VOLUME 7, NO. 6                                                                            JUNE 27, 2002

NJ ADD/ADHD ADULT NEWSLETTER

ADD ADULT SELF HELP SUPPORT GROUP

FOR ADD/ADHD ADULTS

AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

MEETING: THE NEXT MEETING OF THE ADD ADULT SELF HELP SUPPORT GROUP WILL BE ON JUNE 27, 2002 AT 7:30 PM AT MONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER, ROOM 114 STEINAM HOUSEMAN, LONG BRANCH, NJ.  GO TO THE RECEPTION DESK IN THE MAIN LOBBY AND GET DIRECTIONS.  THE TOPIC WILL BE: ASSERTIVENESS--YOUR PERFECT RIGHT!!!

RESEARCH: IN A STUDY BY L. LITTLE, PEER VICTIMIZATION OF CHILDREN WITH ASPERGERS SPECTRUM DISORDERS (AND NONVERBAL LEARNING DISABILITIES), J.AM.ACAD.CHILD ADOLESC.PSYCHIATRY, 2001, 40(9): 995-996 IT WAS REPORTED THAT CHILDREN WITH EITHER NONVERBAL LEARNING DISABILITIES OR ASPERGER'S WERE SUBJECTED TO YEARLY VICTIMIZATION, PREVALENCE RATES WERE AS HIGH AS 94%.  SOCIAL SHUNNING WAS COMMON.

COMMENT: ADDers FREQUENTLY SUFFER FROM EITHER ASPERGER'S SYNDROME OR NONVERBAL LEARNING DISABILITIES OR BOTH.  THE SYMPTOMS ARE USUALLY CONSIDERED EMOTIONAL AND/OR SOCIAL AWKWARDNESS.  THESE INDIVIDUALS AND MANY ADDers SUFFER SILENTLY THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES WITH SHUNNING AND PEER VICTIMIZATION.  THE EFFECTS OF A LIFETIME OF SUCH SOCIAL CRITICISM ARE UNFATHOMABLE.  BECOMING A SHY, WITHDRAWN, OR ALOOF NON-HYPER ADDer IS A COMMON OUTCOME.

RESEARCH: IN A RESEARCH STUDY BY E.J.SONUGA-BARKE, PH.D., DOES MATERNAL ADHD REDUCE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PARENT TRAINING FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S ADHD?, J.AM.ACAD.CHILD ADOLESC.PSYCHIATRY, 2002, 41(6): 696-702, IT WAS REPORTED THAT WHEN MOTHERS HAD SEVERE ADHD, THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE ADHD SYMPTOMS OF THEIR ADHD CHILDREN AFTER A PARENT TRAINING PROGRAM.  IF THE MOTHERS HAD MODERATE OR MILD ADHD, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR CHILD'S ADHD SYMPTOMS.  THERE WAS A STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN PARENT SATISFACTION WITH PARENTING AND THEIR ADHD RATING SCORE.  THE EFFECTS OF HIGH LEVELS OF MATERNAL ADHD WERE INDEPENDENT OF THE SEVERITY OF THEIR CHILD'S ADHD.

COMMENT: THIS STUDY ARGUES FOR MOTHERS WITH ADHD TO GET TREATMENT FOR THEIR ADHD ESPECIALLY IF THEIR ADHD HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS BEING IN THE HIGH OR SEVERE CATEGORY.  TREATMENT WOULD LIKELY IMPROVE PARENTING SUCCESS AND THE ADHD SYMPTOMS IN THEIR CHILDREN.

RESEARCH: IN A RESEARCH ARTICLE BY S. OVERMEYER etal. DISTRIBUTED GREY AND WHITE MATTER DEFICITS IN HYPERKINETIC DISORDER: MRI EVIDENCE OF ANATOMICAL ABNORMALITY IN AN ATTENTIONAL NETWORK, PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE, 2001, 31(8):1425-1435, IT WAS FOUND THAT AD/HD CHILDREN (18 SUBJECTS) WITH THE HYPERACTIVE FORM OF ADD HAD SIGNIFICANT DEFICITS IN RIGHT SUPERIOR FRONTAL, RIGHT POSTERIOR CINGULATE GYRUSES, AND BASAL GANGLIA BILATERALLY.  THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DEFICITS (NEURON CELL FIBERS) IN THE LEFT HEMISPHERE TOO, PROBABLY DUE TO LOSS OF MYELIN, THE FATTY COVERING OF BRAIN CELLS.

COMMENT: ONCE AGAIN WE SEE CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT AD/HD HYPERACTIVE IMPULSIVE TYPES MAY BE MANAGING WITH RIGHT BRAIN CELL DEFICITS.  THIS MRI STUDY OFFERS HARD STRUCTURAL EVIDENCE FROM BRAIN IMAGES THAT THERE ARE CLEAR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BRAINS OF ORDINARY AND AD/HD KIDS.  THE RIGHT FRONTAL AREA DEFICITS ARE CONSISTENT WITH DEFICITS IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING, (WORKING MEMORY, PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION).  SO IF YOU HAVE AN AD/HD HYPERACTIVE IMPULSIVE TYPE DIAGNOSIS, YOU HAVE PROBABLY STRUGGLED VERY HARD IN YOUR LIFE TO PLAN AND ORGANIZE THINGS.  YOU NEED TO GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT FOR MANAGING THESE PROBLEMS. 

HERBS:  AN ARTICLE BY LIBBY ELLIS IN NATURAL HEALTH, JULY 2002,p. 29, DESCRIBED AN AYURVEDIC HERB USED FOR 3000 YEARS CALLED BACOPA MONNIERA WHICH HAS BEEN USED FOR ANXIETY, MEMORY AND ADHD.  THE ARTICLE SITES RESEARCH IN LAST YEAR'S PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY WHICH WAS A DOUBLE BLIND STUDY USING 300mg DAILY FOR 12 WEEKS.  LEARNING AND MEMORY RATES WERE 13% HIGHER; ANXIETY 27% LOWER THAN THE CONTROL GROUP.  CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER BEFORE TRYING THIS HERB.

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