Less-Than-Perfect Vacations: They Did It So You Don’t Have To

This article and more can be found at http://www.chadd.org

CHADD members share their experiences and advice

Compiled and introduced by Bryan Goodman, MA


VACATIONS ARE MEANT TO BE A TIME TO RELAX AND JUST GET AWAY FROM IT ALL. But for people affected by ADHD, it’s not always so easy to escape. As summer approaches, we figured our readers would be looking for some tips for the coming vacation season. We know CHADD members are not just hoping to survive their vacations, they’re also hoping to thrive! Given the dearth of national experts on the topic, we decided to ask the realexperts—our members—to share their experiences and offer tips on ways to enjoy a vacation despite any complications from ADHD. Here are some of those stories and tips.

---

LOOKING FOR WATER, DODGING PINE CONES, AND SEARCHING FOR THE HOTELBefore I was diagnosed with ADHD, I had some disastrous experiences on vacations. I remember one vacation when I booked a hotel in Big Sur, California, without researching it. The hotel was billed on its website as being a real gem with a view of the water. Well, let’s just say it may have been a gem in the 1940s, but it hadn’t been since. There was no view of the water. There wasn’t even running water in the room. There was also no television, and the bare light bulb that hung from the ceiling made it look like an interrogation room. On another trip, also planned impulsively, I wanted to take my wife on a drive in my convertible around this large lake. (I mention that this is not her idea of a good time.)  I got us lost, and while we were stopped for some construction work, I heard a crack and looked over to see a HUGE pine cone crashing down on my wife’s arm. There we were lost, miles away from civilization, and my wife was injured. She now requires me to show her my plans on paper before we go on a trip.

Here are my tips:

• Use your hyperfocus to research the hotels and flights.
• Use your upcoming vacation as a carrot (the reward) to motivate you to tie up projects at work.
• Have someone else pack for you to make sure you’re packing appropriately.
• Have your spouse or travelling companion review your plans to make sure he or she is interested in the itinerary.
• Make lists and be sure to write down all of the flight and hotel information.

John O’Sullivan, Redwood City, California

THE GENERALIST ON VACATION
I can’t narrow my story down to one vacation, but I can talk in general about what usually happened to me. In the past I have procrastinated so long that I was up the night before the trip until midnight—tired, frustrated, and unable to make decisions. I usually used about half of what I packed or I didn't pack enough. I have also left the traveler's checks on my office desk and failed to give my neighbor important phone numbers in case of an emergency.

Now I do most of the following:

• Start planning and packing about a week in advance.
• Use a permanent checklist of everything I need to do before I travel.
• Identify activities, connect them with wardrobe.
• Collect all items in one place.
• Have a second complete set of items like the toiletries I use that is packed and ready to go.

Donna Love, Pleasant Hill, California

LIFE IS A BOAT RIDE
Our seven-year-old daughter has severe hyperactivity. We have found that cruises work well for our family vacations. On a cruise there is always something to do—from organized excursions to shows and activities to swimming or just walking the decks. On a cruise we are able to maintain my daughter’s sleep and medication schedules easily. We can be flexible with meals since food is always available. And nothing beats the fresh air and sunshine!

Tips:
• Keep sleep patterns consistent.
• Make travel plans to and from destination during the child’s best time of the day.
• Be outdoors as much as possible—fresh air and sunshine are the best “medicine.”
• Although kids with AD/HD need structure, be willing to be a little more flexible during vacations than you are during the school year.
• Don’t set your expectations too high. Be willing to give and take, and ENJOY!

