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October 28, 2006
Scholarships For ADHD Young Adults.
In the next few months high school seniors will be embarking on their next step in life, going off to college. This time is exciting and scary. There are several different types of scholarships available for high school seniors and young adults with ADHD and other learning disabilities that many people are not aware of. I am listing just a few below that I have found to be very popular and easy to apply for. Just searching the internet you can find many other scholarships that you or your child will qualify for. Take the time to apply for these that I have listed and to find others, there are so many others you might be amazed as to how much money you will be able to save if your child is awarded one of these great scholarships.
Anne Ford Scholarship
National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc.
381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401
New York, NY 10016-8806
212-545-7510
The Anne Ford Scholarship is a $10,000 award given to a high school senior with an identified learning disability who is perusing an undergraduate degree. The awarded applicant should be a high school senior that has a learning disability and is committed to completing a college degree that has a set career goal; has proven perseverance; embraces new challenges and enjoys family and friends. Applications must be post dated no later than December 31, 2006 and have the following application requirements:
1. Application turning in and post marked before December 31, 2006
2. High School Transcript (unofficial or official), with an over all grade point average of 3.0 or higher
3. Financial Statement proving financial need
4. Standardized SAT, ACT or other Test Scores
5. Most recent documentation of learning disability *Note; ADD/ADHD alone is not considered a disability; ADD/ADHD candidates must show documentation of a specific learning disability.
6. Three letters of recommendations, at least one of which is required to be from a teacher.
For more information and application visit http://www.ncld.org/Press/afscholar.cfm
Foundation for Exceptional Children
Stanley E. Jackson Award for Gifted/Talented Students with Disabilities
1110 North Glege Road, Suite300
Arlington, VA 22201-5704
Scholarship is available to freshmen students with learning disabilities. All applications must be post marked November 20, 2006. For application and information click here: http://www.cec.sped.org
Pilot International Foundation
478-743-7403
The Pilot International Foundation has a total of three scholarship programs, The Marie Newton Sepia Memorial Scholarship, The PIF/Lifeline Scholarship and The Pilot International Foundation Scholarship. All applicants for the scholarships must be perusing careers in working with individuals with. Applicants should have a
GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and a 4.01 on a 5.0 scale is required. Along with, the Foundation administers Pilot International's Ruby Newhall Memorial Scholarship which is awarded to International students studying in the US and Canada. Applicants must have and maintain a 3.0 GPA.
Every applicant for a Pilot International Foundation scholarship is required to be sponsored by a Pilot Club in their home town, or in the city in which their attending college or university is located. Applications for the Foundation's scholarship programs are available at their web site, but they are only accessible by Pilot Club members. The applications must be received by PIF (Pilot International Foundation) and be signed by a Pilot Club President.
To locate a Pilot Club in your area to request sponsorship, go to http://www.pilotinternational.org/html/pilot/findclub.asp .
For more information, or to have an application form mailed to you, please e-mail pifinfo@pilothq.org *please note you must include the name of the Pilot Club to which you belong in order to receive an application.
The U.S. Department of Federal Student Aid - Grant
All applications should check with their school guidance counselor to find out the deadline to have this student aid sent in. You can apply for this grant on line to save time. For more information go to; http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Posted by margo1 at 06:49 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2006
Which ADHD Medications Work Best & Why
At SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, researchers conducted 2 separate studies to help doctors better understand ADHD and the best way to treat it.
In the first study, they performed a meta-analysis test, involving 29 prior studies on ADHD medications to determine which of the medications is most effective in reducing ADHD symptoms. Most stimulant medications known as methylphenidates, such as Ritalin, worked better than non-stimulant drugs and novel stimulants such as modafinil.
In the second study, performed by Philadelphia investigators, helped to explain why stimulants work better than non-stimulants for ADHD. When the effects of Ritalin were studied, they found the drug helps focus one’s attention by raising norepinephrine, a substance in the brain that helps in concentration. While at the same time, it suppresses nerve signal transmissions in the sensory pathways, which helps the user block out extraneous stimuli.
ADHD can be diagnosed before a child is 7 years old, but can persist well into adulthood. Now, statistics show up to 8 million adults are still suffering from some of the typical symptoms of ADHD. Adults that have ADHD are two times more likely to be arrested, twice as likely to have trouble holding a job and twice as likely to be divorced.
Ivanhoe.com offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
By: Margo Richter
SOURCE: 2006 American Psychiatric Association meeting, May 20-25, 2006, Toronto, and Journal of Neurophysiology, published online May 30, 2006
Posted by margo1 at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2006
Smoking While Pregnant May Cause ADHD and/or Antisocial Behavior
An alarming, estimated nearly 4 million children in America have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD is a brain disorder that affects between 4 and 12 percent of school-age children. For many years the causes have been unknown, but researchers may be closer to an answer than ever before. Following testing of over thousands of blood samples taken from children, scientists have finally found a connection to ADHD with tobacco and lead. The children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were 2 ½ times more likely to have ADHD than the children who were not pre-nattily exposed to tobacco. As many as 1 in 3 women smoke while they are pregnant, says a new Welsh survey has discovered. Children with blood lead levels of more than 2 micrograms per deciliter were four times more likely to have ADHD than children with levels below 0.8 microgram per deciliter. The government's "acceptable" blood lead level is 10 micrograms per deciliter, and an estimated 310,000 U.S. children ages 1 to 5 have levels exceeding that. And the children that were exposed to certain lead concentrations in their blood had four times the risk. Lead based paint can still be found in many homes built before 1978. Studies suggest the importance of staying away from smoke and lead during pregnancy. But experts fear they're not the only culprits. Everyday we're exposed to countless pollutants, chemicals and preservatives. Mount Sinai Medical Center's Doctor Leonardo Trasande says many other toxins could be playing a role in neurological disorders like ADHD. "There are some 80,000 chemicals in the environment many of which are likely to impact brain development during the prenatal period." Studies are now underway to find out which of those toxins may cause problems. But it's going to take lots of time, money and patience.
