Calvin College in the Meeter Center Lecture Hall, is to the right of the fireplace off of the library lobby. Membership information is available at our meetings. Membership to CHADD National is encouraged, though not required to attend.
Monthly meetings are free and open to all interested. Check the www.chaddgr.org website for announcements and more information about meeting topics and guest speakers. Feel free to attend either or both monthly groups. There is one group for Parents and one for Adults, but some topics are relevant to both.
April 5, 2011- Russell Barkley, Ph.D.- "The Importance of Emotions in Understanding and Managing ADHD" View the first part of Russell Barkley's keynote address at the last CHADD convention. How can you tell if difficulty controlling ones emotions is due to having ADHD or a mood disorder? Or could it be a learned behavior? Find out if having financial problems is more often associated with impulsivity or a mood disorder. Is relying on "sheer willpower" enough?
May 3rd-Emotions-Part 2
We will view the second have of the video and discuss how it relates to us. What causes you to feel anxious, angry, or overwhelmed? What helps you get back to feeling under control? How do you refuel your "emotional tank?"
February 1st, 2011- No meeting due to THE BIG BLIZZARD!
March 1st, "ADD and Loving It!" (that aired on WGVU), will be viewed. Whether or not you are an adult with AD/HD, this program is sure to hold your attention for an entire 55 minutes! It will cover how AD/HD can affect people's lives and relationships, myths and facts about AD/HD, and different people's experiences with treatment.
Entertaining throughout, Patrick McKenna and his wife, Janis, fill out a checklist behavior rating scale together; some interesting stories come to light!
- You might be impulsive if... Patrick said he goes out of his way to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Janis added, "One time, when he was stuck, he got out and bought a car!"
- You might be easily bored if... How often have you moved to a different apartment, in the same building?!
- What mistake people with AD/HD typically make when choosing a spouse?
- In what situations do people with AD/HD outperform people who don't have it, according to Ned Hallowell?
Learn from some of the best: Rick Green, Margaret Weiss, MD, PhD, Ed Hallowell (Co-author of Driven to Distraction), Kate Kelly, author of I'm not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy! and Thom Hartmann, radio talk show host and author of a Hunter in a Farmer's World, to name a few!
Whether or not you love having AD/HD, please join us!
And if you just can't wait, take a sneak peak at www.totallyadd.com!
********************************************************
CHADD's Parent Group meets on THIRD TUESDAYS, downstairs, at St. Luke's Lutheran Church at the corner of 4 Mile Rd. and the E. Beltline, also from 7-9 p.m.
January 18th: Steve Aurand, Director of the new Autism Clinic at Hope Network and Anna Aurand, Speech Pathologist for Grand Rapids Public Schools, spoke "From the Heart," about how their personal experience has been a proving ground for their professional training.
February 15th: Rick LaVoie, "It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend" The first half of this DVD on SOCIAL SKILLS was discussed. We learned that it isn't that children with verbal disabilities' have behavior problems in school because of their lack of academic success, the disabilities cause them to be more likely to have behavior problems. In addition to being frustrated, their intentions may be misinterpreted or the child may not be able to sense the appropriateness of certain behaviors in one setting, but not another, sometimes due to just being older.
March 15th: We will view the second half of "It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend," which will feature BULLYING. Children with disabilities are more likely to be targets of bullying as well as being bullies. Rick LaVoie has insights you will find no where else!
****************************************************************
April 14th-June 16th, Thursdays, 6:30-9 CHADD's Annual Parenting Class! Register for "Parent to Parent" which will be held at the Child and Family Resource Center at the Riverview Center, on Front Ave., near the green bridge, one block south of Leonard. $149/couple for non-members, $100 for members. Scholarships are available. Learn the facts behind common misunderstandings about AD/HD, learn about diagnosis and treatment, different parenting approaches by "experts," and build your own frame of reference of when to use which type of approach, based on your specific child. Learn about your child's educational rights and AD/HD over the lifespan. Call Linda to reserve space and materials: 616-874-5662
***************************************************
April 19th, 2011- Benita Hannet will explain her years of struggle to finally get help for her daughter at school, and how she was finally successful! Benita learned a lot and has much to share!
May 17th- We will view the second half of Rick LaVoie's video on Bullying and AD/HD which will be followed by an interactive discussion. All interested are invited to join the discussion, including school personnel.
*****************************************************
January 4rth, 2011- CHADD Adult Group meeting on RESILIENCY: "A Good Day Is When Bad Things Don't Happen--Revisited." When Dr. Sam Goldstein asked 9 year old Michael what makes a good day, Michael lists a number of bad things not happening, as if a good day would be one spent all day in bed! Dr. Goldstein has seen individuals with AD/HD become "failure avoidant." Even when they succeed, they don't know how they did it, so they don't "own" it or know how to make it happen again. They may feel no control over their life, may believe that life isn't fair, that emotions get you in trouble, if I like doing something, I probably shouldn't be doing it, become resistant, and may begin to see themselves as dumb.
When looking at research on outcome studies, he wondered what factors allow some individuals to beat the odds, and not others. He has done research on RESILIENCY. He explains that resiliency is not "recovery;" resiliency is how someone functions in the face of adversity.
He said that they found the conditions most likely to foster resiliency are 1) Easy temperament, 2) Consistent family relationships (--someone there for you), 3) Competent caregivers, 4) Self esteem, and 5) Emotional security.
After viewing his presentation at our Adult CHADD Group meeting, January 4th, a number of additional factors were discussed that people felt helped them to be resilient.
- We discussed finding and getting positive feedback for your strengths. Individuals mentioned being good in music, 3 dimensional design, art, basketball, being a door gunner on a helicopter in the military, becoming a lawyer, marrying the right person, having the right secretary, and not primarily focusing on remediating deficits.
- Being accepted unconditionally by a family member or good friend, someone who is not going to judge you.
- Being in an accepting, versus a toxic environment, where different viewpoints and ways of solving problems are not seen as a threat or "wrong," and are even encouraged. Having a good support system.
- Where energy can be channeled in a positive direction. Where there is a good fit between you and your environment.
- Not being made to feel "less than," ashamed, or disrespected for who you are.
- Being in a setting where you can contribute and make a difference.
- Having faith in something greater, that makes you feel that you are part of a bigger plan, that gives you the tenacity to keep going, and inspires you, that makes your effort worthwhile.
- To know who you are and that you have worth. To have a sense of humor, to be able to appreciate the absurdity of a situation and the humanity that binds us all.
Past Adult Meetings in 2010
3 comments:
I am glad I looked for adult support groups in the area! I plan on making this presentation tonight, it sounds like a great topic of focus.
Another theme, throughout the discussion, was the need to better educate the community. An important factor in being resilient is in feeling accepted. However, people with AD/HD are often made to feel as if they are just making excuses, just need to try harder, or are trying to avoid taking responsibility. Others often don't see AD/HD as being real, and trivialize it. At least with alcoholism, people are embraced once they are no longer "in denial." With AD/HD, parents are blamed for "resorting" to giving their children medication, as if they are trying to take the easy way out. There is much we need to do to educate the community to combat the fears and prejudices surrounding AD/HD.
Adult Group April 5, 2011
Russell Barkley, Ph.D.
The Importance of Emotions in Understanding and Managing ADHD-Part 1
How do you know if difficulty controlling your emotions is due to having ADHD, or if it is due to a mood disorder, like anxiety or depression?
Find out what else you can do besides using sheer willpower to suppress them.
May 3, Part 2
We will watch the second half of Barkley's keynote presentation and have an interactive discussion about what situations cause you to get anxious or overwhelmed, and what helps you get back to being "yourself."
Post a Comment