Blog

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    Summary of Causes of ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, Blog

    You may have heard in the media that poor diet, food dyes, too much sugar, environmental chemicals, poor schooling, too much TV, poor pre-natal care or poor parenting are causes of ADHD. Whew! It is possible that drug or alcohol use during pregnancy could alter the brain and may be a possible cause of ADHD. As for the other factors, while credible research has not been able to validate any of them as causes of ADHD, they definitely can exacerbate ADHD symptoms. What we do think is that ADHD is a brain based biological disorder, caused by a number of factors that affect how the brain develops and functions. And the one factor that stands out is a neurotransmitter imbalance. Neurotransmitter Imbalance As you know,…

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    ADHD and Time: 4 Steps to Getting Places on Time

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

      Time can be elusive for many with ADHD. So, it is no wonder that running late is a common problem. I bet you have had times when you felt like the man in the picture above. Maybe more often than you would like. Yet, I know you want to get to places on time because you want to be responsible and honor your commitments. It would also be nice to be grounded and present once you arrive at your destination, right? Just think of those times when you arrived someplace feeling like you had just slid into home base. How ready were you to engage in the task before you? Even if getting to places on time has felt like a fire drill up…

  • ADHD and Celebrating Successes – It’s Good for You!

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

      What did you do right last week?  Where did you fall short? Which list is longer? Unfortunately, as is true for many adults with ADHD, you may find that the latter one is longer. This may be a result of your poor memory, as well as your tendency to focus more on what you did wrong than what you did right. Is this true for you? You may not be used to celebrating when things go well. But celebrating, even the smaller victories, is important to your success. In fact, in their book, Delivered from Distraction, Drs Ned Hallowell and John Ratey list Celebrate Victories on their Top Tips for Adult ADD. They note that, …it is important to allow the victorious moments to…

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    ADHD and Performance: Putting The Odds In Your Favor

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

    Why is it that you do not follow through on the goals that are truly important to you?! If you are like most adults with ADHD you may at times scratch your head and wonder why, despite your best intentions, you don’t follow through. Though you may at times question whether this is true, it not because of lack of desire. Remember, you have already decided that the goal is one you truly want to pursue. My guess is that you have not set up your environment to support you in achieving what you want with your ADHD in mind. Time to close the gap between your intentions and actions.

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    Complementary and Alternative Treatments For ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

      Medication might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about treatment for ADHD. You might also think of therapy and ADHD Coaching as means of treatment. True, these are the standard methods of treatment, and the only ones that are fully supported by scientific research as effective treatments in the long term. And for many with ADHD these form the cornerstone of a holistic treatment plan. However, if you consider treatment as a means of reducing the ADHD symptoms that cause you to struggle in your daily life, the options available become more plentiful. You might even be surprised at some of the options I’ve included below. While others may appear to just be common sense. I certainly encourage you…

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    ADHD and Finding Solutions to Problems

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    When faced with a problem, it is all too easy to focus on what is wrong. After all it is a problem! And for many adults with ADHD focusing on the problem may lead to endless non-productive ruminating. Can you think of an example in your own life when a problem seemingly hijacked your brain? You may even have tried distracting yourself with a productive activity, like a project, or a non-productive activity, like watching TV.  But that was only a temporary fix. The thoughts, like the air from a window that has not been properly sealed, kept seeping back into your brain. And the problem remained! So you thought hard about how to solve the problem. Makes sense. You have a problem. You need…

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    ADHD Support: Therapists and ADHD Coaches

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

    Who do you have on your team for support? J. Russell Ramsay, PhD, co-director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program posits that: …with the ADHD medication as a foundation, it’s the psychosocial treatments that can come in and finish the job. However, like many adults with ADHD, you may feel the shame of years of failed accomplishments as a result of living with undiagnosed ADHD, and may be reticent to ask for help. You may even have come to believe that you are not capable of reaching your goal(s) and are ready to give up. Wherever you are in thinking about or attempting your goals, you don’t need do it alone. With help you can reach your potential. Therapy and…

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    ADHD and Medication: How Do I Make the Decision?!

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

    The decision to take medication for ADHD can be complicated for many people. Often made more complicated by pieces in the media, such as the recent article Ritalin Gone Wrong by Alan Sroufe, Ph.D., (NY Times, Jan. 29, 2012). As Dr Ned Hallowell noted in his response on his blog,  Dr. Hallowell’s Blog, Dr. Sroufe’s article is “inflammatory rhetoric” filled with “scare tactics and wrong-headed assumptions.” Articles, like Dr. Sroufe’s, can make it more difficult for you to make a decision, as the rhetoric can really cloud your ability to make an informed decision based on facts, if you let it. To help you arrive at a well thought out decision that works for you I’ve put together a 11 page interactive workbook, ADHD and…

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    ADHD and Making Mistakes – Now What?!

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

      You messed up… If you are playing a big game professionally, you will not get it right 100% of the time. When you push your limits you will inevitably hit some speed bumps along the way. This is true for everyone. And, as an Adult with ADHD, you may have particular challenges. But what do you do when you make a mistake? How do you move forward Interpreting Your Mistakes Do you view each mistake as a sign that you are a screw–up? Perhaps, you see each mistake as an affirmation of your inability to perform well in any realm. And, after each misstep, you proclaim some variation of, “I can’t do anything right.” Unfortunately, this is too common a perspective for many adults…

  • ADHD and To-Do Lists: Planning Your Projects

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

    After writing for a while about David Allen’s GTD and how to adapt it for Adults with ADHD, I thought I had covered some parts sufficiently. But judging by the questions I have been receiving, this is just not so. And I’m not surprised. Creators of many tools and systems assume you are proficient in skills, like decision making and prioritizing, for example.  And, as an Adult with ADHD, you may need help strengthening these skills in order for a tool or system to work well for you. So, if you have tried a tool or system, please don’t assume it will not work for you because a part of it did not come easily.  Get support. Ask questions. In this article I’ll address the…