Me
Welcome!
I grew up in the Midwest right outside the city in the cookie cutter
suburbs. I struggled with school because of my learning disability, but
I was lucky to have parents who taught me to work hard, how to make
a friend anywhere you go, never lose your sense of adventure, be
introspective and accept that you will always be a work in progress.
I’ve lived and studied abroad in two different countries,
and went on to get my BA in Communication Studies
and my Master’s in Business Admin. I’m a firm believer
in allowing the truth to set you free and that our roots
have a profound effect on our decisions.
Sarah Chambers: alittlecreamandsugar@gmail.com
Set the Record Straight!
Short Story –
Having ADHD is a BIG FAT
JOKE! – by Sarah Chambers
www.alittlecreamandsugar.com
We suffer from the misconception that ADHD is just an
annoying childhood disorder that's over-treated.
This couldn't be further from the truth. We need to have a
chronic disease approach to ADHD as we do for diabetes. The
system of care has to be designed for the long haul.
The Early Years
“Sit Down Sarah!”
Collection of Short Stories
• Standing at 4mos - Walking at 9mos
• Potty Training by Julie
• Getting tested
• The Medication Motivation Bunny Rabbit
• Therapy with a dolphin
• Sit down Sarah
• When a teacher “outs” you
• Secrets CAN make friends!
• My favorite number is 504
My ADHD Struggles
As a Child
• Math
• Reading/Spelling/Pronunciation
• Trouble Sleeping
• Interrupting
• Being still
• Listening
• Easily distraction especially in class during tests
• Changes
Childhood to Adulthood Survival Guide
Being able to manage my ADHD as an adult had a direction relation to
things I learned in my childhood:
• Routine! Routine! Routine! (And Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.)
• Learn How You Learn --memorizing. Read. Write. Repeat
• Accomplishments & Failures
• Rewards & Punishments
• Activity Involvement (especially during summer)
• Write Everything Down!
• The Proof is in the Pudding Parent(s)
Childhood to Adulthood Survival Guide
Routine! Routine! Routine!
ADHD kids need their environment to structure externally what
they can't structure internally. Make lists.
Children with ADHD benefit greatly from having a table or list to
refer to when they get lost in what they're doing.
They need reminders.
They need previews.
They need repetition.
They need direction.
They need limits.
They need structure
Childhood to Adulthood Survival Guide
Learn How You Learn
• Write it down even if you think you will remember it
• Use flash cards with a picture- we are visual learners!
• Find patterns and associations to help you remember
• Dedicating time/place for studying
• Talk to yourself out loud
Approach your studies like your teaching the lesson to
another student. *Read chapters before the lectures
Childhood to Adulthood Survival Guide
Accomplishments & Failures
• Buck up Barney
Encouragement. ADHD children/adults need lots of encouragement.
This is in part due to their having many self-doubts that have
accumulated over the years. But it goes beyond that.
More than the average person, the ADHD children/adult withers
without encouragement and positively lights up like a Christmas tree
when given it.
Rewards & Punishments
• The Token System
• Allowance
• Make a game out of things when possible.
Childhood to Adulthood Survival Guide
Activity involvement with your peers (especially during summer)
• This increases our socials skills with our peers
• This keeps our minds engaged by having something to work
towards or look forward to
• Reinforces a new “Routine”, this ignites the message “nothing
ever stays the same” and prepares them to deal with “change”,
they will lean coping mechanisms to deal with
planning/scheduling/problem solving.
Write everything down!
• Make lists
• Keep a calendar/assignment book
• Journal or Blog
• Log your food “Lose it” app
Childhood to Adulthood Survival Guide
The Proof is in the Pudding Parent(s)
There is no easy solution for the management of ADHD in the home.
After all is said and done, the effectiveness of any treatment for this
disorder depends upon the knowledge and the persistence of the
parent.
The Adult Years
Putting My ADHD First!
One of the biggest things that helped me overcome my ADHD was
making it #1!
• The WORSE is yet to come
• Your environment is just as important
• Get others to drink the ADHD Kool-Aid
• Take your ADHD to the gym
• The thrill of the chase
Putting My ADHD First!
The WORSE is Yet to Come..
Prepare for the WORSE:
• You will forget something and have to drive back home
• You will forget important dates like birthdays/anniversaries and
hurt someone’s feelings
• You will be late
• You will start something and not finish it
• You will forget that you have ADHD while on medication
• You will forget your meds & be reminded that you have ADHD
• You will buy 2 or 3 of something because you can’t find the 1st
• You will say things before thinking and regret it later
• You will get frustrated with yourself and others
• You will pour your heart and soul into something and still fail
Putting My ADHD First!
Your environment is just as important:
Organizing and simplifying your surroundings:
• Reduce clutter—this is a distraction that prevents you from focusing.
• Everything should have a place– this helps you keep track of your
belongings.
Tune out distractions at:
• HOME--Have an office or quite room you can go to. Yes, men are not
the only ones that need a CAVE. So do ADHD people!
• SCHOOL
• Sit in the front of the class
• Record lectures with your phone
• WORK
• Move to a desk that is in a quieter area
• Headphones for music
• Meetings rooms
Putting My ADHD First!
Get Others to Drink the ADHD Kool-Aid
Social Skills I learned as an adult about my ADHD that helped me
cope:
• Understand your limits and say “I can’t handle that right now”
• It’s ok to tell people you’re not listening to them
• Reminding friends/family and coworkers that you can only do one
thing at a time (if they want it completed!). Suggest they
email/text you a reminder.
• Teach others around you the “method to your madness”
• Repeat out loud/paraphrase what a person says to help you
process the conversation and ensure you understand them.
• Controlling your impulsiveness by hyper focusing on an idea
Putting My ADHD First!
Two tickets to the Gun Show-ADHD at the Gym
Exercise your attention deficit muscles:
• Playing games (hidden objects, memory games)
• Get organized so when your ADHD rears its ugly head you’re
prepared
• Improve your “attention to details” by practicing over and over
(careless mistakes at school and work)
• Repeat lists or reminders in your head to help retain your focus
• Creative outlet (Pottery) –this is good for the ADHD brain. Our
brain can wander without suffering consequences
• Getting out of your comfort zone and/or in more social situations,
join a volleyball/bocce ball team/trivia/book club
• Put yourself in situations where you have to listen and
observe and aren’t allowed to react (Studying aboard)
• Exercise! We like to be in motion and it’s a great way to exert our
extra energy.
Putting My ADHD First!
The Thrill of the Chase
Leave it to us to feel down when things are up!
Expect depression after success. People with ADHD commonly complain
of feeling depressed, paradoxically, after a big success.
This is because the high stimulus of the chase or the challenge or the
preparation is over. The deed is done. Win or lose, the adult with ADHD
misses the conflict, the high stimulus, and feels depressed.
Another note:
Remember that ADHD usually includes a tendency to over focus or hyper
focus at times. This hyper focusing can be used constructively or
destructively.
Be aware of its destructive use: a tendency to obsess or ruminate over
some imagined problem without being able to let it go
Last But Not Least!
Provide frequent feedback.
• It helps keep them on track, lets them know what is expected of
them and if they are meeting their goals, and can be very
encouraging.
Seek out and underscore success as much as possible.
• These kids live with so much failure, they need all the positive
handling they can get. This point cannot be overemphasized: these
children need and benefit from praise.
Use feedback that helps the child become self-observant.
• Children with ADHD tend to be poor self-observers. They often have
no idea how they come across or how they have been behaving. Try
to give them this information in a constructive way.
Sarah Chambers
Email: alittlecreamandsugar@gmail.com
THE END