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Cannabis and ADHD

ADHD, Cannabis, Marijuana, Teen Subjects /

Cannabis/weed/marijuana – it’s everywhere. It is legal for adult use with no restrictions in 11 states, for “medicinal” (sic) use in 34 states.  And it affects brain development in teens and even into 20s because the brain doesn’t become fully mature until age 25 – and later for an ADHD-affected brain. Regular use as an adolescent has permanent negative effects which result in altered brain capabilities…FOR LIFE.  That will become increasingly evident as the current teen users get into their 20s and 30s, but it has been shown even now. How many teens really use that much, enough to cause life-altering problems?  As of 2017  DAILY users – 1.3 % of 8th ,  4.8% of 10th, and  6.4% of High School seniors !!  36% of HS seniors had used weed at all in the previous year. And those numbers are increasing every year. The number of users vaping (smoking a refined concentrated liquid form of cannabis) DOUBLED from 2017 to 2018. 

My guest this week is an expert in this subject, Roberto Olivardia, a psychologist in the Boston area with a private practice who also holds a part-time teaching position at Harvard Medical School. We discuss the scope of use of cannabis, how it affects brain development and why using it is attractive to teens, especially anyone with anxiety, ADHD, depression, poor school grades etc.  Roberto also outlines what parents can do to help their children learn how to deal with all the influences encouraging cannabis use which they will encounter as they enter and go through teen-age years. Listen and Learn!  

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Brenda Mahan and the Wall of Awful

Podcast Episode, Teen Subjects /

Here you go….
Brendan Mahan and the Wall of Awful

“Yup, I failed again, messed it up”. “I’ve disappointed Mom again, she probably wishes I
wasn’t her kid.”

“I’ll be up until 2am getting this report done, why didn’t I get started
earlier instead of watching Netflix again? I’m stupid, that’s why”.

Ever heard yourself saying that? Ever heard your child say that? Ouch! It hurts!

My guest today is Brendan Mahan, Executive Function coach/consultant, speaker and
educator (former 6th grade teacher). And parent. And person with ADHD. He came up
with the concept of the Wall of Awful as the representation of the negative emotions and
self-talk that accumulate faster and grow higher for those of us with ADHD than for
neurotypicals. Kids, parents, adults with ADHD are very good at adding those emotional
“bricks” to the Wall of Awful. Join Brendan and I as we discuss how the Wall gets built
and the 5 ways of dealing with it, 2 of which work well and get us to the other side of the
Wall of Awful. Listen and learn!


Brendan’s podcast is ADHD Essentials, his website www.adhdessentials.com

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How to motivate your ADHD child (without using screen time!) with Dr Jerome Schultz

Parenting, Podcast Episode, School Subjects, Teen Subjects /

“It’s too hard!” “Why do I have to do this stupid book report? It’s dumb!”

“I finished it in school”…which you find out later is not the truth.

Have you heard this before, or something like it? Frustrating to say the least! For you, the teacher(s) and your child. My show today is about how to change the repeated failures into repeated successes.

Dr. Jerome Schultz is a neuropsychologist of 38 years’ experience who has developed a simple technique to turn this around. Simple but it does take effort and practice to make it work. You can do it! We discuss what is “behind the curtain”, why kids evade homework and hate school, how the brain differences in ADHD are a setup for failure if not recognized and an approach that works to develop successes leading to a Growth Mindset.

He outlines this approach in his book Nowhere to Hide: Why Kids with ADHD & LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It. He spends 2 days a week in schools working with teachers and students, consults with School Districts in the Boston area, and he writes articles in ADDitude magazine (additudemag.com) and blogs for Understood which is now at u.org. He walks the talk! Check those out, but right now listen and learn!

Follow Dr. Schultz on twitter @docschultz

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Beyond High School with Patricia Quinn MD

Podcast Episode, Teen Subjects /

Here are more answers to the FAQs on the “High School to ‘after’ transition” for students and families dealing with ADHD – a parent’s role is coach, not player; what teens wish parents had done to help the transition; important facts about medications at college. Dr. Theresa Maitland returns to discuss these topics and more.

She has over 45 years of counseling/coaching experience in this field. She has co-authored 2 books with Patricia Quinn MD – Ready for Takeoff, Preparing Your Teen for the Transition from High School to College for parents, and On Your Own, College Readiness Guide for Teens with ADHD/LD. Her work as one of the first professionals doing ADHD coaching with students has grown to include families as well. She is open to receiving questions by email at drtmaitland@gmail.com. In this show we continue our discussion on the best ways to prepare adolescents and their parents for the move to what comes after High School. Listen and learn!

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ADHD Focus: College Prep with Dr Theresa Maitland

Parenting, Podcast Episode, School Subjects, Teen Subjects /

Do you worry about how your ADHD child will do when she/he goes off to college? Do you wonder how you can give him/her the best preparation for demands of living away from you, not to mention the college academics?
Dr. Theresa Maitland has over 45 years of counseling/coaching experience, the last 24 years at a college specifically assisting students who are struggling with those exact challenges. She has written 3 books, including Ready for Takeoff, the Transition from High School to College for parents, and On Your Own, College Readiness for teens (co-authored with Patricia Quinn MD). She was one of the first professionals doing ADHD coaching in this issue, and soon realized it had to include families, not just students. She is open to receiving questions by email at drmaitland@gmail.com. In this show we discuss to best ways to prepare adolescents and their parents for the move to college life and academics. Listen and learn!

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ADHD Focus – Internet Addiction With Hilarie Cash PhD

Podcast Episode, Teen Subjects /

Someone who spends hours on Internet, social media, YouTube, or playing video games to the exclusion of interactions with family and friends, isolating and at times violently opposing any request to stop – even for

dinner! These are signs of a possible addiction to the electronic world. It affects teens and young adults most commonly, with very serious impact upon their lives and brain development.  Like all addictions, it requires an intensive multi-faceted treatment approach. My guest Hilarie Cash PhD has developed 2 unique residential programs to help those with this affliction. She is a psychotherapist who has specialized in this field since 1999 and in 2009 co-founded ReStartLife, a company providing residential treatment for adults and teens (separate facilities) from all over the US, based in the Seattle area. Her website is http://www.Netaddictionrecovery.com

Those with ADHD especially prone to this condition; listen and learn about the condition and what can be done to help those affected by it.

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