Kate Alicea, Ooltewah, Tennessee

DESTINATION DISNEY
I remember the first time we took my son, who has ADHD and Asperger syndrome, to Disney World. We arrived at our hotel late in the evening. My then-seven-year-old son Victor was revved up and eager to hit the ground running. My wife and I were sharing a room with him, and we couldn’t get him to go to sleep. I had to literally get out and drive him around in a car in the middle of the night to get him to calm down and go to sleep. It was bad planning on our part. We should have arrived at the hotel much earlier so Victor would have had time to adjust and expend some energy doing something active, such as swimming. We would often have a problem with him on the plane as well. He would want to get up out of his seat or grab the hair of the people in front of us. I have learned to bring food and gadgets on the plane, so he is always accommodated. His symptoms have gotten better with age. On a recent trip to Hawaii he was no more hyper or fidgety than any other passenger on the plane.

Here are my tips:

• Bring toys, activities and food along with you in the car or on the plane.
• Familiarity helps. Plan ahead and let your child know where you’re going. Also consider repeat visits to the same destination.
• Get to your destination early and do something active, so your child is ready for bed at night.
• Modify your own expectations to accommodate your child and his or her needs.
• Expect the first night to be rough.

Bradford Bradley, Frankfort, Illinois

PACK SMART, PACK LIGHT
Taking a vacation with a child who has ADHD can often be challenging for a parent.  I found I could not fully relax on vacation. I was always in a rush to get ready for the trip, packing the night before and forgetting things, even with a packing list.  If I didn't check the suitcase, my son would have twenty shirts packed and no underwear. On the vacation I never knew if my son would be lost in a crowd, take off from the hotel room, or meet up with friends who would offer him alcohol or drugs.

I learned to do the following:

• Start talking about the trip two months in advance, and say what has to be done.
• Use a packing list with easy-to-read categories (shirts, pants, toiletries, etc.) and checklists.
• Bring card games, handheld video games, books, or notebooks for downtime on the trip.
• Be clear on rules to follow for each location.
• Meet the friends and families of any new friends your child makes on the trip.

Pam Carter, Minneapolis, Minnesota

RELY ON A WINGMAN
My spouse and I learned quickly that vacationing with two sons with ADHD is different from vacationing alone. Our sons’ goals are usually to find interesting activities, whereas we parents just want to find time to rest and relax. We learned to search for something that would help all of us meet our goals on vacation. And we found it during one vacation in Panama City, Florida. During that trip we rode on a treasure ship that had activities with adult leaders planned for the children. While the parents were able to relax, the children were entertained by the activities available to them, including a treasure hunt. We also had a wonderful time at a family retreat week because our children were assigned buddies to accompany them. They had fun activities while we were able to rest or attend small group activities. We also like the descriptions for the Disney cruises, as activities are planned for the children and the parents don't have to supervise them the entire time.

Tips:

• Keep children entertained and out of trouble. We bought twin DVD players that can play separately or together. One child prefers movies, while the other prefers games.
• Bag complete sets of clothes individually and give one bag to each child each day. We also pack spare clothes separately for unplanned emergencies. Pop-up laundry baskets can help keep the dirty clothes in one spot.
• Never, ever leave home without copies of prescriptions and doublechecking medications. The medication bag is on the packing list to doublecheck before we leave for a trip.
• Schedule planned breaks during the car trips. If the kids are younger, then think about stopping at restaurants with playgrounds.
• Kids with ADHD like interesting activities while parents like to relax and rest.  It’s important to pick places, such as Chuck-E-Cheese, where kids can have a safe and contained place to burn energy while parents relax.

Lane and Loretta Buckner, Charlotte, North Carolina

TREATMENT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
My son was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade.  He had just turned seven years old. Two days before we left for a two-week vacation on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, he was diagnosed and given a prescription for medication. It was amazing. For the first time, he could multitask, but it didn't stop him from disappearing on the beach about thirty seconds before we were to leave. Looking far down the shoreline, I saw some old boats. It was where I would expect Michael to go. Sure enough, that's where he was. He had seen a pelican with a broken wing. After finding a dead fish, he was able to sit still long enough that the pelican took the fish out of his hand. He is currently thirteen years old, an eighth grader, and he has made high honor roll for the first time.

