Results mirror findings in boys, potential protective effect needs further investigation.

October 06, 2008: Massachusetts General Hospital Press Release

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase and appears to significantly decrease the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes or using alcohol or drugs. Their report in the October Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine parallels the findings of several earlier studies in boys, which needed to be confirmed in girls. Read more of the article...

By Erin N. King, Ed.S, Nationally Certified School Psychologist

Choosing a 504 Plan vs. an IEP

When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, parents often wonder what they need to do to ensure their child gets the most support from the school. Terms such as 504 Plan, IEP, and OHI are suddenly thrown into the mix. It can be confusing for a parent to know which route to pursue. Before anything, it would be important for parents to understand what a 504 Plan and an IEP are. In a broad sense, they are both detailed plans, created by the school and parents to outline how a student with a disability will learn. A 504 Plan and an IEP are both intended to protect a student with a disability to ensure that they are learning in the least restrictive environment. Read more of the article...

Dear Dr. Cowan,

It seams to me that my son has many reason to have some anger issues - that we have not dealt with - some kids seems to move in life easily, however, he still remembers how his grade 2 teacher was very unfair to him when he is the one who was hurt by some else and even gave him a whole week suspension. I find that once you have the label you might as well work with it and make the best of it. Read more of the article...

Dear Fathers

I do hope that you are enjoying the kind of wonderful spring weather that we are enjoying here in California. I do know that many of you are enduring flooding rains in the mid-West, and our heart goes out to you. We wish you the best.

I am sitting on my deck overlooking Bear Valley thinking about Father’s Day, and about being a father. God has blessed me with three wonderful children, two in their twenties and one age seven, and through the years I have learned many lessons about fatherhood that somehow I’d like to put into writing and pass on to you. Read more of the article...

A lot of teenagers, and even children, are prescribed antidepressants, somewhere from 1% to 1.5% of the population. At one point studies estimated that as many as 1.66% of children or adolescents were prescribed antidepressant medication, but after the FDA required a "black box" warning label for the medications in 2005, the prescription rate has dropped. The warning label states that the use of antidepressants among children and teenagers is associate with an increased risk of suicial thoughts, and suicial behaviors. So physicians have backed off of prescribing the medications.

However, the estimated suicide rate among American adolescents is about 16%. Read more of the article...

Depression and ADHD in Teenage Girls

Several studies in recent years have looked into the impact of ADHD on the lives of teenage girls. MRI studies report that teenager’s brains are rapidly maturing, but that they are not fully mature until the early 20’s in females, and perhaps the early 30’s in males. Long-term studies on behavior and emotional health report that girls with ADHD may struggle through the teen years. And other studies report that depression is common among teens with ADHD, and is so common among adolescents that the use of medications for ADHD, antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and even sleep medications, is up sharply with adolescent girls. Read more of the article...

My 12 y/o son has been treated successfully with Concerta and Omega oils for about 3 years - in an inclusive behaviour management classroom - there is no other way to help kids here in Canada - you either stick them full time in a class with other kids that present all types of behaviour issues - or if you are lucky and have a son or daughter that does no present out of the ordinary behaviour you might be able to find a spot in a class where if and when he needs behaviour modification a youth worker will, away from his daily environment, help him modify his behaviour. This is not like home, it works, it tough, but he has learned a lot in the past two years. Read more of the article...

Communicate Clearly With Your Teen

By Christine McGogy

How would you like to have a closer relationship with your teen again? Your ability to communicate effectively with your teen is one of the most precious skills you can develop to achieve this goal.

When we think of communication, we tend to think only of the way we can express ourselves. This is certainly important, but listening is the single most crucial of all communication skills. Read more of the article...

Here is our complete VIDEO library (as found on YouTube) and several of our PODCASTS. The VIDEOS have all been recently created, and the PODCASTS are typically old radio interviews or recent seminars by Dr. Cowan. Take your time. We hope you learn from them.

ADHD Videos

ADHD Videos from our clinical editor Dr. Doug Cowan on ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and related topics such as alternative treatments for ADHD:

Parent's Podcast Library

One by one we are adding sound files in a podcast format from semiars and workshops led by our Clinical Editor Dr. Doug Cowan. We are just learning how to edit them from perhaps 60 minutes down to about 40 minutes for easier listening. We hope that the programs are helpful to you and your family.

First we will upload the lectures that we have from Dr Doug's "Navigating in the New World" seminars. This six-week class is for parents and teens, and is held each year Read more of the article...

Here is the brief article on ADHD that generates the most hate email that I get. I'm not sure why. I don't cause ADHD in kids and teens, and I have spent most of my adult life trying to help children and teens with Attention Deficit Disorder. But what follows are the hard facts that parents, social workers, and physicians need to come to grips with. Read more of the article...

If we are to define self-esteem as "having feelings of worth or value," then people with adequate levels of self-esteem should display a sense of realistic confidence in their abilities and performance.

People with low levels of self-esteem would be expected to display feelings of inadequacy, a fear of failure, a sense of being unworthy, and perhaps depression.

According to researchers, most children enter school with a good sense of self-esteem (at least as defined by psychologists) and yet leave high school with a poor sense of self-esteem. What happens in between?

Challenges for Our Children…

It is estimated that 25-35% of children have Learning Disabilities. Read more of the article...

As a parent, how are you defining "success" for your children?

As the parent of a child with ADHD, have you changed the definition of "success" for your ADHD child?

How do you define "success" for yourself as a parent?

How have your ADHD children come to define "success" for themselves?

Our definition of success is

"THE PROGRESSIVE REALIZATION OF MORAL, VIRTUOUS, OR GODLY GOALS"

Each of these questions is important for us to think through. Many of us, kids included, only define success in terms of what we have, or what we have accomplished so far in life. Some define success in terms of how society and culture define it, while others have chosen to define "success" through the eyes of God, as best as they can know it. Read more of the article...

Dads, please let me encourage you to change some things in your life.

Another recent University study found that the average father in America spends less than sixty seconds per day in conversations with his children!

The actual number was 47 seconds per day.

Where is the investment in the life of the child? In our work? Our paycheck?

What's with us men? Have we as fathers come to think that our kids really just need our money?

Our children need us to look them in the eyes and talk with them. We need to actually be involved in the lives of our children and teens. We need to actively raise them, teach them, and shape their character and morals and values.

Parenting is a "hands on" activity. Read more of the article...

FAMILY MATTERS was the headline that caught my attention in the newspaper.

That's the name of my radio program here in California's central valley. It was interesting enough for me to buy the paper and read the story.

The article was about a recent study called The National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health, a survey of about 90,000 teenagers (age 12-18). The sub-headline was "Study debunks belief nothing works with teens." (Whose belief is that?)

The reporter wrote as if a new revelation had just been handed down from heaven in the form of this study. Read more of the article...

My Child Has a Problem and We Need Help!

If your child is having problems in school, at home, or in other situations, our resources here at the ADD ADHD Information Library are here to help.

If your child is having problems with school performance, homework, paying attention, being impulsive or hyperactive, or being “on the go” too much, then be sure to read our sections on:
Read more of the article...