This innovative program offers practical, useful strategies for people with AD/HD, so that they can make use of their brain functions that do work well and learn day-to-day skills that may otherwise be too difficult to master. Based on the concept of visual thinking and filled with tips on how to keep the body at its highest functioning level, this program helps AD/HD sufferers become successful in their everyday lives. The authors share simple yet powerful techniques to develop and harness the strengths of the visual right brain, while at the same time demonstrating how treatment for AD/HD can maximize success. Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Been There, Done That 2 Finding Your Groove 4 Before You Leave the Starting Blocks 5 Hoping and Dreaming 5 Knowing What It's Like to Have AD/HD 6 AD/HD Is Not an Easy Ride 7 Right Brain, Left Brain 8 Understanding Right-Brain Thinking 9 Why People Don't "Get" You 10 Focusing on What's Right about You 11 Capitalizing on Visual Thinking 11 Part I The Problem Chapter 1 What Is AD/HD, Anyway? 15 Telling the AD/HD Story 15 Confused and Overwhelmed 16 The Forest or the Trees 17 Dedicated, but Discouraged 18 Different Strokes for Different Folks 21 Picking Up on a Pattern 22 Fitting the AD/HD Profile 23 A Map of the Brain 24 Brain Imaging Breakthroughs 26 What Mapping Means for AD/HD 26 Chemically Speaking 27 Not Enough Norepinephrine 28 Depending on Dopamine 29 A Few More Chemicals 32 Meds Can Help Most AD/HDers 33 AD/HD and the Human Genome 34 Always Needing Something New 35 And All of This Means 36 "Go!" The Default Position 37 The Good with the Bad 39 A Recipe for Disorganization 40 Satisfying the AD/HD Brain 42 Changing the Emotional Context of AD/HD 45 Chapter 2 Picture This: The Visual Thinker 47 What Is a Visual Thinker? 47 Visual Thinker as Visual Learner 51 Why Organization Is a Challenge 52 Disability versus Difference 56 All Angles, All the Time 56 When Speed Slows You Down 57 Ouches Everywhere 58 Perfectionism 60 Time: A Linear Concept 63 What to Do? 64 Chapter 3 Gaining Control 65 Your Physical Self 65 Your Physical Space 71 The Angle on Angles 72 Slowing Down from Fast-Forward Medication 75 The Princess (or Prince) and the Pea 77 When the Perfect Is the Enemy of the Excellent 79 Creating Rewards 80 A Reality Check 81 Chapter 4 Tricks of the Memory Trade 83 Finishing with the Phobia 83 Accentuate the Positive 86 Breaking Up Is Easy to Do 87 A Collection of Accomplishments 89 Do It Fast 92 Find It a Home 94 Find a Friend 98 Part II The Program Chapter 5 Week 1: Setting the Stage 105 Creating Something New 105 Fueling Yourself 106 Making Space 106 Day 1 107 Day 2 110 Day 3 112 Day 4 114 Day 5 115 Day 6 116 Day 7 118 Reward for Week 1 119 Chapter 6 Week 2: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Sticky Notes 121 A Trail of Memos 121 It's Not What You See on Your Desk, It's What You See in Your Mind 122 Stop Is Better than Go 124 Day 8 126 Day 9 127 Day 10 128 Day 11 130 Day 12 130 Getting Your House in Order 131 Getting Stuck and Getting Off Track 133 Day 13 134 Day 14 135 Keeping Your Purpose Clear 135 Reward Time! 136 Chapter 7 Week 3: It's About Time! 137 How Did It Get to Be So Late? 137 Digital or Analog 139 Day 15 140 Day 16 142 Day 17 144 Break Down and Buy a Watch 144 Day 18 147 Day 19 148 Day 20 148 Gaining Perspective 149 Day 21 151 Stopping in Order to Start 151 Focus 153 The End of Week 3 154 Chapter 8 Week 4: Bringing It All Together 155 Are You Making Progress? 155 The Final Push 157 Goals for the Final Week 158 Process, Not Product 158 Day 22 159 Day 23 160 Unintended Consequences 162 Taking a Step Back 164 Day 24 165 Day 25 166 Day 26 167 What about All the Stuff? 167 Seeing the Whole Picture 170 Day 27 171 Almost Done 172 Day 28 173 Chapter 9 On and Off the Wagon? 175 Don't Waste Another Minute Wondering "Why?" 175 Focus on Your Strengths 179 Hard Is Easy and Easy Is Hard 180 None of Your Effort Is Wasted 181 Fear of Success? 182 Is There a Gender Gap? 183 Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It 186 Appendix: Medications for Treatment of AD/HD 187 Categories of Medications 187 One Size Doesn't Fit All 189 Stimulants 190 Nonstimulants 193 Appendix: Medications for Treatment of AD/HD 187 Bibliography 197