Ronen Amit

I discovered a couple of years ago, at the age of 46, that I have ADHD. I found out I have ADHD by doing a 20-minute online test which a Physician, actually a pediatrician got me to do. Since then my aim was to make the test accessible to the general public, as well as, to professional around the world. I also decided to go on campaign against the way ADHD is perceived by government, educators and the general public. I feel that there is a misconception about what is ADHD and how to deal with it. Personally I don't like using terms, such as, ADD, ADHD, diagnosis and treatment, and so on. These terms are misleading, due to their negative connotation. However, I will keep using those terms on this site as long as they are the most acceptable and widely used terms.
Author Archive | Ronen Amit

How I changed my reading habits

By on February 13, 2012 in Symptoms of ADD / ADHD, Tips for ADD / ADHD
ADHD Tip - Audiobook Reading

ADHD Tip - Audiobook Reading

One of the ADD / ADHD symptoms comes down to difficulties in reading, mostly because we have hard time to focus for a long time. This causes many ADHDers to read siginificantly slower than other people, and in some cases avoid any reading whatsoever.

Several years ago I bought my first MP3 player. The last thing I thought when I made the purchase, is that it will transform my reading habits.

Yes, I said reading habit not listening habits.

It was a Sansa Clip, a cute and simple, little MP3 player with 4Gb of memory. Enough to store all my favorite music. When I opened the box I found inside the expected Sansa Clip, earphones, USB cable and a user manual. But there was one more thing inside the box.

Usually, I automatically throw all the extra promotional material that comes with new gadgets, but this time something caught my eye. It said: Download a Free Audiobook.

I love books. I love reading. I am kind of an information freak, but never in my life I have listened to an audio book, so I thought, what the heck, it’s free, why not try one.

So I did, I typed in the web address, which happened to be Audible.com and downloaded my first audio book. It was love at first sight, or maybe should say, love at first sound.

I downloaded ”The 4-Hour Workweek”, and since then I have heard 168 books, in less than four years. That’s about 4 books per month on average. Something I could never achieve by reading the same books in print. I love reading, but I am a slow reader, probably due to my ADHD, and the audiobooks give me the opportunity to consume more books, possibly 3 or 4 times more than I could ever read in the same period of time.

Other than not being limited by my slow reading, audio books allow me to hear them while doing physical work that does not need concentration, such as, while washing the dishes, walking around, working in the back yard, and so on. I am not limited by my slow reading anymore, and I don’t have to sit down to read.

Certainly, there are downside to listening over reading, as well, mainly when I wish to highlight certain parts of the book for later reference. The audible app for the newer devices, such as tablets and smart phones, now allows me to bookmark as many parts of the audio book as I wish, but these devices are somewhat less intimate comparing to Sansa Clip.

I encourage anyone with or without ADHD to try audio books. Here are some references, some are free and some are for fee, some are excellent quality some are less.

Audibook Resources

Free
Internet Archive
Paid
Audible
Amazon

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Self service ADD / ADHD test Online

By on January 11, 2012 in Tips for ADD / ADHD

By now you probably wonder if you or your child have ADD or ADHD. You are researching the web for clues and you ask yourslef – Is that ADHD or something else.

Want to know for sure if it is ADD / ADHD?

Well there is a better way to verify if you have ADD / ADHD, other than the countless quizzes available on the net. It is called ADHD Diagnosis Test Online and it can highly accurately diagnose whether a person taking the test has ADD or ADHD or not. Unlike quizzes and other symptom based lists, you may have encountered on the web, this is a performance based test (known by professionals as “Continuous Performance Test” , or CPT in short).  The test can be taken by anyone over the internet . It is easy to perform and it includes a clear graphical report when you finish the test, whic any non-professional can understand. The test can be used to diagnose ADD / ADHD in children and adults, ages 6 – 80.

The test is definitely affordable, priced at $29.00 per test, but if you have several family members you wish to test, you can purchase the dual pack with 2 tests, for $49.00 or the family pack with 5 tests, for $97.00.

The test also offers the ability to compare 2 tests taken during different times. This is quite handy because you can, for example, take one test without ADHD medication and the other with ADHD medication and see if the medication is effective. You can also test during different hours of the day to see if the time of the day has an effect on the person. The possibilities are limitless.

More information about ADHD Diagnosis online

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Small tip for ADHDers – Sell your unused gift cards today

By on March 12, 2011 in Tips for ADD / ADHD

One of the main symptoms of ADHD is forgetfulness. I for one, could tell my self to do something and forget all about it a minute later.
Anyone without ADD could go crazy experiencing this kind of behavior.

  • “How can you forget to do things?”, they ask.
  • “Why do you leave things around?”, my wife asks me.
  • “Is it so hard to put things back to their places?”, my wife, again.
  • “Why didn’t you do that?”, your boss says.

For those who have ADD / ADHD this is a routine, both forgetting things, as well as, hearing the remarks of non-ADHDers, or worse, getting kicked out of a job.

I am not here to fix your forgetfulness. I can’t fix mine, although I have learned how to deal with it. I do want to tell you about an online service that could help you in one small area.

Have you received a gift card, put in in the drawer or in your wallet and forgot all about it? Well now it is the time to open the drawer or your wallet take it out and sell it. Yes, I think it is better to sell your unused gift card right now, rather than putting it back where it was in the recent months, telling yourself you will use it soon, and then forget all about it, for another several months.

If you sell your gift card right now, you are going to get cash, and I am certain that you will not forget to use it.
Here is where you can sell gift cards today. It is called Gift Card Exchange, and it gives you several options on how to sell your gift cards.

Good luck, and let me know how it worked for you.

