By James Wiley, MD, FAAP Those of us who have ADHD often hear about the gifts that come with it. It’s true --- we aren’t normal; we’re gifted. Creativity is one of the most awesome gifts. I’m often astounded by the creations of my patients using a box of random Legos. Art, comedy, music, tech, drama, writing, entrepreneurship, problem-solving ADHD brains are at home here! How bland would the neuro-typical world be without us? Very, I think. My grandmother, Madge, had a favorite saying that rolled slowly off her elegantly southern tongue. ‘Suga, (Sugar) there’re two sides to everything, even a piece of toilet paypa (paper).” And so it is with ADHD-inspired creativity. We always have another idea, so it’s hard to know when to stop imagining/thinking and actually start to do something. Since we can think of so many ways… Read More »

Dr. James Wiley has been featured as this week’s ImpactADHD Guest Expert of the Week. Impact ADHD is an organization dedicated to “Helping Parents Help Kids” who are diagnosed or suspected to have ADHD. A pediatrician who specializes in working with ADHD children, Dr. Wiley advocates for learning the difference between “being” ADHD and “having” ADHD and how to diagnose the disease. Dr. Wiley rebutted the idea that there are certain Psychoeducational or Neuropsychological tests that classify someone as having ADHD. In reality, there are a number of criteria that a child must meet in order to be diagnosed with ADHD, as determined by a clinical psychologist, educator, or physician who has gotten to know the child well. To find out more about these criteria and how to determine if your child has ADHD, read Dr. Wiley’s article, To find… Read More »

By James Wiley, MD ~ @ADDdoc I often compare the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD to diabetes. When I do, sometimes people remark, “Yeah, but you can die of diabetes.” Diabetes does increase the risk of premature death. ADHD actually does too—especially when it’s diagnosed later in life. In fact, people with ADHD have more than double the risk of premature death. The most common cause of those deaths is accidents. Researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark recently completed a study in which they analyzed approximately two million people in the Danish National Health Service Register over the course of 32 years. They found that the patients with ADHD faced at least a doubled risk of dying prematurely. They also discovered that the risk was higher for women than men and that later diagnosis was associated with a greater increase… Read More »

By James Wiley, MD, FAAP ADHD brains are like race cars. I don’t know who coined the metaphor, but I use it frequently with my patients. ADHD brains are fast; they are powerful. Some of the most creative and successful people on the planet drive one. But here’s the flip side: the steering is difficult and the brakes are lousy. Like any car, a race car requires maintenance. Things like oil, gas, a clean windshield and air in the tires are all essential regardless of the type of car—whether it’s a Ferrari or a Yugo from back in the day. It’s the same situation with the brain. Good nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep, fresh air and sunshine are all important for any brain to function well, and these are even more important for ADHD brains. But like any high performance vehicle, … Read More »

by: James Wiley, MD Sweets and candy, in general, are not healthy for your child's teeth, overall health, and could quite possibly lead to unhealthy weight gain if too much is routinely eaten. While this is well-known, at Focus MD we believe it's unlikely that sugar will change your ADHD child’s behavior. Parents are still affected by the myth that sugar makes kids hyper. This may have started in the mid-1970s when an article appeared in a pediatric journal linking sugar intake and hyperactivity. This study didn’t control for the placebo effect of sugar on behavior. In other words, parents were likely to assume that the sugar would make the behavior worse. Multiple follow-up studies since the 1980s have indicated that when  parents did not know whether the child received sugar or not, they rated the child's behaviors the same. Another surprise - at… Read More »