Tips:

• Pack brightly colored shirts so the child stands out and can be easily spotted.
• Set limited physical boundaries as soon as you arrive; for example, "Stay in between this large rock and that tree.  Do not go outside the 'box'."
• Use walkie-talkies to maintain constant contact.
• Take advantage of the child's interests. My son loves marine life, so we bought him a book on Caribbean fish. He spent hours finding fish he had seen during snorkeling trips.
• Schedule regular "quiet time" each day so the child can refocus and keep from getting overstimulated.

Tabitha Stone, Carterville, Illinois

MANAGING VACATION MELTDOWNSWe have a lot of trouble with our son melting down two to three days into vacations.

He'll say, "I want to go home," or "When are we going home?" He'll have mini emotional breakdowns, usually precipitated by being tired or overwhelmed. He'll cry and cry for no reason. We feel just awful, but we know we have to tough it out to teach him that he can get through vacation and that vacation is fun.

Tips:
• Let children and teens pack what they want to bring, including their favorite things that make them feel at home.
• Allow them to partake in deciding each day's activity.
• Listen to them when they are tired, and be aware of their body language telling you they've had enough for the day.
• Count down the days with them so they know how many days of vacation are left.
• Reassure them they'll be home soon and back to the familiar surroundings and routines.
• Take them to familiar places while you're away (McDonald's, Target, WalMart).

Nancy Merritt, Upper Pittsgrove, NJ

Play Together: Having Fun While Helping Your Child with ADHD

This article and more can be found here. 

Having Fun While Helping Your Child with ADHD

by Jeffrey M. Halperin, PhD, Carol A. Yoon, and Maria Rozon

AS A PARENT OF A CHILD WHO HAS ADHD, you are probably all too familiar with the struggle to find the right treatment option for your young one. Researching all the options available may lead to even more questions than answers: Which treatment will work for my child? Which will be ineffective? Which treatments are safe? Which ones involve risk? My child may be kind of squirmy and inattentive, but does he really need treatment?

Parents asking these questions may be relieved to hear that there are enjoyable activities they can do with their children to help them develop skills that will lead to better functioning in life.

Causes and common treatment approaches
ADHD is one of the most common childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, with a prevalence rate assumed to be around four to eight percent among school-aged children in North America. It typically emerges during early childhood, and for many, ADHD results in significant social, academic, and vocational difficulties that persist well into adulthood. While we do not know the precise cause of ADHD, which might not be the same for everyone with the disorder, we do know that both genes and environment play important roles. Recent data suggest that so-called “gene-by-environment interactions” result in delayed and/or diminished brain growth, which seems to underlie the inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive behaviors characteristic of ADHD.

You probably already know about the medications and psychosocial interventions available for your child. These interventions decrease the symptoms of ADHD, improve academic performance, and reduce the frequency and severity of commonly associated disruptive behaviors such as oppositionality and aggression. However, they also have several limitations.

Medications can have a variety of unwanted side effects and some parents may feel uncomfortable administering drugs to their children on a daily basis. Therapeutic interventions such as parent management training and other behavior management programs are expensive and need to be maintained continuously and rigorously to be effective. And even when they are effective, for many children, neither medication nor psychosocial interventions ever really normalize behavior.

Medications and behavioral interventions are also lacking when considering long-term outcomes. As soon as children stop these treatments, their behavior typically reverts back to how it was before treatment began. Therefore, it’s alarming that the vast majority of people suffering from ADHD won’t receive treatment for the disorder for the rest of their lives. The compliance rate for medications in people who suffer from ADHD is very low: Only about twenty percent of people continue to take medications a year after they started.

Playing and exercise can help
New evidence suggests that exercise and play may also be powerful tools for improving the symptoms of ADHD. Several studies have provided evidence that enriching children’s environment through play can serve an important role in cognitive and social skills development by facilitating neural development.

