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Cogmed Working Memory Training Outline: Everything You Want To Know About ADHD
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Return to ADDvisor Volume 2 2000 Index Number 4 February 15, 2000
In this issue: 1. What Is A Teleconference Call And How Does It Work?
WHAT IS A TELECONFERENCE CALL AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Parents of ADHD children and teens need education, support, interaction, and the wisdom of experts as well as other parents in the same situation. Recent research indicates that parent training and support is one important intervention besides medication and behavior management that is needed to help ADHD children and teens. Often, the logistics connected with going to a parent training program or support group seem insurmountable. Parents in rural areas, those with busy schedules and parents who have difficulty finding a babysitter on a regular basis all can benefit from a training program delivered via audio teleconference. An audio teleconference call is handled over the telephone. Participants call into a central telephone conference line (commonly called a bridge line) and interact with the leaders and each other. There is a charge for the long distance call but with rates dropping rapidly, the costs are minimal. A teleconference group can be accessed from a parent’s home, work, or anywhere where there is access to a phone. No traffic jams; no long drives; no bad weather; no babysitters; no hassles. The ADDvisor teleconferences are educational in nature. They are not to be considered psychotherapy, psychological counseling, or any type of therapy. In the event that a participant feels the need for professional counseling or therapy, the participant may ask the group and the leaders about the type of counselor that may be helpful. Ultimately, however, it is the participant’s responsibility to seek a licensed professional. How do I behave on a teleconference call? Since many people have never participated in a teleconference call, what follows is a bit of teleconference etiquette. 1. USE A HEADSET OR HANDSET __ NOT A SPEAKER PHONE. If you use a cordless phone, be sure to have a non_cordless phone handy in case your channel creates static on the call. 2. CALL FROM A QUIET LOCATION.. Dogs barking, kids laughing, are real and wonderful, but create distractions for others. 3. When you want to speak, ALWAYS BEGIN BY SAYING YOUR NAME. Hearing your name allows people to quickly learn the voices of the people on the call, and feel connected to each other. 4. If you're the first person to dial into the bridge, the line will just ring until someone else dials in, and then the two of you will be connected to each other. 5. Technology isn't always perfect. There have been instances with the telephone company where the bridge hasn't worked. There's no way to guarantee there won't be a problem with the telephone company, If there are problems, the call may need to be rescheduled. 6. To help you get the most out of a teleconference call, take some time to write out one or two goals that you would like to achieve by participating in the teleconference. How does the call work? The free teleconference call begins with an introduction of the leaders of the group and, depending on the number of participants, a brief introduction of the participants on the call. These introductions may include the ages and gender of participant’s ADHD children and where they are from. The next section may include some of the issues that participants would like to see addressed during the call. These may include diagnostic issues, medication issues, school issues, behavior issues, home issues The middle portion of the call includes a didactic presentation. This presentation may be based on the requests of the group. Topics covered in the past have included: resilience, behavior management in the home, tips for managing relationships with school personnel, current conceptualizations of the causes of ADHD, descriptions of the disorder, etc. At the close of the call, participants are asked to share what they found to be most helpful during the call, what was the ‘pearl’ that they will be able to take with them. We like to limit the number of participants on a call to 25 to maximize the satisfaction of the group participants. We encourage group members to share their knowledge, experiences and support. As a result, these groups are often dynamic, fast-paced and highly satisfying to the parents who participate. Feedback from recent calls include comments like "I finally feel validated as a parent!", "I feel so relieved that I have people I can go to for answers and support!" and "I need all the help I can get and now I have a place to get it!" Parents truly feel connected and informed after our call, no matter how emotionally or geographically isolated they may have felt before. Other technologies that can benefit parents Utilizing current technology such as web sites, list servers and e-mail also serves as a means to create a virtual community for parents. Such technology can provide a comprehensive program that keeps parents connected to the hundreds of ADHD related books, hundreds of current and past research articles, countless audio tapes, videotapes, lectures, conferences, and conventions. List servers (a small program that automatically sends e-mail postings to all members of the list via their e-mail address) can be set up for parents to interact outside actual training meetings. On these list servers, Parents may discuss issues regarding their children, distribute new information discovered by them or ask questions of the experts who moderate the list server.
CONTACT INFORMATION _______________________ Alan R. Graham, Ph.D. Bill Benninger, Ph.D. ADDvisor.com Voice: 1-866-ADDvisor Fax: 847-824-2386 Email: Alan@ADDvisor.com Bill@ADDvisor.com Web: www.ADDvisor.com (c) Copyright 2000 ADDvisor.com, Ltd. All rights reserved The above material may be retransmitted or distributed to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site. Republication of "The ADDvisor" in paper media is encouraged and permitted by organizations and associations which serve parents of ADHD children at the national, state and/or local level as long as the issue is reprinted in its entirety without charge and includes the contact information. With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication is also encouraged under other circumstances, however, the advance permission of ADDvisor.com, Ltd. must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired or republication is to be made by individuals or by organizations other than those mentioned above.
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Questions or comments? Send e mail to Alan@ADDvisor.com
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