“He doesn’t care.” “He’s not living up to his potential.” “He’ll never amount to anything.” What is really going on? To continue in our series (here's Part 1 and Part 2) on parenting teens with ADHD, the article and video "Why Teens Stop Trying," at ADDitude Magazine, is a short explanation of why your teen may have quit trying. 

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at motivational problems for teens with ADHD.

So as a parent, what can you do?

“My son quit trying in school because his masculinity is threatened? What?” 

I know. I didn’t quite understand it either the first time I heard it. But behind all that bluster is a lot of insecurity and an enormous fear of failure. Read on to get the full picture

Have you heard of phubbing? It's a recently coined term—a combination of "phone" and "snubbing"—that describes the act of turning your attention to your phone in the presence of others. "Phubbing" is always a bad idea, but, like slot machines in a casino, our phones are designed to attract our attention.

The holidays are hectic enough, but when it comes to the members of your family diagnosed with ADHD, the holidays can feel incredibly overwhelming. And maybe not all of your family gets it. The article "Stop Unsolicited Advice From Family In Its Tracks," by Carol Brady at ADDitude Magazine, has some great tips on how to prepare your extended family, your immediate family, your child, and yourself for holiday visits.

The holidays are almost here! Are you prepared? Jessica at How to ADHD has some funny, helpful advice on what not to get people with ADHD this holiday season.

When you've been sitting for too long studying for the exam or working on that final paper, try two minutes of mindful movement. By aligning your body and your mind with breath and movement, you can focus even more.  Watch this short video by Cara Bradley and Mindful.org for a two-minute break that will get your blood flowing and your brain working.

The article "Four Steps to Independence: How to Support (Not Enable) a Child with ADHD" by Elaine Taylor-Klaus and Diane Dempster at ADDitude Magazine has some excellent tips on how to support your child's independence. 

With technology changing so rapidly, it has been challenging for scientists to create studies about screen time. However, one conclusion has been unanimous…

"How We Decide: The Neuronal Reward Signal" by Wolfram Schultz is an interesting article that highlights the importance of dopamine receptors in reward systems and how they affect decision making. The innovator brain functions differently, and so you can see how this important neural activity (or lack of it) can affect so many aspects of everyday life.

ADDitude Magazine has great suggestions for parents of all teens, not just those with ADHD. Check out "Hormones, High School, and ADHD: A Parent's Guide," by Peter Jaksa, for a number of helpful techniques. But don't just read articles; Mind Coach NOLA has a whole toolbox of helpful tips and techniques to put into practice, and works with parents one-on-one to develop a deeper understanding of how your teen's brain works! Mind Coach NOLA also works with teens, to help them understand their own brains and to develop stronger executive function skills, guiding them toward becoming successful young adults.

Do you ever watch videos from The School of Life? The School of Life is an educational organization devoted to teaching emotional intelligence. It was founded by British philosopher Alain de Botton, author of a number of books on philosophy, culture, and psychology. 

Adela here! This week I finished my vision boards. I'd been talking about vision boards with different clients and realized I hadn’t made my own in a while, so it was time. I'd made online vision boards (for instance, while designing my house, I used Houzz and Pinterest to collect ideas). But if I really wanted to turn my dreams into reality, I needed to be reminded on a daily basis. I personally didn’t want them on my phone. I needed a good, old fashioned, bulletin board of inspirational images.

ADDitude Magazine has compiled some inspiring quotes from amazing celebrities diagnosed with ADHD. Love the positive way of thinking that these celebs demonstrate! Check it out, and get in touch with Mind Coach NOLA if you or a loved one wants to understand and harness the strengths of an ADHD/ADD-diagnosis by working with an ADHD coach in the New Orleans area, or online from anywhere in the U.S.!

The article "The Opposite of Distracted. The Epitome of Productive" over at ADDitude Magazine offers a quick explanation about hyperfocus and how to harness that incredible ability to your advantage. Many people struggle to find their state of flow, their bliss, to get in the groove. Whatever you want to call it, you've got it naturally! Go, innovator brain!

Emily Rose Barr has written a beautiful article over at Daily Good, titled "Mind the Stream: Where Mindfulness and Technology Meet." She reflects on our society's mindless consumption of technology, and asks how we might be more aware of the time we spend isolated and glued to our devices:

Think of the day as a series of choices to be made. One at a time, you are in control of making your little choices and controlling your destiny. Katy Rollins at ADDitude Magazine offers a few gems of wisdom to help see the "big picture" of an ADHD diagnosis:

Innovator Brains dream BIG and often. You are the creators, inventors, and writers of our future. Turning a dream into a reality requires action... and that can be so, so hard. You have to figure out what needs to be done, break down the action items into smaller tasks, think about what resources you need, and then put it all in order. And you have to follow through and do it all on time. Who can help you make your dream a reality? Me!

Hey there. How are you doing? There's a lot of sadness in our world this week, after Sunday's shooting in Las Vegas, and sometimes the heaviness of the world, compounded with struggles in our personal lives, can feel deeply overwhelming!

What's your daily special time with your ADHD kid? For me, it's walking to and from school together, here in New Orleans. We have other special times, too, but this is my son's favorite part of our day, when we sing, walk the dogs, get psyched for the school day, and, after school, review how the day went or what activities are planned in the afternoon or evening.