It has long been known that the environment in which one lives affects one’s brain development. Recent studies, mostly with animals, have provided unequivocal evidence that living in more stimulating environmental conditions not only increases physical brain development, but also improves learning and behavior. Emerging evidence indicates that the same applies to humans as well: Cognitive stimulation, particularly when started at an early age, can facilitate children’s brain development and in turn have a substantial impact on learning and behavior. Furthermore, these effects may not be limited to early childhood. Other studies have shown that cognitive stimulation, social stimulation, and physical exercise may even delay the onset of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Physical exercise has also been found to be effective in stimulating brain growth in animals and to increase brain activation in children. This is particularly true for aerobic exercise (high energy activities that increase breathing and heart rate), as opposed to strength-building exercise. Investigators have found that children who had better aerobic fitness had greater volumes in some brain regions and did better on tasks requiring attention and inhibitory control, as well as some types of memory. And let’s not forget the many health benefits that go along with exercise, such as decreased risk of diabetes, cancer, obesity, and heart disease.

There are many fun exercise options you can choose from, especially during these warm months. You and your child can go bike riding, rollerblading, swimming, jogging, play tag, or just dance.

Stuck inside? There are a number of indoor alternatives as well, such as building your own obstacle course out of hula hoops, pillows, jump ropes, and other objects around the house. Don’t be afraid to use your creativity to come up with other fun exercise activities. For the creatively challenged, try coming up with ideas with your child; it will be a good collaborative project and there’s a good chance he or she will have lots of great ideas. These original activities may very well end up being more fun for your child than the standard ones that he or she has already learned. Especially for those of you who have a hyperactive child, exercise is a great activity choice. It is both a positive outlet for your child’s excess energy and a way to improve body coordination and control.

Play also has a very important function in facilitating the development of social skills. Children who engage in socially interactive play (playing together with others) learn how to read other people’s intentions, how to take turns, how to regulate their emotions and behavior, and the give and take nature of healthy relationships. Children can apply these acquired social skills to their lives in order to improve their interactions with other people.

Making sense of the science
What these studies tell us is that play and exercise can be used to stimulate brain growth in areas that are often underdeveloped in children with ADHD. The idea is similar to weightlifting. When we consistently use heavier and heavier weights, our muscles grow bigger and stronger. Our brains respond the same way to cognitive stimulation. The more they are exercised, the “stronger” they become. Therefore, it’s likely that the severity of your child’s disorder can be diminished by encouraging the playing of specific types of games and exercises which stimulate the growth and development of specific brain areas.

What kind of games should I encourage?
Although all games that require your child to think are valuable tools, most research has focused on the effects of building working memory (the purposeful remembering and manipulation of new information) in children with ADHD. Studies have found that training working memory can be helpful in improving children’s cognitive functioning and reducing ADHD-related behavioral problems. The idea again is that the more one practices, the stronger, and more efficient the working memory “muscle” becomes. You can practice this type of memory in your children by playing memory games with cards or pictures (match two from a group of cards or pictures by remembering their location after they are turned face-down), or “I’m Going on a Picnic” (take turns adding on to a list of items to take to a picnic by repeating all of the previously stated items before adding a new one; to make it more difficult, the order can be reversed).

Similarly, evidence suggests that activities targeted towards other skill areas aside from working memory are also helpful. The Training Executive, Attention, and Motor Skills (TEAMS) Study is an early intervention for children with ADHD whose goal is to encourage neural and cognitive development with games in several different skill areas: working memory; inhibiting one’s own behavior; visual and spatial awareness; planning; and body movement, control and coordination.

Many common children’s games involve one or more of these skill sets. Freeze dance, for example, requires the ability to abruptly stop one’s own body movement. Building blocks helps children develop visual-spatial awareness, particularly when they are required to work out the placement of particular blocks in order to copy a block design from a picture. Hopscotch requires children to control their body while jumping, and all sorts of games with balls involve the implementation of complex motor and coordination skills.

