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Focus Frequency: Navigating ADD/ADHD
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Feb 6, 2025
Welcome to Adaptable | Behavior Explained! Individuals with ADD or ADHD have a difficult time paying attention and focusing, especially if they’re uninterested, are easily distracted, and can also be impulsive or disruptive. ADHD also includes the physical symptoms of hyperactivity or excessive restlessness. While the symptoms seem to be fairly straight forward, diagnosing ADD/ADHD can be complex. A person must exhibit a large number of symptoms that prove to cause significant problems with daily life, throughout their life, and in multiple settings. Let's talk about how to navigate ADD/ADHD! I'm Kelly O'Horo, Attachment based EMDR Therapist, EMDRIA Consultant, and Advanced Trainer. I'm a mom of 5, Nonna of 5, wife, and a healer. I have the honor of spending my workdays walking along side people while they brave their healing journeys. I try to live with the generous assumption that we're all doing the best we can with what we know. Therapists are teachers for the "life stuff" and "emotional vocabulary" that may not have been learned due to gaps in our care givers capabilities. In the last 15 years I've learned that people are freaking amazing, resilient, and inspiring. Most importantly, we are hardwired for connection and for healing! I hope to bring an authentic, compassionate, and unpolished approach while we explore a variety of topics such as parenting, marriage, relationships, dating, trauma, attachment, adoption, depression, addiction, anxiety, and love! There's a why for all behaviors and an explanation that makes perfect sense as emotion is at the root of it all. -- Links -- https://linktr.ee/kellyohorolpc https://youtu.be/rLnARKekvgo https://www.emdria.org/find-an-emdr-therapist/
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0:06
hi everyone I'm Kell ooro and this is
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adaptable Behavior explained hi
0:12
everybody Welcome to adaptable today
0:15
we're going to talk about a pretty
0:16
common symptomology or disorder uh
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called add or
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ADHD um and we're going to explore the
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nuanced view of ADD and ADHD
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understanding them not just as a
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biological occurrence but also as a
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potential symptom of trauma we'll
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discuss various treatment options
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including natural interventions as well
0:36
as effective behavioral interventions
0:38
and therapeutic approaches such as the
0:40
MDR therapy if you like this episode and
0:42
want to hear more about this topic make
0:44
sure that you like it or share it with
0:46
someone who could benefit and don't
0:47
forget to subscribe so that you don't
0:49
miss any future shows so according to
0:52
the DSM that's the diagnostic and
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statistical manual um this is where
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therapists and mental health
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professionals diagnose other disorders
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um basically add is characterized by a
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persistent pattern of inattention and or
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hyperactivity or impulsivity and it has
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to interfere with functioning or
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development and so I'm going to read you
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the criteria for the diagnosis um so
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that you can kind of decide according to
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this if you may or may not uh fit the
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criteria so in attention often fails to
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give close attention to details or makes
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careless mistakes has difficulty
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sustaining attention in tasks or play
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activities does not seem to listen when
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spoken to directly does not follow
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through on instructions and fails to
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finish school work or other duties has
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difficulty organizing tasks and
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activities avoids or is reluctant to
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engage in tasks that require sustained
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mental effort or are boring um loses
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things uh necessary for tasks and
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activities is easily distracted
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by is easily distracted by extraneous uh
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stimuli is forgetful in daily activities
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so the hyperactivity and impulsivity
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side of things these people might fidget
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with or tap their hands or their feet or
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squirm in their seat uh runs about or
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climbs in a situation where it's not
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necessarily appropriate and is unable to
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play or engage in leisure activities
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quietly they may seem like they're on
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the go acting as if they're driven by a
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motor perhaps they talk excessively blur
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out answers before a question has been
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completed has difficulty waiting their
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turn interrupts or intrudes on others so
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for a diagnosis of ADHD several symptoms
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must have been present before the age of
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12 years old uh and they have to be
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present in two or more settings like at
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home at school or at work and interfere
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with or reduce the quality of school
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social or work functioning symptoms
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should not be better explained by
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another mental disorder um in order to
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rule out something else so studies
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indicate that traumatic experience
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especially in early childhood can
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predict ADHD symptoms so attention
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deficit disorder or ADD and ADHD are
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often discussed in the context of
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biology and genetics however there's a
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growing body of research that suggests a
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link between ADHD and of trauma so
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trauma can alter the brain's
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architecture changes the brain and
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potentially it can intensify the
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symptoms of ADHD now it doesn't mean
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that trauma causes ADHD but it can
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exacerbate or contribute to the severity
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of symptoms it's a complex interplay
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that requires a compassionate and
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comprehensive approach to treatment and
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often times ADHD symptoms will mimic or
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look like anxiety symptoms so it's
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important to also delineate between the
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two so when it comes to treating ADD and
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ADHD there's no one-sized fits-all
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solution I'm afraid to say traditional
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methods include medications like
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stimulants or non-stimulants as well as
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behavioral therapies but I especially
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like Dr Daniel Aman's approach from the
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Amen Clinic and how he talks about ADHD
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and add he offers a really unique
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perspective that really resonates for me
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as a practitioner and he emphasizes the
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importance of brain health and
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personalized treatment according to Aman
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ADHD uh and add is a neurodevelopmental
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disorder and it can be influenced by
