I have two beautiful, bright, and very ADHD children of my own. As intelligent, creative, and kind-hearted as they are, each has underachieved in school due to challenges associated with ADHD. 

 

Possibly like you, I have sat through my fair share of parent-teacher conferences and listened to teachers explain that my kids are smart but “not living up to their potential.” I’ve attended numerous 504 and IEP/ARD meetings advocating for my children and attempting to help teachers and administrators understand, accept, and accommodate their learning needs. 

 

Possibly like you, I’ve endured the judgmental comments and opinions from uninformed people who mistakenly view ADHD as a moral deficit or parenting issue as opposed to the neuro-behavioral--often genetically transmitted--disorder it is. 

 

Possibly like you, I’ve spent endless hours with my children in various specialists' offices managing medications, processing emotions, and learning skills and strategies to help them compensate for the wide-ranging impact of ADHD in every facet of their lives. 

 

Possibly like you, I’ve sat with my children and cried out of frustration and exhaustion as they struggle to complete homework, finish assignments, prepare for exams, understand why friends are upset with them, or process feelings of inferiority, shame, anger, helplessness, and anxiety. 

 

Possibly like you, I've made last minute runs to the store to purchase supplies for projects my kids either forgot about or forgot to tell me about until the last minute. I've also searched with exasperation for misplaced school supplies, library books, homework, shoes, earbuds, and even band instruments (exactly how does one misplace a cello?!).

 

Possibly like you, I’ve lost many hours of sleep, spent countless dollars, and grown gray hair prematurely from agonizing over how to help my children reach their potential and avoid the pitfalls that research and experience indicate plague children and adults with ADHD. Thoughts of chronic underachievement, school failure or drop out, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, delinquency, impaired social skills and peer relationships, and motor vehicle accidents keep me up at night.

 

In short, I get it.  I understand ADHD, not merely as a result of my education and experience in the field, but because I have lived it and continue to live it on a daily basis through my children.  This is why I am so passionate about helping students—mine AND yours—reach their potential and succeed personally and academically.