Trying to pick games from various skill sets to play with your child may be a bit overwhelming, but try not to overthink it. Keep in mind that as long as your child enjoys playing the games with you, you’re on the right track. The enjoyment of playing the games will lead to an increased desire in your child to keep playing them. This is crucial for continued success. The more your child enjoys these games, the more he or she will play them with you and others, and the greater the improvement in skill development will be.  In addition, the more your child plays games, the less television he or she will watch. This is one big advantage that games and exercise have over other interventions: They are naturally fun. Instead of having to remind and encourage your children to take medication daily or go to treatment, they will be asking you to play brain-building games. Imagine an intervention for ADHD that is not only painless, but fun!

Once you begin to play these directed games frequently at home, you may very well find an improvement in the interaction between you and your child. Quality time between parents and children can be extremely beneficial in both the short and long term. Your child will value the positive attention you give him or her, and the shared time can improve your relationship. Also, unlike current ADHD treatments, in which the positive effects disappear when the treatment ends, the beneficial effects of play and exercise are likely to be more long-lasting, for two reasons. First, if the activities are truly fun, the child will want to continue with them, hopefully instilling a lifelong desire for cognitively challenging games (e.g., checkers, chess, many card games, crossword puzzles) and physical exercise (e.g., running, biking, hiking). Secondly, if it is true, as evidence suggests, that these activities enhance brain development, it is reasonable to assume that the associated behavioral changes will be more enduring and perhaps even permanent.

When playing these games with your child, you should regularly take note of his or her performance and enthusiasm. If you find that your child is progressing rapidly, soon the game will no longer be challenging. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to abandon it. Instead, try to come up with creative ways to increase its difficulty. For example, for the matching game, increase the number of cards over time, or scatter their placement. You should also frequently praise your child not only for his or her performance, but also for effort.

Once you incorporate all these techniques into your child’s play time you might find that his or her behavior improves. Or you might discover that the two of you have been getting along much better than usual. Either way, you will quickly discover the important benefits of this type of engagement with your child. Also keep in mind, depending upon the needs of your child, this type of intervention does not have to be instead of other more standard treatments, but can be applied in addition to them.

Happy playing!
Try to block out at least half an hour each day so that your child can consistently build these brain “muscles.” A body builder who only lifts weights for a couple of minutes each week will not see much improvement. He must be consistent in his workout. Luckily, playing these games will be much more enjoyable than pumping iron at the gym.

Now you have the necessary tools to build your child’s brain, so put this magazine down. Take advantage of the warm weather and give it a try. Go outside. Play a game. Improve your child’s life.

---

Jeffrey M. Halperin, PhD, is a distinguished professor of psychology at Queens College and at the City University of New York (CUNY) graduate school, where he is a full-time member of the neuropsychology doctoral faculty. In addition, he is a professorial lecturer in the department of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Halperin is the principal investigator for the Training Executive, Attention, and Motor Skills Study. He is a member of CHADD's professional advisory board. Carol Yoon is the research coordinator and Maria Rozon is a research assistant for the TEAMS Study.

Summer Jobs and ADHD

by Chris A. Zeigler Dendy, MS
SUMMER JOBS OFFER AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE career options and master basic work ethic skills. Seemingly simple job skills, such as getting up, being on time to work, and remembering and following directions, are important skills for any teenager to learn, especially if he or she has ADD or ADHD. Administrative and organizational skills may also be learned on the job. In addition, working during the summers can help students obtain firsthand knowledge about various careers.

Exploring vocational interests is an extremely important benefit of a summer job. For example, some teenagers, especially boys, may be drawn to jobs that don’t require a postsecondary education. Once a teenager actually does the work eight hours a day, some of the appeal may wear off. He may realize that he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life doing that kind of work.

It is important for your teenager to select a job that she enjoys so that she will want to go to work. You may need to help teach her responsible work habits. Make certain she has her own alarm clock. Wake her up if she oversleeps. If sleeping late becomes a major problem, discuss it with her and develop a plan to solve the problem.

