The Top 10 ADDitude Webinars of 2018
From motivation to meditation to medication, our ADHD expert webinars covered essential topics with insight, understanding, and practical advice. Look back on some of our most popular webinars of 2018 — and expand your toolkit for the year ahead.
"Sleep and the ADHD Brain: Why It’s Critical and How to Get More"
Sleep problems are highly correlated with attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD), but there remains confusion about why they overlap and the best practices to address them in children. What’s more, professionals often neglect to consider sleep problems when assessing a child or adult for ADHD, and parents too often overlook the vital role that sleep plays in healthy attention and brain development.
Experts Joel Nigg, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Super, M.D., explain that concerns over sleep are very different in teens than in pre-adolescent children — and different again in adults. The good news is, sleep challenges correctly identified at any stage of life, are usually resolved pretty quickly.
"I thought the webinar was excellent. I'm going to ask my son's doctor for a referral for a sleep apnea evaluation." —Debbie S.
"Excellent content. Every time I listen to one of your broadcasts I learn a bit more about ADHD. I am so glad I found your website as the content and resources available are just great. Thank you for being the light and support system in my life. With much gratitude," —Teresa H.
"As a parent of an adolescent ADHD daughter and an adult-ish (19-year-old) ADHD daughter, and as an ESE Resource Specialist in my school district, I highly value your resources. Thank you!" —Mike S.
"How Diet, Sleep, Exercise & Behavioral Interventions Can Reduce ADHD Symptoms in Children"
Medications are an important part of the treatment toolkit for many patients with ADHD, but they don't work for everyone. Each child with ADHD needs a holistic treatment plan — one that targets symptoms while taking into account the whole child and his or her interactions with family, friends, school, and community. ADHD expert Dr. Sandy Newmark describes interventions such as nutritional supplements, the benefit of exercise, and the importance of sleep.
"This was a broad-based, very informative webinar that gave a lot of useful information that could be introduced into a treatment plan without a lot of difficulty. Thank you." —Brenda M.
"Dr Newmark's presentation was excellent! Please thank him for the specific recommendations and references to multiple scientific studies, which my fact-driven son will appreciate. One of the best webinars yet." —L. C.
"Dr. Newmark's no-nonsense practical, substantiated information and advice was incredibly valuable. ADHD kids have so much to offer and are such a delight, it is so helpful to get ideas on how to help them with their struggles. This was an hour very well spent." —Margaret A.
"ADHD Over 50: Old Age, ADHD, or Something Else?"
ADHD is a lifelong disorder, but it is not identified or diagnosed by clinicians in older adults as often as it should be. ADHD is also highly genetic, running through generations of a family. Baby Boomers grew up at a time when ADHD was hardly considered a plausible diagnosis. As a result, older adults with signs of forgetfulness and distractibility today may fail to realize that these lifelong symptoms are really ADHD.
David W. Goodman, M.D., FAPA, explains why its important to diagnose and treat ADHD in older adults who have lived with it their whole lives.
"Excellent presentation. This is very useful information for me to share with an older adult in my family who has our family traits of ADHD but was never diagnosed. Also it's encouraging to hear from a doctor who is taking a careful and thorough look at ADHD in older adults. This is an area that needs more attention in our medical system. So it's good to know there is work being done in this area and hopefully more doctors will be inspired to learn about this. Thank you!" —Angela G.
"Fabulous information. It was a huge challenge to find a clinician who would test and diagnose me. It took years. I finally got a stimulant and it has improved my life. My son was diagnosed with ADD and it just clicked. I realized my mom and aunt had it too. It was such a relief. I had a very successful career as a creative director, and doctor after doctor just blew me off. I was ultra organized and creative at work and my ADD was a gift. But in other areas of my life it was a nightmare." —Joyce S.
"As a 68 year old, recently diagnosed, I am so grateful to have taken that step. It explains so much about my experience and poor decision making I made throughout my life. I recommend anyone take this step. Thank you for underlining that knowledge at any age gives you choices and self awareness. Great presentation - clearly presented and compassionately delivered." —Ruth S.
