Take the pain out of diagnosing childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) with this humorous diagnostic tool. (Parents, please don't try this at home!)

As you may know, the folks at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) are hard at work updating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM).  They’ll release the new version, DSM-V, in 2013.  Proposed changes in diagnostic criteria are, according to the APA’s DSM-V website, the culmination of 10 years of revision activities.  As we speak (write, read) work...
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Do you allow your children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) to ride in the passenger seat of the car?

One of my daughter Natalie’s main goals in life is to grow big enough to be allowed to sit in the front seat of the car. At age 9, she's a petite, little thing, and my mama-law requires that she reach 5 feet tall and 100 pounds before risking the chance of facing down an airbag. I’m a stickler for enforcing this rule --...
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As a parent of a a child living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), I want to focus only my daughter's best attributes, but then the tips of her devil horns start to appear.

I love the work of local professional photographer Ngaire West Johnson of Images by Ngaire. I’ve often thought that if anyone could catch my daughter Natalie’s spirit in a photo -- shimmering attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) energy and all -- it would be Ngaire. I’ve told Ngaire that when I get around to scheduling a photo shoot for Nat, nothing but action shots...
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It took years for Rosie O'Donnell to get both an accurate diagnosis and an effective treatment for her son's auditory processing disorder (APD). Her experiences inspired the new book, "The Sound of Hope," which aims to raise awareness about this condition that often coexists with ADD/ADHD. And it has, at least with me.

Auditory processing disorder (APD) has been all over the news these days, thanks in part to Rosie O’Donnell's revelation that her 10-year-old son, Blake, is living with the condition, which affects the brain's ability to distinguish differences in sounds. Rosie’s years-long journey toward getting an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment for Blake’s APD inspired the new book The Sound of Hope:...
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"Intro to ADD/ADHD Giveaway:" Take the challenge out of explaining attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) to your child and her friends with these two books that examine the humorous, positive aspects of living with this disorder.

It’s time (okay, past time) to bring everyone up to speed on this blog’s recent contests for kids' books that relate to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). In March, we highlighted the adoption-themed book The Forever Friends Club, in which a character, Nick, appears to have ADD/ADHD.  Two readers, Cherie Lang of Brooklyn, New York, and Dawn Adams of Norfolk, Virginia,...
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Finding the humor in daily life is one of the greatest sources of comfort in ADD/ADHD parenting.

My daughter Natalie, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), was searching the coat closet for a jacket last Sunday evening, when the sun began to set, and the air began to cool. She discovered one that a neighbor handed down from her son to Natalie’s big brother Aaron. Even though Natalie swims in the jacket, she fell in love with it, and claimed it...
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