Russell Barkley, PhD, has found that teenagers with ADHD do as well with summer jobs as teenagers who don’t have ADHD. Perhaps the short duration of the job, the nature of the job (usually relatively active, unskilled work), having a job they like, and novelty make it easier for them to hold summer jobs successfully.

Here is one parent’s testimony about her teen’s summer employment experiences. “Steven worked as a lifeguard during the summers. Even with his ADHD, he did an excellent job. He loves being the boss and was really good at his job. He had to open and close the pool on his own, watch all the children, monitor the chemicals, schedule the other lifeguards, and relate to the homeowner association president and members. He passed difficult lifeguarding, first aid, and CPR classes. His ego was boosted by this experience. This was great management training for him.”

Five Tips for Parents

1. Keep your teen busy during the summer. Regardless of whether your teen gets a job, volunteers, or participates in sports or other activities, the primary goal is to keep him or her busy with some activity. The old adage, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” is especially true for our teens with ADD or ADHD.

2. Consider your teen’s maturity. When guiding your child toward a specific summer job, don’t forget his or her delayed maturity and factor that in the final decision. For example, some of our teens have been excellent lifeguards; however, lifeguarding can present life-or-death situations. So if your teen is immature and inattentive, you may decide to guide him or her to another job.

3. Help teen match strengths with job skills. Try to match the job requirements with your child’s skills and interests, keeping in mind his or her challenges. One summer I had the brilliant idea that working at a popular electronics store would be the perfect job for our son. After all, he was amazing with computers and electronics. From a positive perspective, he enjoyed and was really good at problem solving with clients and helping them find solutions to their electronic problems. However, the downside was that the company imposed quotas that created a lot of anxiety for him, reminiscent of being graded in school. Plus, he hated dealing patiently with customers who were trying to return equipment that had not been purchased recently. Bottom line, by the end of the summer he was ready to be done with the job. He did not reapply the following year.

4. Establish realistic expectations for your teen’s ability. Although my son was sixteen, developmentally he was more like a thirteen-year-old. Because he was smart, I often overestimated his abilities. Ultimately, it became clear that he was not ready to work long hours with expectations to function as an adult.

5. Why do you want your teen to get a summer job? The motivation behind your encouraging your teen to get a job is also important. Does he have to work to earn money? Or are you trying to teach him responsibility and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done? If it’s the latter reason, volunteering somewhere may help to accomplish the same goal, plus it may provide a less stressful and more sheltered, positive work experience.

One final piece of advice: Remember that it’s critically important for our teens who are affected by ADHD to like a job and be successful, rather than making the mistake of pushing them prematurely into a more demanding job for which they are unprepared.


InterviewsI interviewed several teens and young adults for their perspective on their summer or first jobs, whether paid or volunteer. Note: Some of these teenagers and young adults appear in my new DVD, Real Life ADHD!
Hunter, high school sophomoreAlthough Hunter is not yet sixteen, he has developed a network of people for whom he does yard work in Andalusia, Alabama. Mainly he mows their yards, edges sidewalks, and disposes of the grass clippings. For one family, he also cleans their swimming pool. When asked about jobs he didn’t like, he explained that the most pointless job he had was when someone had him picking up sticks that had fallen in their heavily mulched pine straw areas.

This summer he’ll do yard work again but will also volunteer at the country club. He is on the high school golf team, so this is a perfect match for him. He’ll work in the pro shop, run the cash register, pick up range balls, and drive the carts to the front for players then return them later to the cart barn. Next year, when he’s sixteen, he hopes he’ll get paid for his work.

