Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD)

Summary Children of color with ADHD often experience challenges and barriers to receiving mental health care. It is important for educators and healthcare professionals to be transcultural when providing care, and for parents to know how to advocate for their child. Stigma continues to exist in the conversation regarding mental health and ADHD. Dr. Roberto Olivardia discusses the barriers to mental health care in the Black community and offers ways in which mental health professionals and educators can provide services for different cultures. He also provides information for parents on how to help their children face these challenges. Roberto Olivardia, PhD Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a clinical psychologist and lecturer in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, where he specializes in the treatment of ADHD, executive functioning issues, and students with learning differences. He also specializes in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders in boys and men. He currently serves on the professional advisory boards for CHADD, ADDA, and the National Association for Males with Eating Disorders. Objectives: Learn about the barriers to treatment for children of color with ADHD. Learn how professionals can develop cultural awareness. Gain skills on how to change the conversation about mental health and people of color. Learn how parents of color can advocate for their child. Identify how treatment can be provided equitably throughout different communities.

Summary The diagnosis and treatment of children with ADHD in the African American community can be affected by stigma and cultural challenges. African American and Black parents often struggle when seeking help for their child. Dr. Nekeshia Hammond discusses how ADHD symptoms affect daily functioning, how ADHD is perceived within different communities, why African Americans may not be receiving the recommended treatments, and the challenges that can cause ADHD-like symptoms and lead to incomplete treatment. She provides information on how parents can make sure their child receives proper care and how professionals can work together to provide more culturally competent care. Nekeshia Hammond, PsyD Nekeshia Hammond, PsyD, is the founder and owner of Hammond Psychology and Associates, PA. She is an author, speaker, and authority -on child psychology, with a specific mission to support parents of children coping with ADHD. Objectives: Learn about ADHD symptoms and how they affect daily functioning. Identify barriers to receiving diagnosis and treatment within the African American community. Learn about the challenges that can cause ADHD-like symptoms. Gain suggestions on what parents can do to make sure their child is receiving proper care. Learn how professionals and the community can work together to develop cultural competence.

Summary Black adults with ADHD face barriers when seeking diagnosis and treatment for ADHD. There are cultural concerns that need to be addressed for them to receive proper evaluation and effective treatment. Dr. Napoleon Higgins, a psychiatrist from Houston, Texas, discusses mental health stigma within the Black community, the cultural values that may impact treatment, and ways to address these issues. He provides resources that can help one find culturally competent providers, and strategies Black adults can use to help providers better understand their challenges. Napoleon Higgins, MD Dr. Napoleon Higgins is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist in Houston, Texas.  He is the CEO of Bay Pointe Behavioral Health Services and South East Houston Research Group. He is the president of Black Psychiatrists of Greater Houston, past president of the Caucus of Black Psychiatrists of the American Psychiatric Association, and past president of Black Psychiatrists of America. Dr. Higgins co-authored a number of books, including How Amari Learned to Love School Again: A Story about ADHD, Mind Matters: A Resource Guide to Psychiatry for Black Communities, and author of Transition 2 Practice: 21 Things Every Doctor Must Know In Contract Negotiations and the Job Search.  He also specializes in nutrition and health to improve the mental and physical lives of patients. He has worked with countless community mentoring programs and has a special interest in trauma, racism, and inner-city issues and how they affect minority and disadvantaged children and communities. Learning Objectives: 1. Gain an understanding of mental health stigma in the Black community. 2. Learn about disclosing an ADHD diagnosis to family members or employers. 3. Learn about the role spirituality can play in ADHD treatment. 4. Gain strategies for obtaining a culturally sensitive ADHD treatment provider. 5. Learn the questions to ask providers for receiving a proper diagnosis. 6. Learn what newly diagnosed adults with ADHD need to do.

Summary Some parents worry about their children sharing their prescribed stimulant medication or using other substances. Sometimes a prescribed medication is diverted to others for non-medical use with devastating results. Julie Buckner, the founder of Josh E. Levine Foundation, shares her story about her young adult son, who passed away as a result of using a mix of stimulants and alcohol. She provides information on how stimulants can be misused by teenagers and young adults, and how medication diversion can be prevented. In this emotional conversation, she also offers recommendations for parents on how to support their young adults. Objectives 1. Learn how mixing stimulants with alcohol can have fatal results. 2. Learn about the environments that lead to diversion and substance use. 3. Learn how youth who are prescribed stimulants can prevent medication theft or diversion. 4. Learn effective communication strategies regarding substance use that parents can use with their children.

Podcast Transcript: https://chadd.org/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-webinar-qa-is-my-high-school-student-ready-for-college/ Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA, is the author of Understand Your Brain, Get More Done, More Attention, Less Deficit, and Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD. He is a psychologist in private practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a former member of CHADD’s board of directors and co-chair of its conference committee.

Podcast Transcript: https://chadd.org/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-webinar-qa-helping-your-young-adult-become-independent/ Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA and Stephanie Sarkis, PhD

Featuring: Gene Arnold, MD, CHADD's resident expert Daily living and safety concerns during the coronavirus pandemic are overwhelming for most people. Many children with ADHD and their parents express the negative effect it's having on their overall physical and mental health. Could these feelings be an indication that you're suffering from depression? Do you know the signs and symptoms? Gene Arnold, MD, CHADD's resident expert, helps you understand the difference between depression and anxiety, treatment options for those taking ADHD medication, and alternate therapy choices, so you can make the best-informed health decisions.

What Are My Child’s 504 and IEP Rights for Distance Learning? by Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD)

African American parents often question the validity of their child’s ADHD diagnosis. For them, past experience with the medical community did not always include appropriate evaluation and correct diagnosis. What steps should they take to ensure their child is getting a proper assessment? Psychologist Nekeshia Hammond explains what parents need to know about ADHD and the elements of a comprehensive evaluation. She gives insight into the common myths about ADHD in the Black community and explains why healthcare professionals and educators need culturally competent training. Featured guest: Nekeshia Hammond, PsyD Nekeshia Hammond, PsyD, is the founder and owner of Hammond Psychology and Associates, PA. She is an author, speaker, and authority -on child psychology, with a specific mission to support parents of children coping with ADHD. https://hammondpsychology.com/dr-nekeshia-hammond/

Podcast Transcript coming soon. How does executive functioning relate to ADHD? How can you help children and teenagers build better executive function skills? Cooper-Kahn shares insight, practical strategies, and interventions you can use in your daily life. Joyce Cooper-Kahn, PhD Joyce Cooper-Kahn, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist and author who specializes in direct services and consultation for youth, families, and schools dealing with ADHD and executive functioning weaknesses.