Listen to The Radio Interview
On Wednesday April 2, 2008, I was interviewed on CKTB with host Laurie Walsh. She asked me to clarify how ADD/ADHD is a gift.
I answered her in 7 minutes and 29 seconds.
…and I’m able to share that interview with you right here.
Just click on the ‘plus’ sign below, and you’ll start to hear this radio interview:
Enjoy!
Dr. Kenny
p.s. Remember - get your copy of Find The Genius In ADD here, and let people know about it!
p.p.s. Join the conversation about this new view of ADD - right here
p.p.p.s. If you want to hear more more of my ‘ADHD Talk Radio’ interviews, just click over here to my blog (and scroll down to hear ADHD Talk Radio)
Dr. Kenny Handleman,
Thank you for bringing the gifts and positive qualities of ADHD to the media.
I have been coaching ADHD students and adults and my main focus is always finding the gifts, strengths and benefits of living with ADHD.
Thank you for sharing this tool with the public and I will be sharing it with my clients.
JD
I am hearing what you say about the positives of ADD. My questions are: Did these famous people with ADD have medication? And, what happens when my child is on medication (I have just been given a prescription for adderall for my teen, who is not coping in school), would you be saying that medication is not needed now? If my child is on medication does the positives stay with the child or are there changes due to the medication? I am interested in learning more about your findings.
My experience (having a son and a husband with ADHD) is that the medication helps them to use these great parts of ADHD even more. My husband is a musician and is brilliantly creative, and he says that the Ritalin doesn’t take any away, it makes everyday living easier and lets him use his energy to develop his creative parts. From my side, the Ritalin has made huge differences in his interpersonal communication and changed our marriage for the better.
All I want to know is that my daughter is labelled as a day dreamer and because of this she is nto being able ot complete her work. SHe is very good in spellings. her memory is extraordinary but when she is left on her own to complete her work in the class, she is the last one and many times leaves a lot of work. SHe did her AIT, I sent her to therapists but nothing has helped her , can you suggest if any thing can help her.
Arvind,
In this situation, it’s very important to establish if your daughter actually has ADD/ADHD, or if she is just daydreaming.
I suggest reviewing an article on the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD and talking to your daughter’s doctor.
http://www.addadhdblog.com/the-diagnosis-of-adhd-2/
All the best,
Dr. Kenny
Thank you for this important information. You inspired me to take the bold step of forwarding your message to my high school-age son’s and daughter’s building principal, grade level principals, their counselor and my son’s Special School District case worker. The principals thanked me and the building principal said that he would pass information on. It will be wonderful if the message spreads.
Having two gifted teens with ADHD and, due to stresses they encounter daily because of a lack of understanding, anxiety issues. My children are prime examples of your message and the least understood students in our school system. There is a mechanism in place to deal with gifted, average and special education students. What is not in place is a system for educating and supporting children who are very bright with ADD. High school teachers in general, and teachers of advanced courses in particular, receive very little education about ADD.
After fighting for three years to get an Individual Education Plan for my son, we were told that he could either take advanced courses OR have special education support. Long story short (if it isn’t already too late) after giving up my job, hiring advocates even though my own degree is in Education/Special Education, and going into debt, my son, who will graduate next month, has taken honors courses for 4 years. Due to ADD-related issues, such as inattention, difficulty with organization and time management, etc., his GPA is not bad, but also not stellar. We have fought hard in most every class to convince teachers that he belonged there and was worthy of a little extra attention.
I am very happy to report that my son, who sometimes believed that he wasn’t as smart or as capable, scored a 26 the first time he took the ACT. I had teachers tell me to my face that he should be thrilled with that score and not tempt fate as they obviously believed it had to be a fluke. He decided to give it another go and then scored a 27. I can only hope that this accomplishment will, in some way, take away the pain of feeling less than, lazy, unworthy and that his very presence was a burden for a good portion of his education. I pray that your efforts will save another family this pain.
After re-reading my post I thought it important to clarify. I don’t want to leave the impression that the issue is the teachers. My children have had, for the most part, very wonderful teachers who have gone out of their way to support them. As a teacher myself, I believe teachers teach because they love children and want to have a positive effect. I think the issue is spreading awareness of ADD and providing the same support and training for teachers of advanced courses.
my son is 4yrs old. we were told that he is having adhd.he is extremely naughty n hyper too. he can never sit in a place .he has a very good memoy power.i could say that he is very matured for his age as he understands all the adult conversations .but if we want him to listen he wont. he can never play or talk to kids or adults cause he will end up fighting or arguing. when i take him to crowded places he plays ok for some time & suddenly he will slap a stranger.his dr told us to start him on a brain supplementary pill called RACETAM 400MG (PIRACETAM).PLS DR. help me on this,is it safe to start this supplement? how can i cure with this type of kid.
Shana,
This is a difficult question.
My best advice is to talk to your son’s doctor and ask more questions.
I am not familiar with Piracetam, but a quick search yielded this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracetam
Talk to your doctor about all of the treatment options (i.e. behavior approaches, parenting strategies, etc.).
All the best,
Dr. Kenny
I think this is wonderful; I am so thankful that Dr.’s Hallowell and Handelman are making this so available to the public, as well as to us mental health professionals. I have been trying for years to convince parents of children whom I diagnose with ADHD/ADD that it is a GIFT for their children. The children have struggles, once on meds they are much better able to cope, and the true gifts come out without the struggles with day to day things. The one change that is still slow in coming is our school systems recognizing that some structure is necessary, but flexible structure for these gifted kids just lets them SHINE!! Thank you, Dr.’s Hallowell and Handelman. I will be sharing your website with parents and adult clients with ADHD!
Thank you for the information. It’s a healthier way to deal with ADD. I always had the impression of having a genius at home. Now you not only confirm this but also present the option to unwrap this gift.
I am an adult who has ADD.
I just retired as a high school teacher for 35 years.
I have taught Mathematics, Science, Special Education to the super kids out there in Montreal & Toronto.
I am so glad that now we are geniuses and not just a bunch of folks who have trouble staying focused.
Thanks Drs. Ken & Ed!
“la lutte continue” (”the struggle continues”)
I just posted it on the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) website called TEL.
I was almost startled, Kenny, when Laurie pointed out that there are still people who don’t “believe” AD/HD is a reality!
Congratulations on your collaboration with Ned about “Unwrapping the Gifts of ADD” which reminds me of one of his ADDA talks.
As I said in an article titled “AD/HD Coaching: A Thorny Rose”
http://newsletter.adhdcoaches.org/articles/2_11Hogard.html “Professional AD/HD coaches know the pitfalls of an AD/HD-brain. We know how to educate people to work around those issues and at the same time we must teach clients to discover their talents.
We don’t define people with AD/HD as hopelessly defective, broken or flawed. AD/HD is not a moral issue. When our clients or others talk like that, it is our responsibility to speak up. The negative traits people hear about AD/HD are only a part of the reality. Many people with AD/HD live exciting, rewarding, and fulfilling lives.
Coaches stand for their clients until they can stand for themselves.
If clients aren’t seeing themselves as intrinsically capable, AD/HD coaches find a positive and build on it. We don’t ignore the client’s problems, but we believe that clients can make positive changes; we facilitate that. AD/HD isn’t simply good or bad. It just is. It might be either useful or a hindrance depending on the circumstance and the actions taken or not.”
You, Ned, and the other professionals and authors you’ve assembled for the teleconference are exactly correct. We will be stuck in this rut of negativity unless and until more AD/HD professionals and society as a whole begin to see people with AD/HD as different not defective.