In June 2009, two Phoenix moms met each other for the first time in Pittsburgh, where they were both attending training to be peer teachers for parents facing attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).
The training is provided by CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), the nation’s leading non-profit organization serving individuals with AD/HD and their families. It has more than 16,000 members in 200 local chapters throughout the U.S. Once training is completed, participants become Certified Parent to Parent (P2P) Teachers.
We are those two moms. P2P classes are conducted by volunteers, like us, who have the “lived experience” and are trained in up-to-date research-based facts and strategic interventions. That means that we know firsthand something about how ADD and AD/HD impact a family. It also means that we are only experts about our own experiences. Something that we have in common, though, is the desire to assist others who are just getting started on the journey, which will include family members, teachers, friends, health care providers, and other professionals.
So what can you expect to read about in our blog?
We plan to include useable tidbits of shared wisdom, hopefully some humor and links to local or online resources. We will blog about personal experiences and also the experiences of other families (names disguised to protect the innocent). We invite readers to comment, share stories drawn from their own experiences and ask questions.
We’ll be posting at least weekly, probably on Tuesdays. In the meantime, visit chadd.org, where you will find a tremendous wealth of information.
See ya’ around,
Debbie and Diane