoid things that harm the fetus: alcohol, pcb's, cigarette smoke, chemicals...

Living: Living with adhd is not easy. Organize your life with structure and habits to help you stay focused.

U: You can't prevent adhd; it's physiological. You can learn ways to control it as much as possible.

ADHD:: Get a good psyche evaluation, try medication , work with a psychologist on behavior modification.

Don't: Don't be limited by adhd; if you have it you can work around it to achieve your desired performance.

Myth:: Myth: people with adhd can't ever focus. When they do focus they have trouble stopping that activity.

Acceptance: Acceptance of the illness. It is not you, and seek treatment!

Stimulants,: Stimulants, strattera (atomoxetine) (a med that increases norepinephrine), guanfacine, and exercise.

Make: Make sure to follow your eating schedule so as not to lose too much weight while on medicines.

Do: Do remember to take your medicine according to your schedule.

Hyperactivity: Hyperactivity can be an unrecognized food allergy. Start by removing red dye & food additives.

Keep: Keep regular sleep hours, exercise, and make lists.

The: The key is to make sure the diagnosis is correct !

Do: Do not blame a child with adhd for inability to focus.It is result of the problem, not intentional.

No: No herbal cures have been proven to work, despite claims.

Do: Do not refuse medication if it a last resort, after all other strategies have failed.

Magnesium: Magnesium and b6 can improve some symptoms of adhd.

Build: Build compensating skills. See mistakes as data to learn about your brain &keep refining the skills.

Don't: Don't expect it to be easy. Many things are harder for people w/adhd so be patient but persistent.

Watch: Watch your child sleep. If your child snores or is restless, they could have x sleep disorder.

Newer: Newer stimulant medications are longer acting, allowing for convenience in dosing & lower tolerance.

Always: Always take adhd med exactly as prescribed. Taking more of a controlled substance is illegal.

You: You can't prevent adhd, but early diagnosis and treatment can help a great deal.

Treatment: Treatment for adhd is surgical: remove the tonsils and adenoids and cure the apnea in 10% add kids.

Neurofeedback: Neurofeedback and cogmed are research supported options for adhd treatment without medication.

Be: Be sure to get a careful evaluation that rules out any medical condition that may cause inattention.

Spend: Spend time each day with your ADHD child just playing! step away from regulating and just have fun!

Do: Do have a child tested. Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Even test adults!

Help: Help your child with adhd to clean their teeth (brush, floss &rinse) for as long as needed!

Long-acting: Long-acting meds are more costly, but stability of blood levels and duration of action are worth it.

Too: Too often we parents forget that discipline really means "to teach" not "to punish".

At: At least tow-thirds of children ; adults with adhd have another related condition.

Be: Be in therapy while taking medications so you learn to prioritize, organize, and de-impulsivize!

Ignore: Multitasking is a myth.It's a proven fact that one can really only attend to one thing at a time.

Ignore: Take frequent breaks when studying, every 15-20 min.

Ignore: Your nutrition is very important. Avoid sugar, chemicals and preservatives in your diet.

Ignore: Regular bed time and no tv or music system or any other distractions in bedroom.

Ignore: Understand that true add affects all aspects of life and social relationships and is a lifelconditio.

Ignore: Certain types of therapy can be very helpful.

Ignore: Keep yor kids active with outdoor activities and avoid ipad, phone and tv.

Ignore: Encourage anything but tv, ipad or iphone or lead pad or the like. Encourage outdoor and crafts.

Don't: Don't take stimulant medications too late in the morning/day or you might have trouble sleeping.

Ignore: Make sure you eat well as some adhd medications can lead to decreased appetite.

Ignore: You can do important things like study, in a room with no tv or other distracting things.

Ignore: Feed your infant every 3 to 4 hours for brain development. Avoid cereal to keep him asleep longer.

Ignore: First, start with non-medication interventions that improve attention, focus and concentration.

The: The behaviors associated with adhd are due to the problem and may be very difficult to control.

Ignore: While behavioral strategies can help, medications remain mainstay of treatment.

Medication: Medication for adhd early on can improve the relationship between you and your child throughout life.

Dont: Dont give your child soda since it may be associated with aggression in children.

Ignore: Sugar free caffeine containing drinks may help attention in adhd.

Ignore: Does your child snore? Adhd can sometimes be related to poor sleep from issues like large tonsils.

Ignore: Consider both mainstream and complimentary treatments. Both yoga and meditation has shown benefit.

Teach: Teach your kids healthy organizational habits from an early age: encourage physical exercise ; sleep.

Real: Real adhd? Have a structured environment, dont get lax enforcing rules, lot of problems'll resolve.

Ignore: Do take any prescription stimulants as directed so they will keep working as you avoid tolerance.

Dr. Monastra: I really enjoy this radio show and the psychologist (Dr. Monastra) who was interviewed provided a lot of helpful ADHD info. It focused on children, but the info could also help an adult. Check it out. http://www.creatingafamily.org/radioshow/raising-and-loving-a-child-with-adhd.html.

Ignore: Using calm discipline is best- time out, distraction, removing the child from the situation.

Ignore: Adults don't have ADHD, they can have poor concentration + anxiety but that is caused by amphetamins.

Ignore: Do not assume every hyperactive behavior is caused by ADHD. Consult a professional in the field.

Ignore: Don't expect medication to be the entire solution. Use behavioral techniques too.

Ignore: Don't take meds in the evening because they will keep you from having a good night sleep.

Ignore: ADHD is a behavioral diagnosis. Therefore it is a very difficult dx to make accurately.

Ignore: Do be kind to yourself. As a parent it can be hard. Don't allow child's routine to be irregular.