Search Results for: blog adhd and adopted children

Adults with ADHD in the Workplace

A new study from the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) lose more than three weeks per year in workplace productivity. Researchers from the World Health Organization surveyed nearly two hundred thousand people in thirty countries around the world. They also performed diagnostic assessments on more than seven thousand employed adults in Belgium, Columbia, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States. According to the data from the World Health Organization, between three and four percent of all adults worldwide suffer from ADHD. However, many adults may not realize … Continue reading →

Language and Learning in Adopted Children

Some parents who thought their children were doing very well with speech and language may find themselves unpleasantly surprised as their children begin second grade, when a higher level of language is required. Teachers have often noted poor academic performance among immigrant children graduating from English as a Second Language programs, even though the children appear to converse in English perfectly well. Educators and speech-language clinicians are learning that there are two kinds of language. Many refer to the first type as Communicative Language Fluency. This is the type of language we think of when we say a child can … Continue reading →

ADHD and Adopted Children

Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) more commonly diagnosed in adopted children? One study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology found that of 808 adopted children, ages 4-18 years, 21 percent had enough behavioral symptoms to qualify for a diagnosis of ADHD. This is twice the rate in the general child population. (This study was based on extensive parent questionnaires.) An analysis of risk factors showed that those with behavioral symptoms usually had pre-adoptive risk factors such as history of abuse or neglect, later age at adoption, prenatal drug exposure and/or multiple foster placements. Still, experts advise being cautious … Continue reading →

Two Kids With Epilepsy

So my middle son has been admitted to the hospital for what we thought was possibly a stroke, his face is droopy and looks like a stroke patient. Turns out he had Bells Palsy and they think this could be caused by a seizure. So with one child with epilepsy already the idea of having a second child with epilepsy is a bit over whelming. I will admit when he was asleep in his bed I did lay there in the dark and cried just a bit. In the morning they ran an MRI and an EEG on him to … Continue reading →

Need Some Parenting Help? Try S-O-S!

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Every parent needs a little extra support, advice, or understanding from time to time. Parents who have children who have special needs may need that kind of help a little more often. There is a website called S-O-S that is an online special needs information guide that can be used by parents. Stage One of their program is being offered for free right now. There are many benefits to going online in order to get support for something. Online support is available whenever you need it, no matter what time of day or night it happens to be. You can … Continue reading →

Who Wants a Bouncing Baby Boy?

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My last blog told about the much-longer wait times experienced by couples adopting from China. I mentioned that one reason is that most adoptive parents wish to adopt a girl. Most adoptive families, even those who want girls themselves, are surprised to hear how many other adoptive families want girls also. Some theories on why this preference exists are: that it’s mostly the prospective mother who drives the adoption process, and she may want a girl like herself, or that single mothers may feel that they can more effectively provide a role model to a child of the same gender. … Continue reading →

When What Kids Hear is Not What You Say

My last blog talked about my shock when my Regina, aged seven, reacted to a film showing a young St. Patrick being captured and taken to Ireland as a slave by remarking that St. Patrick was being “adopted”. I described a conversation I had with her the next day, asking her what she’d thought, and she’d talked about adoption meaning being taken from one country to another to live. I got in a few points of clarification before she lost interest. After that conversation, I remembered that two days before we watched that movie, Regina had overheard my telling her … Continue reading →

Suggested New Year’s Resolutions for Adoptive Parents

I’m not going to look at my last year’s New Year’s Resolutions blog before I write this one. I’m just going to go with what’s on my mind now. So what is on my mind now? Too much, that’s what. I want to have more meaningful family conversations at the dinner hour. I want to find a book that the whole family can enjoy reading by the fireside in the evenings—and keep reading age-appropriate books with each child individually too. I want to do all my physical therapy exercises and see if I can finally quit re-injuring myself. I want … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Mislabeled Child

For unknown reasons, adopted children seem to have a much greater incidence of learning disorders than the general population. The Mislabeled Child can be a wonderful help for parents in getting beyond a label to the root of a child’s problem. Unlike many other books, this one also offers specific ideas, games and resources parents can use at home to strengthen certain skills. Spouses Brock and Fernette Eide, M.D.s, run the Eide Neurolearning Clinic in Washington State. They are researchers and clinicians in the field of learning disabilities. They also teach their own two children at home. The Eides share … Continue reading →

My Take on an Age-Old Question

My last blog discussed just a small portion of the research attempting to quantify the impact genes and environment have on intelligence and personality traits. As I researched this issue, I found myself feeling reassured, but not completely; encouraged, but cautiously; and frustrated, wondering if we’re even asking the right questions. How much do I.Q. tests really measure intelligence anyway? What about kids who have a language disability such that they misread or can’t respond to the test questions? What about musical, interpersonal and physical intelligences? We don’t presume that we have a test that precisely measures “Athletic Talent Quotient”. … Continue reading →