Edge Foundation Blog

In case you haven’t heard, Edge Foundation has a new Executive Director, Robert Tudisco.  Robert is a special education attorney, writer, adult diagnosed with ADHD, and a long-time advocate on behalf of people with ADHD.

If you’re in the San Francisco area and would like to meet Robert in person, be sure to check out EdRev 2010 on Saturday April 17, 2010. Ed Rev is an all-inclusive day of inspiration and resources drawing nearly 2,500 students with learning difficulties, and their parents and educators. Robert will be speaking about how coaching can help transitional students who have ADHD overcome the challenges they face. Event information can be found on Facebook or sign up at, visit the Parent’s Education Network.

Robert had his poem about living with ADHD recently featured at About.com.  The poem clearly struck an important chord with many families and students living with ADHD.  We are pleased to share a copy with you and look forward to hearing your comments.

The Wonderfulness of Me, by Robert Tudisco

If you took all of the things that were special about me,
you could put them all together and call it AD/HD.
No better, no worse, just different that’s me,
I’m really not crazy, please try and see.
Like a talented wizard in a world full of “Muggles”,
its no wonder all you see is frustration and struggles.
As I daydream and drift, you think no one’s there,
but nothing could be further from the truth, believe me, I swear.
I see your impatience as my mind starts to wander
But, you don’t know the depth of the thoughts that I ponder.
For creative thinkers, get lost in deep thought,
which leads to the illusion that they cannot be taught.
I know trying to reach me can give you the blues,
but I wish for just once, you could walk in my shoes.
To see things through my eyes, you would be amazed,
at the speed and sheer volume my thoughts seem to blaze.
I’m not lazy or stupid, if only you knew,
how truly difficult it is to limit myself and think like you do.
But, I can see things that you’ll never see,
its like second nature, because I am me.
With lightning fast reflexes, I can switch gears,
to be firm and inflexible is the worst of my fears.
I’m calm in a crisis and know just what to do,
For I’m in great company, Mozart , Edison and Churchill to name just a few.
So show me some patience, as I’m patient with you.
Just a little tolerance, it’s long overdue.
Please try and understand me, along with my AD/HD,
It’s a very big part of the wonderfulness of me.

Talk back: We’d love to hear about the wonderfulness of you in the comments!

Is there a “best” ADHD web site? We’d like to think the Edge Foundation would top your list of best ADHD resources. But just in case you are looking for information we don’t offer, we thought it might be helpful to list some of our favorite ADHD resources.

The 5 best ADHD resources

1. CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), is a national non-profit organization working to improve the lives of affected people through education, advocacy and support. From lobbying to local support groups, CHADD is a leader in the field of ADHD.
2. CHADD is also the sponsor of the National Resource Center on AD/HD. The center is funded by the CDC and has tons of science-based information about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
3. About.com has a great AD/HD column written by Keath Low. Keath posts new content each week that is full of information, support and ideas you can use. Her past columns provide an excellent on-line resource for nearly any ADHD related topic you can think of. (About.com is owned by the New York Times Company.)
4. ADD Resources is another non-profit serving the ADHD community. It has an extensive directory of workshops, conferences, publications, and articles for parents, teachers, adults, and medical professionals. The organization supports itself through memberships. And there is a fee to access some content.
5. ADDvance.com is a site where Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. and Patricia Quinn, M.D. (Edge Foundation board member) provides answers to questions about ADHD for families and individuals at every stage of life from preschool through retirement years.

There are a ton of great ADHD sites out there.  If you had to pick just 5 ADHD resources to list, what ones would you include? Let us know what your list would include.

Many people joke about having ADHD these days.  But what if you really think you might have it?  There’s a super simple test that Harvard University and the World Health Organization developed that can help you find the answer.  It’s called the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1 (ASRS-V1.1) Screener.  It’s just 6 questions long and takes only 5 minutes to complete.

Can a simple test really tell me if I have ADHD?

Well, no.  But it can give you an idea of whether you should talk to you doctor about it or not.

What if I don’t have ADHD?

There’s probably a good reason you are wondering if you have ADHD.

Do you get easily distracted?  Do you have trouble focusing long enough to finish your homework?  Are you the kid in class who gets in trouble for interrupting or doing random stuff?  Do people tell you you’d do fine if you just tried harder?  Do you sometimes feel like you’re always forgetting things, always late, always in trouble, always behind?

If you are struggling with these issues in school, you don’t need to wait for an ADHD diagnosis to start working with a coach on these issues.

A coach is your advocate. He or she gets to know you and finds ways to help you succeed in your life.  You and your coach talk regularly and check in about how your life is going. Your coach can help you find strategies to stay organized and remember important things. Your coach can help remind you to take care of yourself and show you ways to stay focused. Your coach can also help you improve your relationships with friends, classmates, teachers, and family members. Your coach is there to talk to, strategize with, and advocate for you as long as you want.

Other posts you might be interested in:

ADHD Screener in Chinese, Spanish, English and more

ADHD Symptoms in Girls

How to determine if a you need an ADHD coach

Do you know a high school student who is struggling?

Living with ADHD can be frustrating – for the students that have it and the adults who care about them. While every high school student is learning important skills that will help them be successful in school and life, the ADHD student has to work much harder to learn these same skills.

The added challenge of high school is that students are also moving away from accepting help from their parents, and may be embarrassed to let others know they are struggling with basic skills such as studying, remembering things or keeping track of time. Many times they mask these struggles with “poor attitude.” Added to the challenge are adults who see these behaviors as a failing of character–just not caring or just not trying hard enough–when there are actually fundamental neurological issues contributing to the problems.

Help is here!

At the Edge Foundation, we believe that coaching can mean the difference between success and failure for high school students with ADHD. An ADHD coach works with the student to help make the most of his or her strengths and overcome the challenges. An Edge Coach is not a doctor or teacher but rather a skilled specialist who works with your student to help your student learn and practice important skills that will last a lifetime. A coach gets to know each student’s individual strengths and finds ways to help your student succeed academically, socially, and in all areas of life.

After your student is matched with an Edge Coach, they set up weekly sessions to talk about how school and personal life is going. The coach helps the student find strategies to stay organized, utilize time well, and stay on track in class. The coach can help remind the student to make good choices and take care of him or herself emotionally and physically. ADHD coaches can also help students improve relationships with friends, peers, teachers, and family members.

The end result is a student who has increased capabilities, confidence and sense of self!

Sign up today!

Why not sign up today to get more information?  It doesn’t cost anything to check it out.

For students under 18 years of age, parents will participate in all phases of the application process. For students 18 years and older, it is expected that the student take the initiative for selecting his or her own coach and that the parents take a supportive but secondary role.

If you know a student who is struggling, an ADHD coach can make all the difference in the world. Pass the word. ADHD doesn’t have to be a disability that holds you back from living a fully accomplished and successful life.