Book Description

The award-wining, best-selling guide for parents and professionals to understanding and helping teens with attention deficit disorders is now in its third edition. Teenagers with ADD, ADHD, & Executive Function Deficits is the one-stop source of up-to-date, scientifically accurate, and reassuring information written by parent, teacher, school psychologist, mental health counsellor, and advocate Chris Dendy. Her book looks at key areas, academics, dating, driving, socializing, and greater independence, that make adolescence potentially more difficult for kids with ADD, ADHD, or Executive Function Deficits (EFD). This resource gives parents advice on everything from understanding the diagnosis to treatment options, and from behavioural and academic issues, to parent involvement and self-advocacy. The new edition includes new and expanded information on: latest diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5; new research on attention deficits and executive function deficits and teatment options; the link between ADHD and EFD; new medication and research on treatment effectiveness; "concentration deficit disorder" or "slow cognitive temp," a new diagnosis that some experts are advocating for to describe a subset of kids with inattentive ADHD (low energy, daydreaming, slow processing of info); using technology (apps, smartphones, tablets) to help teens compensate for ADHD-related difficulties; "flipped classrooms" (teachers send videos of lectures/explantion of concepts home for kids to watch for homework and then have kids do written work in class so they can provide feedback as they work); updates on educational laws/regulations that affect students with ADHD. The author recommends a combination approach to treatment which includes using medications, behaviour and academic intervetions and accommodations, ADHD education, and exercise. In addition, she discusses the role of executive function problems and how they relate to teenagers' difficulties with organizational skills, long-range planning, and staying on task. Throughout, are the voices of teens, families, and professionals who share their experiences and insights. Armed with the book's comprehensive facts and strategies, parents, educators, and therapists can be proactive, working together with teens to build resilience and a hopeful future.