Author: Edie Brown

  • Turn Around Failing College Students with ADHD.  Educate the whole child.

    Turn Around Failing College Students with ADHD.  Educate the whole child.

    Of all the student body of public 4-year colleges and universities, 29% have enrolled in remedial classes.  Consider, nearly 80% had a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.  Worst of all, students with ADHD perform well below those levels. How can this be?  What can we do? Living in a global economy of…

  • Labeled?  5 Tips for Overcoming the Stigma of ADHD

    Labeled?  5 Tips for Overcoming the Stigma of ADHD

    ADHD can affect anyone regardless of age, culture, gender, ethnicity, or social class.  Public attitudes and beliefs expose them and their loved ones to prejudice and discrimination.  Internalization can result in embarrassment or self-loathing.  There are strategies to turn these negative perceptions around over time. The challenges of ADHD are not always limited to primary…

  • Learning Styles:  16 Strategies for Teaching Students with ADHD

    Learning Styles:  16 Strategies for Teaching Students with ADHD

    Learning Styles…It’s just like ice cream: Everyone has favorites. It’s the same when it comes to learning. The challenge is that we may not know our preferences. This is the challenge in the classroom too. ADHD doesn’t just affect behavior. It significantly impacts learning in a variety of environments. Adapting teaching strategies to incorporate learning…

  • ADHD and Critical Thinking:  Can skills improve?

    ADHD and Critical Thinking: Can skills improve?

    People with ADHD and thinking skills?  It’s tough… how about critical thinking?  It’s tough, but there are strategies. Critical thinking uses working memory to think and solve problems.  It requires learners to recall previous information, training the brain during the process.  It recognizes the changes as a result of  greater demands. The United States ranks…

  • ADHD!  Autism! Tell me your wants and needs.

    ADHD! Autism! Tell me your wants and needs.

    Teachers and parents of teens and young adults with ADHD and Autism: I need topics for my free online courses. Give a shout out with your ideas!

  • Gifted/Talented and ADHD:  The Dynamic Duo

    Gifted/Talented and ADHD:  The Dynamic Duo

    “Our kids” with ADHD are special gifts.  It might be more…they may be gifted.  How can you tell? Being gifted can be somewhat unclear, especially for students with ADHD.  Confusing and contradictory information can be misconstrued.  Delayed diagnosis further complicates the situation. The term “gifted and talented” is used when students give evidence of high…

  • ADHD and Immaturity:  Frustration Galore!

    ADHD and Immaturity: Frustration Galore!

    Act your age!  Immature?  You bet, and there’s science to back it up. It takes longer for people with ADHD to mature.  This nonlinear process causes a back-and-forth that stifles long-term development.  Children can be more than 3 years behind.  It takes adults until their late 30s to reach maturity levels of 21-year-olds. The decreased…

  • Say what?  10 Tips for ADHD’ers Taking a Foreign Language

    Say what?  10 Tips for ADHD’ers Taking a Foreign Language

    Spanish.  French.  Chinese.  Maybe Latin.  Students with ADHD often struggle with foreign language classes.  Some fail.  Some avoid.  Can they get around it? Struggles often result from phonological difficulties, even in their native language.  These deficiencies often result from language processing delays.  In addition, learners can be exposed to a new alphabet, which exasperates reading…

  • ADHD and Medication:  The Never-Ending Battle   

    ADHD and Medication:  The Never-Ending Battle  

    Beginning in 2006, researchers and government advisors urged new warnings and information for parents using drugs to treat ADHD. To date, these recommendations have not been fully implemented. People with ADHD are well known for their impulsivity and hyperactivity. With medication, sometimes side effects further aggravate this depiction. Sleep problems Headaches Cardiac risks Loss of…

  • ADHD and trouble reading?  Dyslexia…maybe.

    ADHD and trouble reading? Dyslexia…maybe.

    30% to 50% of people with ADHD also have learning disabilties.  Reading struggles may be the result of dyslexia.  How do you know?  What can you do? Proficient reading is an essential tool for learning, regardless of the subject matter.  Individualized, structured interventions are most effective. “Our kids” are concerned about their image. Think about…