Nathan, college sophomoreNathan’s favorite summer job was probably working as a lifeguard at a swimming pool in Glasgow, Kentucky. He really enjoyed the kids, being outside in the sun, being able to swim everyday and socializing with friends. This past summer he worked at a local boat marina; the pay was higher, but the job wasn’t as much fun. The bad news was that he had to work every weekend so missed out on going places with his friends. He had to be at work by eight o’clock every morning, so had to leave his house by seven-thirty to be on time. His work days lasted ten hours and involved doing things like pumping gas, cleaning docks, running the cash register, and renting boats out and then checking them in later.

Robert, college freshmanIn his summer job with the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA), Robert feels like he’s the luckiest guy alive. CLA is a business alliance that promotes activities to bring people to downtown Chicago. For example, this past summer they displayed a thirty-foot eyeball on a downtown street. Another time, statues of pirates in full costume were placed up and down the main street. Robert’s job was to lug the pirate statue to various local businesses so that customers could come and have their pictures made with them. Another promotion involved calling all the local cabs to come to Dunkin Donuts, where Robert gave them free coffee and donuts. More importantly, he gave them flyers to share with passengers about the pirates, eyeballs, and other downtown activities and businesses.

Alyssa, college freshmanAs a member of a high school orchestra (Alyssa plays the viola), working at a store in Atlanta that rents musical instruments to students was a perfect match for Alyssa. She was so impressive in her interview that she was hired to manage the store plus supervise two other people. Alyssa developed her leadership skills through years of participating in Girl Scout programs. Her job responsibilities included renting the orchestra and band instruments, writing up rental contracts, showing them all the necessary accessories, and telling them how to care for their instrument. The store’s corporate office was impressed with her work and offered her a job as an assistant manager locally or in Virginia. The previous summer, she worked at an amusement park that served children ages four through twelve. She worked at the front desk and was given many different jobs, including redeeming prizes, working in the arcade, selling tokens, and handling admission to the park.

Steve, 24, manager of the main dry cleaning “drop-off” store in West Chester, PennsylvaniaSteve really enjoyed his first job working at McDonald’s. Although he goofed off at times, he was a really good worker and his manager liked him. Steve also recalls perhaps the worst job he ever had as a dishwasher at a retirement village. Supervisors had very rigid rules regarding their four-hour shifts. The employees could never sit down and take a rest break. The heat from the kitchen was unbearable at times, plus they had to clean up some pretty nasty messes as they cleaned up the dirty plates. Obviously a job like this is not a good match for students with ADHD.

Steve started out at the front counter and cash register at the dry cleaning “drop-off” store. His supervisor recognized the excellent work he has done for the last seven years and promoted him to the manager’s job at their largest store.

Katie, 20, college studentOne of Katie’s favorite summer jobs was working at a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop in Appleton, Wisconsin. As she explains, this job was a good match for a person with ADHD. Katie loves meeting new people and prefers to stay busy. Thanks to her mom’s early instruction, Katie understood her ADHD, so knew she’d much rather be active. Several characteristics of the job made it easier for her: She was always busy, she was working hands-on creating the ice cream treats, and she thrives on responsibility. She also showed an uncanny insight into her ADHD because she always took her medicine before she went to work so she could stay focused. Her boss liked and trusted her, so she and another student basically ran the store at times. One of Katie’s responsibilities was to close up at night. Right now she is taking a course in college as she prepares for her future career. At one point she thought she might like to be a medical assistant, but her mother reminded her that sitting at a desk all day would drive her crazy.

---

Chris A. Zeigler Dendy, MS, has over forty years combined experience in a variety of professional roles, including teacher, school psychologist, mental health counselor, administrator, lobbyist, advocate, author, and publisher. She is the mother of three grown children and grandmother of three, all with attention deficit disorders. She has served on CHADD’s board of directors, executive committee, and President’s Council and was inducted into the CHADD Hall of Fame in 2006. Among her books areTeaching Teens with ADD and ADHD: A Quick Reference Guide for Teachers and Parents (Woodbine, 2000) and Teenagers with ADD and ADHD: A Guide for Parents and Professionals (Woodbine, 2006).

This article and more can be found at http://www.chadd.org