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genetics birth conditions environmental
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factors but he also highlight highlights
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the impact of various modern world
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influences that negatively affect brain
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function uh Dr aon's approach includes
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using brain imaging technology to
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identify specific types of ADHD and add
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and tailor treatment accordingly so he
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advocates for a combination of
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medication when necessary and natural
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strategies to optimize brain health so
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these strategies include things like
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dietary changes exercise sleep
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Improvement and supplementation with uh
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several different kinds of supplements
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but specifically omega-3 fatty acids and
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magnesium as well as other um
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specialized supplements uh he has a
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company called brain MD where he is very
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picky about the supplements and how he
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puts together combinations of things
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depending on uh the presentation of ADHD
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for people I have a lot of respect for
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his work so he also categorize his ADHD
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and add into seven different types based
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on brain Imaging findings and I think
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he's up where over like 130,000 brain
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scans at this point
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um so he's got a lot of data to support
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the differences in these symptoms and
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Target treatments according to uh what
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people need uh his clinics offer a range
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of services and educational resources to
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help people with ADD and AD ADHD improve
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their brain health and manage their
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symptoms more effectively but we want to
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also talk about behavioral interventions
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that are really a Cornerstone in the
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management of ADHD and ADD symptoms and
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these focus on modifying environments
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and behaviors to improve focus
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organization and impulse control so
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here's some key behavioral strategies to
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keep in mind uh with
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ADHD so first and foremost when when
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kids are little parents need training
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parents can learn techniques to help
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their kids with ADHD uh it in includes
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things like establishing really uh
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specific routines clear communication
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preemptive communication like letting
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our kids know hey we're going to go to
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the store in about 15 minutes so I'm
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going to need you to clean up and after
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the store we're going to make two stops
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so make sure you bring something to do
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in the car those types of communication
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will really help uh someone with ADHD
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manage the changes a little bit more um
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effectively but mostly consistent
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consequences for behaviors are really
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necessary with parenting classroom
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interventions might be needed as well
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for students so teachers can use
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strategies like seating changes uh braks
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for movement individual in struction I
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know some teachers will put kids with
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the Wiggles in the back of the classroom
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on um like yoga balls so that they can
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move around more readily and not disrupt
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the other students um it's also really
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um helpful as a teacher as a former
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teacher I would put uh children with
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ADHD near my proximity and that way when
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I was going to move around the classroom
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I could just gently put my hand on a
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shoulder kind of queuing them that I'm
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right there with them and that there's
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like a sort of a a non-verbal cue about
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uh managing a little bit of of a behavor
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behavioral change that I would like to
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see without shaming the child and saying
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something but individualized instruction
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often helps uh students with ADHD to
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stay engaged and to learn effectively as
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well which makes it a little bit more
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work but brains are fast and they need
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things to keep on coming uh it's really
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important as we get older to have
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organizational skills training so this
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involves teaching kids and adults with
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ADHD how to organize tasks manage time
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effectively utilize tools things like
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plannner
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breaking down tasks into smaller steps
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and setting reminders on things like our
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smartphones so that we don't forget uh
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the mundane repetitive things that we
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have to take care of in our life and
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there also might need to be some social
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skills training ADHD can affect social
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interactions and these skills and the
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training that can help people learn
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appropriate social behaviors and improve
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interactions with others which helps to
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decrease feelings of being an outlier or
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rejection which eventually can turn into
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things like depression
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stress management techniques are are
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necessary things like relaxation
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techniques mindfulness meditation and
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exercise can help us naturally address
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the um Stress and Anxiety that's in our
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bodies when we have ADHD um and that
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energy often times accompanies people
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with this uh symptomology so these
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interventions can be tailored to an
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individual's needs and can be used in
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combination with medication and other
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treatments for a comprehensive approach
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to to manage ADD and ADHD symptoms it's