"How Parents and Teachers Can Use Brain Science to Increase Motivation in Children with ADHD"
In this webinar, Jerome Schultz, Ph.D. focuses on the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and why it's so challenging to motivate kids with ADHD. He provides a simple but effective formula that will get children, adolescents, and young adults with ADHD from “here to there” and feel really good about making the journey.
"Thank you for this helpful resource! I am a middle school special education teacher and also the mother of a child with ADHD (combined type) with behavioral issues. Sometimes I feel lost in a sea of information and strategies and the conciseness of the webinars is wonderful. " —Kristen S.
"Fabulous! Can apply the info and insights to a wide age range and school setting. For parenting, homework time also. Thank you for this, Dr. Schultz & ADDitude!" —C.S.
"This was an EXCELLENT seminar, and I feel like the presenter offered some very meaningful insight into the experience of the ADD/ADHD student at school, as well as providing very specific strategies that I can put to use immediately in classroom and tutoring situations. I would be interested in hearing more from this presenter in the future and exploring additional resources on this topic. THANK YOU so much for this useful and relevant webinar!" —Jane M.
"Screen Time for the ADHD Brain: Technology Rules and Systems for Easily Distracted Teens"
The ubiquity of screens today is impossible to ignore and even harder to manage, especially if your teen has ADHD. Wes Crenshaw, Ph.D., reminds us that screens are really really distracting — and can become a tremendous way to avoid the things we need to (but don’t want to) get done. He argues that the key to using screen time productively, for many families, is the establishment of a parent-child agreement and system designed to maximize the value of electronic tools and to minimize the downside.
"The 5 Ws and an H was priceless. I wish we would have had this years ago. The presenter was so informative and knowledgeable with real tangible strategies which makes a world of a difference!" —Sandra J.
"Good to know what's in store for the future! My kids are still 7 or younger. Thanks for the useful ideas. I particularly like the electronics 'cookie jar' idea." —Ethan V.
"Wes was great! Highly recommend to any parent struggling with electronics!" —Jennifer S.
"9 Ways Occupational Therapy Tackles the Symptoms of ADHD"
Attention disorders can cause children to feel out of sync with the challenges of school, home, and of mastering life skills. These struggles can lead to stress, anxiety, and poor self-esteem.
As a parent, you may be using lots of therapies — coaching, counseling, working with tutors, medication — to manage your child’s symptoms. Cara Koscinski, MOT, OTR/L, says occupational therapy should be one of them. OT improves the skills kids need for daily living and gives them the confidence to succeed in life. What’s more, parents can use OT strategies at home to help their children thrive.
"I loved her use of pictures and graphic images. That really helped me (an ADHD mom) focus and understand what she was saying." —Michelle W.
"As a provisionally licensed counselor who has only been working with kids/youth with ADHD for four months, this was the single most helpful hour I have spent learning about how to help those with ADHD. Can't thank you enough!" —Richard A.
"Brilliant webinar yet again. Really appreciated the practical advice, references and sample sheets. Have downloaded the slides on this one! Thank-you." —Melinda M.
"You’ve Got This! Motivating Teens Without Threats or Arguments"
Whether it’s homework, chores, or extracurricular projects, your teen takes forever to get started — and needs a steady stream of reminders to finish. Many parents of teens with ADHD feel exasperated and exhausted trying to teach responsibility, motivation, and follow-through. It turns out the only way to successfully motivate teens with ADHD is with a strength-based, collaborative approach.
Sharon Saline, Psy.D., says that together, you can develop routines based on incentives that matter to your teen. The strategies presented in this webinar will teach all-important executive functioning skills that increase personal accountability and foster independence. Over time, kids procrastinate less as they learn how to motivate themselves more and rely on you less.
"Very practical and encouraging... ADHD is not the plague to be avoided, but rather one of the unique issues we need to understand in order to deal with it." —Esther B.
"Enjoyed Sharon's delivery and explanations about 1) how to preserve connection while giving teens the autonomy they desire and 2) how to solicit buy-in from your ADHD teen." —Michelle O.
