Real parent training, with coaching to make it stick!
What a funny word, GEMO (/GEE-Moh/). Sounds like a cartoon character. Actually it’s an acronym I’ve learned to embrace over the years: “Good Enough, Move On.” It’s easy to let perfection become a higher priority than getting something completed. The ADHD brain easily allows perfection to move into obsession. When that brain is under stress... read more
Elaine’s self care tip this week is about the importance of parents paying attention to their own happiness. Its counter to how we often behave, but is a huge help for parents and for kids. A great place to start with this is setting clear boundaries. Boundaries are guidelines that clarify how we want people to... read more
Organization seems like it is just a series of steps…first, next, then finally. Yet it is actually much more complicated than that. It is the foundation of all behavior, and guides our ability to comprehend. For parents of a child with ADHD, these steps are constantly challenged, or changed, even when mapped out in a... read more
Setting clear expectations with our kids is one of the most important things we parents can do to teach responsibility, and technology offers us a great opportunity. Despite our typical frustrations with it, technology can help you prepare young teens for increasing responsibility – to teach them about what you expect, and hold them accountable... read more
How often you find yourself shouting a request up the stairs, or on your way out the door to an activity, only to find that nothing has been done? Who would have thought that there was a “right” way to give directions? There may not be a right or a wrong way, but there are... read more
Assisting my father-in-law in the hospital, I noticed him looking down at his wedding ring. It was tight, for sure, and I asked if he wanted me to take it off for him. He looked up at me and smiled — a rare treat, these days. “No,” he said, “I was just making sure it... read more
I’m a planner by nature – actually I used to do it for a living – so it’s difficult for me to imagine not having structure and scheduling as part of almost everything I do. In fact, at times I’ve been accused of not being spontaneous. (My friends are laughing right now.) At the same... read more
It should be really simple: I ask you to do something, and you do it! But with ADHD kids – all kids, actually — it is more complex than that. Leadership experts, great at motivating people into action, tell us that there are five essential elements to helping individuals get things done. We can apply... read more
Tonight, I helped my daughter with her homework. She was studying for a history test. I didn’t quiz her. I didn’t use flashcards. I didn’t even talk to her much. I just sat there, next to her. I was her Body Double. Here’s what she said, afterwards. “Thanks, Mom. That was really helpful.” Seriously? I... read more
At ImpactADHD we take a neutral stance on the use of medication as an intervention for ADHD treatment and management. Whether or not to medicate is an individual decision to be made between a parent and physician. As coaches, we give parents a framework for making those decisions, and support them through the process. Our... read more