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important to work with a healthc care
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professional to determine the best
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strategies for each person CU we're all
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different so now we're going to talk
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about some therapeutic approaches that
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are uh gaining attention CBT is one that
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has a lot of research behind additional
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assistance with managing ADD symptoms
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but EMDR or IM movement uh
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desensitization and
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reprocessing uh was originally developed
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for PTSD but it also has been shown a
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lot of potential in helping people with
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ADHD symptoms um particularly when their
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symptoms are intertwined with traumatic
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experiences and let's face it often
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times When we struggle with ADD or ADHD
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we have tra traumatic experiences that
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accompany things that happen to us while
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we're growing up uh if we if we always
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uh find ourselves with the Wiggles or
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interrupting people snap at us people um
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are intolerant of us maybe people don't
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want to be our friends and so these sort
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of things can can compile and turn into
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traumatic experiences that often times
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accompany so EMDR therapy uses bilateral
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stimulation to help the brain process
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and integrate traumatic memories which
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sometimes lie at the root of ADHD or ADD
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symptoms and while it's not a cure for
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ADHD it can be a valuable part in a
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comprehensive treatment plan to help the
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and um offer some relief and some new
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coping strategies uh for people who deal
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with this so I want to talk about
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something that's a little bit harder to
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digest and that's what happens when we
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don't treat ADD or ADHD in the long run
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because it can have some pretty
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unfortunate consequences if we don't
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help kids with this it can lead to a
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range of challenges and risks throughout
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their lives so some potential
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consequences of untreated ADHD during
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childhood can be academic difficulties
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where people struggle to pay attention
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in class it leads to poor grades falling
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behind a lot of Shame accompanied with
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that uh Social Challenges people may
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struggle with controlling emotions and
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behavior can result in social problems
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like troublemaking or keeping friends it
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can be a big contributor to low
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self-esteem because children with
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untreated ADHD also experience low
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self-esteem or depression because you
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know like I said before they might be
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criticized or picked on regularly for
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some of their behaviors there can be
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increased injuries so there's evidence
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suggesting that people with addd
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untreated might have more accidents in
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emergency room visits because of
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impulsive choices as teen teers they can
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continue the academic struggles um and
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may continue to perform poorly in school
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and then perhaps be less likely to catch
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up on academic um requirements they will
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likely engage in more risky behaviors
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because there's an increased um desire
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to engage in dangerous behaviors like
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substance abuse uh risky sexual choices
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Eating Disorders particularly among uh
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girls so we want to help them regulate
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their nervous system through through a
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variety of these different uh things
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that I'm talking about today there can
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be issues with driving so teens with
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untreated add are more likely to have
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difficulties with driving and may be
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involved in more car accidents because
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of the impulse control or the in
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attention issues as adults there could
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be employment issues um facing
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unemployment or uh employment challenges
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including difficulty maintaining a job
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or staying organized enough for job
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requirements that are needed there can
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be relationship struggles um because we
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can it can lead to ongoing relationship
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difficulties emotional disregulation and
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conflicts so we really want to address
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the symptoms that come with this it's
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important to seek professional guidance
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for a comprehensive treatment plan that
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can help to mitigate these risks and
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recognizing that all of us are different
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we all have a different history and
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different resources and different um
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accommodations that can be made so we
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need to be uh open to uh and flexible
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with potential an assortment of
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potential treatments when we're looking
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at this so as we wrap up today's episode
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it's clear that ADD and ADHD are
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multifaceted conditions that can be
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influenced by a variety of factors like
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trauma um and other environmental
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experiences understanding this can open
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doors to more personalized and effective
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treatments empowers people affected to
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lead more focused and fulfilling lives I
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hope that you found this helpful today
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and if you'd like to learn more uh
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please check out some of the resources
13:27
in our comments below um and until next
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time make sure that you lead with love
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it'll never steer you wrong
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[Music]
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