In the second part of my conversation with Rick LaVoie, we discuss ADHD, organization, seeing things from your child’s perspective, how we need to set a good example for our kids, helicopter parenting and how to motivate them.

Rick Lavoie has worked in special education for over 30 years. He has three degrees in Special Education, and has produced the single best selling educational video over the past 20 years- “How Difficult Can this Be? the F.A.T. City workshop” which shows teachers and adults what it’s like to be a child with learning disabilities in the classroom.

One of Rick’s greatest gifts is helping us see what the world looks lke through our children’s eyes. By doing that, and illustrating his ideas in such a way that they are memorable and better still, actionable, Rick’s thoughts are not just more words about what you SHOULD do, they’re about things you CAN do, easily, now, to make a huge difference in your life and that of your child.

Today, we talk about a wide variety of topics. the most important of which is also the topic of Rick’s new book, “The Motivation Break-through- 6 secrets to Turning on the Tuned Out Child”. By breaking down how motivation works, we can understand how to help our children become motivated to succeed in every aspect of their lives (and it’s pretty good for the rest of us as well…)

Most importantly, the book gives you specific pointers and action steps to take, to help your child today. He even has a great chapter in the book about explaining learning disabilities to your child,and how to explain things so it is not a “negative” just a difference, that can be dealt with, just like any other challenge in life.

If there’s one gift you can give yourself this year, it’s reading “The Motivation Breakthrough”.

I encourage everyone to go to Rick’s website and to check on his upcoming speaking dates. If he is in your area, don’t miss an opportunity to see him present in person.

Next week, we’ll have an interview with Nina Straightman, a reading and language specialist at the Centreville School, a school for children with language-based learning disabilities.

We are looking into doing a call-in show to answer your questions- please drop me an email if you are interested at ldpodcast@gmail.com. We also have a new voicemail numner (206) 203-4616- please call and leave your comments and questions and we’ll answer them on the show!

Click here to download and listen to Conversation with Rick LaVoie Part II

Anne Ford and John Richard Thompson have collaborated on a second book, On Their Own- Creating an Independent Future for your Adult Child with Learning Disabilities and ADHD. Anne has a daughter with severe learning disabilities, has been a leading LD activist and is the former Chairman of the National Center for Learning Disabilities. John, her co-author, has helped Anne in lobbying Congress, and has spoken to parents across the Country about their children with LD.

I spoke with Anne and John about this terrific book. I was riveted by the book, because it addresses the problems that occur as kids with LD and ADHD have not only now, but as they get older, and how to gradually prepare them, so you can gradually let go and let them live their own lives. (Not always an easy job for parents.) It covers issues ranging from how siblings react to having a brother or sister with LD, to dating, transitioning from high school to college to the job force, as well as estate planning for you to help provide any support that might be necessary for your child with disabilities. The bottom line is that if we don’t prepare our kids to be self-sufficient when they’re young (whther they have LD or not) how can we reasonably expect them to care for themselves when they go to college or leave the nest? Is it any wonder so many kids come home and don’t want to leave??

Anne, John and I spoke for over an hour; I have split the interview into three parts, released over the next few days in sequence. Part I talks about Anne’s experience with her daughter, Allegra and why she and John wrote On Their Own.

Part II addresses dealing with problems ranging from what to call “it” to having both parents on the same page, to how siblings react; part III addresses the job and employment issues that may look like disorganized lockers or desks for school age children, but remain part of an LD person’s profile. There is no statute of limitation on LD.

I have five copies of this wonderful book to give out- the first five listeners who send emails to ldpodcast@gmail.com, or voicemail (206) 666-2343 or comments here on the blog/website will win. I’ll notify you and then I’ll send the books out to you.

I know you’ll enjoy both the interview and this terrific book from people who have been there themselves- and remember, kids need to be able to be On Their Own.

Click here to listen to Show #54- Anne Ford and John Thompson- On Their Own

Paige is the mother of five children, two of whom have been diagnosed with ADHD, and Paige has ADHD as well. In part I, Paige and I talk about what it was like to try to figure out why her oldest son was struggling in school, trying to communicate with teachers, and finally find outpart of the problem was due to ADHD.

In part II, Paige and I talk more about how finding out about her son’s ADHD transformed his experience in school, and took him from a smart but struggling kid into a real academic superstar; what it was like when she found out she had ADHD; and what her current child is going through as he gets tested at age 7 1/2 to see whether he, too, is ADHD like his mom and siblings.

I know you’ll find this helpful whether your child has ADHD or any other LD or school struggle. The story is a very familiar one to most parents whose kids seem smart and bright, but for some reason, seem to really be underperforming in school. Parents always hear comments like “We know he can do it, if he’d only concentrate and apply himself”- sometimes the problem is not a moral problem, but an underlying neurological one, like ADHD.

Next week, I have an interview with Peter Wright of Wrightslaw.com. Pete is an attorney who specializes in special education law and has travelled the country, speaking to parents and educators about how the special education laws and No Child Left behind affect kids with disabilities. Pete also argued a landmark case, Florence County School District v. Carter, before the Supreme Court. Pete also has learning disabilities and struggled in school, so he knows about the importance of these issues on a personal basis as well as a professional one.