By: Margo Richter
Sources: Mount Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Leonardo Trasande; www.webmd.com; http://health.dailynewscentral.com
Posted by margo1 at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)
October 08, 2006
Quick Stats of ADHD
Dr. Russell Barkley is a Psychologist, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, and a Neuropsychologist. He has been published in over 200 scientific articles and book chapters related to the nature, assessment, and treatment of ADHD and related disorders. He has put together a list of statistics about ADHD that are worth remembering.
• On average, there are 1 to 3 children who have ADHD in every classroom of thirty students.
• Three to six more boys are diagnosed than girls.
• ADHD children have a rate of emotional development that is 30% slower than their non-ADD peers.
• 65% of children with ADHD have problems with defiance, non-compliance and other problems with authority figures, including verbal hostility and temper tantrums.
• 25% of students with ADHD have other serious learning problems in one or more of these areas: oral expression, listening skills, reading comprehension, and math.
• Half of all ADHD students have listening comprehension problems.
• About 1/3 of ADHD students have one or more of the following problems:
o Language deficits (poor listening comprehension, poor verbal expression, poor reading comprehension)
o Poor organizational skills
o Poor fine motor skills
o Poor memory
• ADHD students are 2 -3 times more likely to have expressive language problems than their non-ADDers.
• 75% of boys with ADD are hyperactive; 60% of girls with ADD are hyperactive.
• 40% of ADHD children have at least one parent who has ADHD.
• 50% of ADHD children also have sleeping problems.
• Parents of ADHD children are three times as likely to separate or divorce than parents of non-ADD children
• ADHD teens have 4 times as many car wrecks and are 7 times more likely to have a 2nd car accident.
• ADHD teens have almost 4 times as many traffic citations as non-ADDers.
• Teens with ADHD are 21% higher of skip school repeatedly.
• 35% of ADHD teens ultimately drop out of school.
• 45% of ADHD teens have been suspended.
• 30% have failed or had to repeat a year of school.
These are a list of things that do not cause ADHD:
• Too much sugar
• Bad parenting (though a disorganized home life and school environment can make symptoms worse)
• Too little sugar
• Aspartame (brand name: Nutrasweet)
• Food allergies or other allergies
• Food additives or colorings
• Lack of vitamins
• Fluorescent lights
• Too much TV
• Video games
By: Margo Richter
Source: http://www.russellbarkley.org/; Taking Charge of ADHD by Dr. Russell Barkley
Posted by margo1 at 06:44 PM | Comments (0)
October 07, 2006
Premature Babies More Likely To Have ADHD
In a study done by Danish researcher, Dr. Karen Linnet, premature babies are 70% more likely to have ADHD if they are born from 34 to 36 weeks than full term delivered babies. The probability of having ADHD is almost triple if the baby is born before 34 weeks. This study was completed after using 30,000 children, which also showed a connection in a lower birth weight and a higher risk of having ADHD. This study was taken from the Danish National Register and 834 of the children had been born prematurely, while the rest of the children had not. The study is available for further review at the Archives of Diseases in Childhood.
Oddly enough, this was the first study to show a link to ADHD and premature babies born after 28 weeks. Previous studies have shown a link between ADHD and premature births, but the areas of concentration were the periods of gestations from 28 weeks or less.
Some of the other facts from this same study are:
-- Full term babies weighing 3lb 3oz to 5lb 5oz were up to a 90% chance more likely to have ADHD later on when compared to babies who were not born underweight.
-- Full term babies weighing 5lb 6oz to 6lb 6oz had a 50% higher risk
By: Margo Richter
Sources: MedicalNewsToday, Christian Nordqvist, Dr. Karen Linnet
Posted by margo1 at 11:40 AM | Comments (2)
October 05, 2006
2nd Annual ADHD “Focus on Your Possibilities” Scholarship
Eli Lilly and Company announced on September 27, 2006 that they will begin accepting applications for the ADHD Focus on Your Possibilities Scholarships. This is the first and only scholarship program exclusively for adults only living with ADHD. The Eli Lilly and Company give a total of 20 scholarships worth up to $5,000 and each will be awarded by self-determining panel of ADHD experts for the spring 2007 semester. This will allow the recipients to further their education in a traditional college, graduate school, General Education Development (GED) course or technical institute.
To be eligible for the Scholarship “Focus on Your Possibilities” you must comply with the following:
* be at least 25 years or older;
* diagnosed with ADHD by a physician and currently undergoing treatment;
* enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, institute, university, vocational/technical school or GED program on a full-time basis;
* attending or planning to attend an accredited public or private undergraduate or graduate school in the United States or would like to obtain your GED;
*be able to provide examples of significant enthusiasm and passion that will enable you to capitalize on your talents through education.
All applications for the spring 2007 semester have to be postmarked by Oct. 15, 2006. Scholarship award recipients will be notified by mail in November 2006. For application information, call 1-800-LillyRX or visit www.adhd.com.
Source: Eli Lilly Company
By: Margo Richter
Posted by margo1 at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)