ADHD Resources and answers for your most frequent questions
Updated: Mar 20, 2022
Below are lists of resources that I believe will help you on your quest to find the answers you are looking for. The resources are meant to help guide your journey. But not meant to be all the answers you're looking for. They are a combination of resources for both adults and kids. (soon I will have these separated but for now you have to sort through them)
(as well as just scrolling through this post you can click on the questions below to take you straight to the answer)
Disclaimer: Most of the resources here are fantastic for ADHD in general and can be applied in most provinces and countries. Please reach out with any questions. But will vary based on location sometimes.
Before we get started let me tell you about some support groups that are run by CADDAC.ca
They are free and right now available only for Adults with ADHD (although we are hoping to start more groups soon.... like ones for teens, and parents etc)
They are virtual, there are multiple and they are grouped by region in Canada. (I will be one of 3 facilitators for Western Canada)
If you are interested here is the link for that. LINK FOR SUPPORT GROUPS
The end of this blog post is a printable version of this post, so you can print off the links and the recommended book list.
I/someone I love just got a ADHD diagnosis and the doc suggested meds, what do I do now?
What can I do to learn more about ADHD to help myself/someone I love.
Learning/student resources (and accommodations)
Click the button above, for lots of links and info about meds. (another rabbit hole of recourses for you to go down)
Bookmark this page so you can come back here and find the resources. I will always be coming back here and updating the links and resources, because I love to make sure I am giving you the things that you are looking for.
1. I think I have ADHD/ I think someone I love has ADHD
Nothing is more overwhelming than trying to go through the overwhelming amounts of disjointed information that is out there. If you believe that you would benefit from getting an ADHD assessment done, there are a couple things that you can do.
Prepare to go to your Family Doctor to talk about getting assessed for ADHD.
Click here to find self-questionnaires found at caddra.ca
Go through the questionnaire questions with a very open mind and very honestly. (If you are an adult looking through the questions, don't think about how you have been able to accommodate through out life. Think about how those things have made it hard to accommodate/function.
Once you have started the conversation with your doctor please understand that they will probably ask you questions about anxiety and depression etc. They do not do this to ignore the things you are saying about ADHD. They ask you these things because there are a lot of over lap in the symptoms. This is why I believe it is so important that you do the inner/mindful work. (If you want to better understand what I mean by "doing the inner/mindful work" please feel free to email me howadhdrolls@gmail.com I would love to set up a complimentary chat with you about this)
Look at the images below to see the overlap of some symptoms.
Your family doctor might be able to diagnose you, or they might refer you to a Psychologist, or Psychiatrist. For info about the difference between the two click here
In Canada there is some wait time for a Psychologist, or Psychiatrist, so be prepared to wait. (However, there are things that you can do to help you in the mean time click here for some of those things)
2. I/someone I love just got a ADHD diagnosis and the doc suggested meds, what do I do now?
Before I get into this section I must preface that I do not give out medical advice. I urge you to talk with your doctor and pharmacist (on that note, I highly suggest that you have one pharmacist that you go to regularly. By doing this they will get to know you better, and be able to help you navigate reactions etc to meds)
If you want to learn more about the medications for ADHD click here for CADDRA Canadian ADHD medication chart . After that, I suggest looking up and researching the ones you find there, and talking to your doctor and/or pharmacist.
Research shows that a Multimodal treatment approach works for a lot of individuals with ADHD. Check out the following articles about this:
Multimodal Treatment of ADHD in the MTA: An Alternative Outcome Analysis
ADHD,Multimodal Treatment, and Longitudinal Outcome: Evidence, Paradox, and Challenge
Multimodal treatment includes:
Pharmaceutical meds
Therapy
Coaching
Natural (alternative) solutions
If you want to look for alternative solutions (ie diet and/or supplements) here are a list of links for people that I have found that talk about that. The list is mostly comprised of Functional medicine Doctors, Naturopath etc.
Optimal Mind Performance - Youtube channel for Dr. LeGrand his Channel is designated to help adults and parents who have kids with ADHD, anxiety and depression.
ADHD Medication Alternatives that Work, with Dr. Daniel Amen - "...information and support to those who suffer from brain health-related issues. We know that with a better brain comes a better life, so we aim to provide helpful information to improve brain health."
- As you search for answers, you will find more resources I can put here. Please share your findings with me so I can update this list.
3.What can I do to learn more about ADHD to help myself/someone I love.
Here, I hope to give you a lot of links and images that lead you in the right direction(s) to give you the kind of direction you are looking for.
Recommended reading:
Carol Stock Kranowitz – The Out of Sync Child
Russell Barkley – Taking Charge of ADHD
Thomas Brown – A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults
Thomas Brown – Smart but Stuck
Sari Solden – Women and ADHD
Kathleen Nadeau and Ellen Littman – Understanding Girls with ADHD, How They Feel and Why They Do What They Do
Kathleen M. Nadeau and Patricia O. Quinn – Understanding Women With AD/HD
Dale Archer MD – The ADHD Advantage: What You Thought Was a Diagnosis May Be Your Greatest Strength
Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau – ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life
Lidia Zylowska – The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD: An 8-Step Program for Strengthening Attention, Managing Emotions, and Achieving Your Goals
Harvey C. Parker – The ADD Hyperactivity Handbook For Schools
Mel Levine – All Kinds of Minds: A Young Student’s Book About Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders
Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey – Answers to Distraction
Barbara D. Ingersoll – Daredevils and Daydreamers
Larry B. Silver – Dr. Larry Silver’s Advice to Parents on ADHD: Second Edition
Ross W. Green – The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
Edward H. Jacobs – Fathering the ADHD Child: A Book for Fathers, Mothers, and Professionals Gabrielle Weiss – Hyperactive Children Grown Up: ADHD in Children, Adolescents, and Adults
Kathleen G. Nadeau – Survival Guide for College Students with Add or LD
Patricia Vadasy – Living with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs: A Book for Sibs
Stanley I., M.D. Greenspan – Infancy & Early Childhood: The Practice of Clinical Assessment & Intervention with Emotional & Developmental Challenges
Chris A. Zeigler Dendy – Teaching Teens with ADD and ADHD: A Quick Reference Guide for Teachers and Parents
YouTube Channels:
How To ADHD YoutTube Channel - there is is TON of good videos here
30 Essential Ideas you should know about ADHD, 5A ADHD is Time Blindness
Wall of Awful video (How To ADHD) - One of my favorite videos that talks about the struggles to "do the task"
(some) Websites and more
What is ADHD? (AddutideMag)
https://canlearnsociety.ca/resources/adhd-ld-resources/adhd-families/adhd-resources/
Recommended Books (from PACC)
Social Media Accounts that might spark inspiration
4.Learning/student resources
ADHD Accommodations
Below are links for lists of accommodations ideas. You can use these ideas as a spring board to personalize a request when you are approaching a teacher (or employer) for any kind of accommodations.
https://www.additudemag.com/20-adhd-accommodations-that-work/
https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/adhd-accommodations#grades-6-12
Work Place accommodations
Below is a printable version of this blog.