As always, please email us with comments and questions at ldpodcast@gmail.com, or call our comment line, 206-666-2343.

CONTEST!!!!

Since we receieved no answer from the announced contest winners, the first three emails with comments I receive after posting this show will receive a copy of Dr . Mel Levine’s A Mind at a Time, and first three voice comments I recieve will get additional educational book prizes, either The Myth of Laziness by Dr. Mel Levine, It’s So Much Work to be Your Friend, by Rick LaVoie, or The Irreducible Needs of Children by T. Berry Brazelton. If you leave a voice comment, please include your contact information so I can let you know if you’re a winner!

Please also consider leaving a review of the Podcast in iTunes- each review helps us become a featured podcast.

Click here to Download Show #50: Moms & Kids with ADHD- Conversation with Paige Heninger from Mommycast

Dr. Kathleen Nadeau is one of my heroes. The opportunity to speak withe her for the LD Podcast was one of the highlights of 2006 for me. For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Nadeau, she is a clinical psychologist in the Washington, D.C., area. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Florida, and has specialized in the issues of attention and learning disorders for more than 20 years. She currently serves as Director of the Chesapeake ADHD Center of Maryland in Silver Spring. She lectures and gives workshops both nationally and internationally on a variety of topics including: Giftedness and ADD (ADHD), Workplace Issues for Adults with ADD (ADHD), Women and Girls with ADD (ADHD), College Students with ADD (ADHD), and Life Management Issues for Individuals with ADD (ADHD).

Dr. Nadeau is the author of more than ten books on ADHD. Her best-selling children’s book Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention, is now in its third edition. Her two books for teens, School Strategies for ADD Teens and Help4ADD@HighSchool are both top-selling books for adolescents with ADD (ADHD). She is also the author of A College Survival Guide for Students with ADD or LD.

Dr. Nadeau turned her attention to adult ADD (ADHD) in the early 1990’s and is the editor of the first book for professionals on adult ADD, A Comprehensive Guide to ADD in Adults: Research, Diagnosis and Treatment. She followed this book for professionals with several books directed at helping adults with ADD better manage their lives. These include the best-selling book ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life, Adventures in Fast Forward – Life, Love & Work for Adults with ADD, and ADD in the Workplace.

For the last decade, Dr. Nadeau has devoted her attention professionally to the issues confronting girls and women with ADD (ADHD). Her groundbreaking 1999 book, Understanding Girls with ADHD, co-authored with Drs. Quinn and Littman continues to be the only book that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of girls. She was co-editor of ADDvance: A Magazine for Women with ADD and is co-founder of the non-profit organization, The National Center for Gender Issues and AD/HD. In 2002, Dr. Nadeau co-edited with her partner, Dr. Quinn, two volumes on these important topics, Understanding Women with ADHD and the only text on ADHD in women for clinicians, Gender Issues and ADHD: Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

In our conversation, we discuss how ADHD tends to look different in girls than in boys; when you should treat ADHD; why many parents are reluctant to consider medication as part of an ADHD treatment plan; and how some basic organization and problem-solving strategies can make your home less stressful.

At Podcamp Boston, I met Courtney Rau. She is the Special Education Department Chair at a Massachussetts school district. We got a chance to sit down and talk about special education, and how the school handles both the education of the child and the management and education of the parents. This was a wonderful interview, that gives you an idea of how schools see parents for a change. Maybe if we can all understand where each other is coming from, we can begin to make these meetings more productive, but I doubt they will ever lose their emotional component, since we will always be talking about our kids.

We spoke about issues you rarely hear about- how schools view advocates; how they sometimes dread talking to us; and how, in the end, it really is all about the child, and everyone does want to see the kids succeed. This should be mandatory listening for every parent before their IEP meetings.

I also met alot of great podcasters at Podcamp, including Mark Blevis, who produces a great podcast with his wife called Just One More Book, looking at chidlren’s books you might have missed at your local bookstore. I’ve also been in contact with Mike from the “Kids Wife Work Life” podcast- another wonderful parenting and family podcast you should check out!

Today’s song is the terrific You Don’t Need an iPod performed by Uncle Seth. In case anyone wants to know a bit more about podcasting, this is probably the best and most entertaining “commercial” available. Available on the Podsafe Music Network.

Please email us with comments at LDpodcast@gmail.com, or give us a call at (206) 666-2343! We want to hear from you!
Click here to listen or download Show #20

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Dr.Michael Patrick Jr. Dr. Mike is a practicing pediatrician and podcaster, and we sat down and spoke about many things, including discovering developmental delays, the difficulty in balancing parent worry with doctor experience, referrals to developmental experts, and whether pediatricians should treat ADHD. Dr. Mike is the parent of two wonderful children, including a son with ADHD. I think you’ll find this interview informative and fun, as we get to look at parents from a doctor’s point of view.
As always, we encourage feedback! Our voicemail line is (206) 666-2343, and our email is ldpodcast@gmail.com.

[ADHD, ADD, Pediatrician, Pediacast, Mike Patrick, developmental delays, learning disabilities]