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Sign of ADD / ADHD in Adults – Time for a New Start

By on December 13, 2010 in Signs of ADD / ADHD

In the past it was believed that ADD / ADHD was restricted to children and adolescents. Not anymore. It is now estimated that 70% of children with ADD / ADHD will demonstrate the signs of ADD / ADHD all their lives.

According to Dr. Hallowell , if you have exhibited at least twelve of the following behaviors since childhood and if these symptoms are not associated with any other medical or psychiatric condition, consider an evaluation by a team of ADD / ADHD professionals:

  • A sense of underachievement, of not meeting one’s goals (regardless of how much one has actually accomplished).
  • Difficulty getting organized.
  • Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started.
  • Many projects going simultaneously; trouble with follow through.
  • A tendency to say what comes to mind without necessarily considering the timing or appropriateness of the remark.
  • A frequent search for high stimulation.
  • An intolerance of boredom.
  • Easy distractibility; trouble focusing attention, tendency to tune out or drift away in the middle of a page or conversation, often coupled with an inability to focus at times.
  • Often creative, intuitive, highly intelligent
  • Trouble in going through established channels and following “proper” procedure.
  • Impatient; low tolerance of frustration.
  • Impulsive, either verbally or in action, as an impulsive spending of money.
  • Changing plans, enacting new schemes or career plans and the like; hot-tempered.
  • A tendency to worry needlessly, endlessly; a tendency to scan the horizon looking for something to worry about, alternating with attention to or disregard for actual dangers.
  • A sense of insecurity.
  • Mood swings, moodlability, especially when disengaged from a person or a project.
  • Physical or cognitive restlessness
  • A tendency toward addictive behavior.
  • Chronic problems with self-esteem.
  • Inaccurate self-observation.
  • Family history of ADD / ADHD or manic depressive illness or depression or substance abuse or other disorders of impulse control or mood.

If according to the above you are suspecting that you have ADD / ADHD, I suggest you get a professional evaluation immediately. I know, I know – you have ADD / ADHD and you think (like all of us), I will look into it tomorrow, and then forget all about it. Don’t wait for tomorrow,  do it now, look for professional help NOW! You will not regret it.

Remember, ADD/ ADHD is not a bad thing, unless the ADD / ADHD is not diagnosed and not treated. Here is a quick way to check if you may have ADHD.

Where to go next:

  1. Look for Someone who specialized in ADD / ADHD.
  2. Look for someone you are comfortable with.
  3. Try Pediatrician – Yes, Pediatrician! They are probably the most knowledgeable about ADHD, and they may as well be ready to evaluate you, even as adult. I, for one, was evaluated by a pediatrician at the age of 46.
  4. Try a psychiatrist, preferably one with an experience with ADD / ADHD
  5. If you have hard time to find a specialist, try at the closet University Hospital. They are usually well updated and informed and will be able to either evaluate you or refer you to a specialist.

External Resources:

ADD & Loving It?! Silver World Medalist

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Signs of ADD and ADHD in children – Your child’s future starts here

By on November 13, 2010 in Signs of ADD / ADHD
  • Does my child have ADD or ADHD?
  • When should I consider consulting an expert?

Recognizing the signs of ADD / ADHD in your child’s behavior is highly important. It is the first step in a process which will improve your child’s future.

ADD and ADHD are highly controversial, and following some of the public debate about the existence or non existence of ADHD is amusing. For someone who discovered just recently, at the age of 46, that he has ADD (That’s me), and have to lead with two kids with ADHD, I have not doubt of its existence.

This article’s objective is to assist you, the parent, to have some kind of guidance whether or not further diagnosis is necessary.

Signs of ADD / ADHD – Quick Evaluation Guidelines

According to  Dr. Hallowell, If your child’s behavior includes at least eight of the following, for a period greater than six months, consider professional evaluation:

  • Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat (in adolescents or adults) and may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness.
  • Has difficulty remaining in seat when asked to do so.
  • Is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
  • Often blurts out answers to questions before they have been completed.
  • Has difficulty following through on instructions from others.
  • Often shifts from one uncompleted activity to another.
  • Has difficulty playing quietly.
  • Often talks excessively.
  • Often interrupts or intrudes on others.
  • Often does not seem to listen to what is being said to him or her.
  • Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities at school or at home.
  • Often engages in physically dangerous activities without considering possible consequences.

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Symptoms of ADD and ADHD – The Basics

By on November 4, 2010 in Symptoms of ADD / ADHD

In this article I will explore the most common symptoms of ADD / ADHD. But first definitions.

ADD / ADHD Definition (Formal)

  • ADD = Attention Deficit Disorder
  • ADHD = Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADD / ADHD Definition (Informal)

As I see it ADD or ADHD is neither a deficit nor disorder. It seems to me that people with ADHD, myself included, have difficulty in concentration and get bored easily with ordinary, daily tasks. What is referred to as the symptoms of ADD are the side effects of highly intelligent and creative people. That does not mean that you need to have ADD in order to be intelligent or creative.

Saying that some people have Attention Deficit Disorder, is like saying that some people have a Vision Deficit Disorder and therefore need eye glasses, or some men have Hair Deficit Disorder and therefore better cover their heads when they are in the sun.

Nevertheless, ADD / ADHD can cause a lot of frustration both for parents with children with ADD as well as for adults with ADD. ADD needs to be diagnosed, understood and treated, so you can make the most of your gifted self.

Symptoms of ADD / ADHD

People with ADD / ADHD are:
  • Easily distracted and lose focus or attention
  • Easily frustrated
  • Forgetful
  • Restless
  • Easily get bored with tasks and activities
  • Impulsive

I will elaborate on these and other Symptoms of ADD / ADHD in future articles.

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