"I needed this so much! Thank you. I'll be listening to the replay again. I have been at my wit's end with my 14-year-old son — and me — we both are inattentive/impulsive and I home-school. Lots of head butting. Thanks for some easy to implement solutions!" —Kara S.
"The Right Way to Train Your Brain: How to Improve Processing Speed and Executive Function with Games and Apps"
Brain training apps and games are touted as transformational. But do these tools actually help children and adults with ADHD? Can they improve executive functions, processing speed, and sustained attention in real, measurable ways? Randy Kulman, Ph.D., and James Daley say yes — with a caveat or two.
To maximize the benefits of brain training, you must first identify the most appropriate tools for each individual’s needs. This requires research and lots of comparison. Then, you must combine brain training with cutting-edge teaching approaches that bring into the real world the skills learned in games and apps.
"I thought the webinar was VERY informative. My 14-year-old son is constantly playing video games on his phone and computer; so why not have them be BRAIN-related? I'm so grateful I tuned in. Thank you ADDitude Magazine!" —Diana V.
"Very interesting. Good to hear that what I experience and observe (e.g., slow getting ready for school, slow responding to questions, etc.) is tied to the measured and documented processing speed issues. Good to have the fitness analogy (“Have to keep it up...”). Overall, great session." —Dominique I.
"As a webinar facilitator myself, I found this to be a wonderfully informative webinar. I am a parent learning how to: manage and build executive function skills with my 4th grader, train his teachers on how best to work with him, and develop an appropriate IEP to address his skill gaps (challenges are ADHD impulsivity, disorganization, behavior outbursts, and below average Working Memory). Any lists I could be added to for related information would be lovely. Thank you and well done." —Heather C.
"How to Create Systems and Structures for Children and Teens with ADHD, ODD, and Anxiety"
You want to get things organized in your home — to make family and school life run more smoothly — but consistency is fleeting, if it sticks at all. You put reminders in place with only the best intentions, but they rarely work as you planned. And, wow, that’s frustrating.
Systems and structures only succeed when you focus on the change you’re trying to achieve, and you can learn to do that with a “coach approach” to problem solving. Elaine Taylor-Klaus, PCC, CPCC, and Diane Dempster, M.A., explain how to get things done — without shouldering every responsibility yourself.
"The practical steps to managing children's outbursts and remembering to understand it is the ADHD, not taking it personally was important to hear reinforced." —Debbie R.
"I really liked the format of the webinar. It was easy to ask difficult questions anonymously. Ms. Taylor-Klaus and Ms. Dempster did not shy away from difficult questions and situations that were asked. They were very compassionate and knowledgeable." —Vicki W.
"I like how the speakers put the onus on the adult and not the child, to manage ADD households." —Yvonne L.
"From Shame and Stigma to Pride and Truth: It’s Time to Celebrate ADHD Differences"
Society uses shame to ensure conformity. But what if a person can’t conform because of his or her neurology? Many highly creative and original people in the world have one or more mental differences, and it is time for us to bring them out of the shadows of stigma and shame and into the sunlight of truth, pride, and confidence.
Edward (Ned) Hallowell, M.D., and William Dodson, M.D., say that it is hard to be different from most other people, but that taking pride in your differences is the first step toward navigating the world successfully. ADHD and learning differences come with challenges, but adults and kids with these conditions also have a host of special talents, abilities, and gifts. It is out of ignorance and fear that people ridicule and diminish those of us who are differently wired, too often robbing us of the chance to thrive and contribute to the world.
"This was one of the best presentations on ADHD that I have ever heard. I especially appreciate your comments about someone with ADHD and LD being hardwired that way." —Viola T.
"Thank you for today's webinar. It was very helpful in helping me 'see' my son beyond the ADHD label and have a bit of a better understanding of what days are like for him. I look forward to sharing the link with my husband so we can watch & listen again and make some adjustments." —L.K.T.
"The presenters provided great perspectives and insight about how we need to respond to the students/children. Worth every minute." —Joyce H.
