Candace McLane's Blog (8)

Evaluating Parenting Progress: Using the 6-Sided Survey

I have a lot of kids- and a lot of kids with special needs, so this problem may be unique to me, but I struggle to keep track of where I am in the process of raising my children. There are times that I am very overwhelmed by how many needs they each have or am overcome with worry that I have overlooked an issue. They are a whole person, but with special needs it is easy to hyper-focus on the educational issues and overlook other aspects of their being- like their spirituality or awareness of the… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on February 10, 2009 at 1:48pm — No Comments

Michael Phelps: ADHD Parenting Parable

As I readied myself yesterday morning, looking for ESPN to relay griping Super Bowl details, I was sadly shocked to see a picture of Michael Phelps smoking pot from a bong. My thoughts immediately drifted not to Michael’s loss endorsement deals but to his mom. I met her several months ago at a Mom Ambassador event where she relayed her journey to recognize and then manage her son’s ADHD. She talked about his trials with medicine, his struggle in the classroom, and her mission to advocate for him… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on February 10, 2009 at 1:40pm — No Comments

Creating a ADHD Family Management Notebook

One of the largest challenges of running a household, can be managing all the paper! What to keep, what to toss, where to file it, let alone filing it at all- can be an overwhelming series of tasks. Consider creating a home management notebook: create your “powermom handbook.” Start with a 1-1/2 inch 3 ring binder, a box of page protectors, and stick-on durable tabs. Attach a tab to a page protector, label the tabs and create page dividers. Suggested page divider labels include: contacts, sched… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on February 10, 2009 at 1:36pm — No Comments

The Fridge Door Gallery Opens

The Fridge Door Gallery celebrates families who defeat overwhelming obstacles to achieve. Living with ADHD, children and their parents’ self-esteem can take a beating- we struggle to do things the traditional way. Sometimes that puts our kids and us on the outside of what is “normal” among our friends and aquaintances in the neighborhood or school. The Fridge Door Gallery provides a place for parents and kids to brag about their accomplishments- because we understand how hard kids and their fam… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on January 26, 2009 at 8:10am — No Comments

Understanding ADHD and ODD

I live with 5 wonderful children 4 of whom have ADHD, two of which also have ODD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder. Being an occupational therapist married to a wonderfully loving and witty man, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, ADHD was neither unfamiliar nor unmanageable. As a therapist, I knew how to arrange my house so it was organized. I knew how to follow a routine and keep it. Raised by strict parents, I knew how to be a consistent disciplinarian: I was the loving parent who provided… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on January 21, 2009 at 7:56am — No Comments

5 Activities for Enhancing Family Dinner

ADHD beats on family relationships. Through the emotional outbursts and frustration of constantly feeling as though we are at battle for compliance over homework and chores, parents and children alike, often struggle to find peace at home. As a mom, I find that feeling devastating- I want my home to be a refuge for all of us. No activity or product can completely “fix” family dynamics – there is no quick fix- but some can help the hurried parent to lay groundwork for opportunities to share laugh… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on January 20, 2009 at 9:53am — No Comments

10 Truths I Have Learned About Being a Family with ADHD

1. Most people won’t believe the stories you tell. 2. Everyone has an opinion about how you should fix your child, some will be helpful: most will be a form of judgment. 3. The hardest part of being a family with ADHD is everyone sees your flaws when you have a bad day. 4. Too many extra-curricular activities disrupts the cadence of managing a houseful of ADHD. 5. Most of the world knows only what the media presents, not what is going on at NIH. 6. Teaching values and manners matter more fo… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on January 20, 2009 at 9:49am — No Comments

Living the Disability Perspective

Keep a disability perspective. I hate that phrase. I know what it means and I know why CHADD (Children and Adults with ADD) coaches parents on it, but I still hate the statement. It forces me to think about how ADHD limits my children’s performance and how I have to work on accepting my children’s weaknesses. I have to mourn the children I thought they would be. That being said, I love the children that they are- enthusiastic, loving, smart, funny, and genuine. Yesterday, I asked my 13 year-old… Continue

Added by Candace McLane on January 20, 2009 at 9:47am — No Comments