The Difference Between ADHD and Aspergers

Here is a great informative article about the difference between ADHD and Aspergers

Posted by: http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2010/10/difference-between-adhd-and-aspergers.html

The differences between Aspergers and ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) are subtle yet distinct. Knowing how to differentiate between the two is important for moms and dads and therapists.

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER and Aspergers have many similarities on the surface. Both can involve inattentiveness and problem behaviors. In fact, kids with Aspergers are often diagnosed with ADHD prior to an Aspergers diagnosis. However, the two disorders are not the same. It is important for therapists to be able to make a thorough differential diagnosis between ADHD and Aspergers. It is also important for moms and dads to be able to tell the difference in their own kids who have both diagnoses.


Communication—

By definition, Aspergers does not include any significant delay in language (as opposed to autism). However, people with Aspergers do tend to have distinct differences in how they use language and tend to have language weaknesses that are not typically found in kids with average intelligence who have ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER alone.

People with Aspergers tend to have weaknesses in their understanding of non-literal language, such as slang or implied meanings. They also tend to be more verbose and to have more one-sided conversations that are driven by their own topics of interest. They have a harder time taking turns in conversations or talking about a topic of interest to someone else. People with Aspergers also sometimes display less inflection in their voice.

In contrast, people with ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER may have interests that they love to talk about and they may love to talk, but their conversations are more reciprocal. They can take conversational turns and they can switch topics to accommodate others' interests more easily. People with ADHD also do not tend to have specific weaknesses in their understanding of and use of non-literal language and speak with normal tone of voice and inflection.

Socialization Differences—

People with Aspergers tend to have difficulty interpreting non-verbal communication and the more subtle nuances of social situations. For example, they may not easily distinguish between behaviors that may be appropriate in one setting and not in another or they may have difficulty interpreting facial expressions or posturing of others. In contrast, people with ADHD may be distracted and not pay as much attention to those things, but they do understand and interpret them appropriately.

While people with ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER may be more impulsive and less observant of others' needs, resulting in more misbehaviors, they can easily consider others' perspectives and they easily participate in more reciprocal, or two-sided, social interactions. In contrast, people with Aspergers tend to be more eccentric and one-sided in their approach to others. It is not that they are indifferent to others but that they really have a harder time considering the perspective of others.

Language and social difficulties for kids with Aspergers tend to result in avoidance of many social situations. They have a lot of problems and often do not understand why. Many social situations become way too stressful, especially with peers, and they may prefer adults. Specifically, teaching social skills to kids with Aspergetrs is often necessary. Kids with ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER may have peer conflicts because of behavioral difficulties; however, they are more socially driven.

Sensory Differences—

All individuals tend to have preferred topics of interests or activities. However, for people with Aspergers, those things can often be all encompassing and get in the way of more functional routines. Their preferred topics or activities also tend to have a sensory seeking quality to them (often visual or tactile) and include repetition. They may also be overly sensitive to things like sound and they may tend to get easily overloaded with sensory input.

Kids with ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER often respond better to experiences that are highly stimulating. That is why they can sit for hours playing a video game, while attending to schoolwork may be very difficult. However, they tend to process sensory input in a typical manner. People with ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER do not necessarily seek out sensory experiences in a repetitive or eccentric manner.

Aspergers versus ADHD—

Aspergers includes many social, communication, and sensory difficulties that are distinct from ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. While the two disorders can result in behavioral and social difficulties, it is important for parents and essential for therapists to look beneath the surface and distinguish between them. Evaluations that appropriately differentiate between Aspergers and ADHD can lead to the most appropriate interventions for kids.

View this original article at: http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2010/10/difference-between-adhd-and-aspergers.html

When It's Just Another Fight, and When It's Over

Exerpt from "When It's Just Another Fight, and When It's Over" By Elizabeth Bernstein | The Wall Street Journal – Tue, Apr 3, 2012 12:01 AM EDT


One evening shortly after their seventh anniversary, Louis and Shelley Silberman had an argument while preparing dinner. Neither recalls what that fight was about. But both remember how, in the middle of it, Ms. Silberman suddenly screamed at her husband: "We are done being married! I want you to move out!"

Mr. Silberman was floored. The couple had two sons, ages 1 and 3. They had met at a Club Med on the Caribbean island of Martinique when they were in their early 20s and had moved in together almost immediately. They'd bonded over tennis and travel. Mr. Silberman had fallen for her vibrant, fun-loving personality. Ms. Silberman liked how friendly and active he was.
"I thought it was just another fight," says Mr. Silberman, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., and owns a company that trains medical professionals and aestheticians to perform anti-aging laser procedures.

After his wife blurted out that she wanted a divorce, Mr. Silberman pleaded with her to talk about what was wrong. She refused. They both cried. She stormed off to bed.
"It's hard to say 'bye' nicely, there's so much built-up anger," says Ms. Silberman, of Cave Creek, Ariz., now 44 years old, who has since remarried and is now Shelley Cook.

Couples typically wait an average of six years in an unhappy marriage before seeking help, according to the Seattle-based Gottman Institute. Deciding whether to leave a committed relationship can be a sad and complex process.

A new type of therapy, called "discernment counseling," breaks with traditional couples counseling, which seeks to solve relationship problems. Instead, discernment counseling, pioneered by Bill Doherty, a professor in the family social science department at the University of Minnesota, aims to help struggling couples decide whether to divorce or remain married. The new therapy is part of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project, which Dr. Doherty launched last year. He came up with the idea for the project after a local family court judge told him that a striking number of couples in his divorce court handled the process so well that he wondered why they were splitting up.

In a study of divorcing couples published last year in the Family Court Review, the results showed that about 30% of individuals who were divorcing said they would seriously consider a reconciliation service if it was offered by the court. Additional research that matched spouses' responses found that in about 10% of couples both partners were open to reconciliation.

Read the entire article at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/just-another-fight-over-040100241.html

Time to End the Relationship?
And if so, how do you break the news in a way that does the least emotional damage? Marriage therapists offer advice:

• Peer into the future. Talk to a lawyer and an accountant, research what an apartment would cost, ask a real-estate agent to estimate a sale price for your house, says Susan Pease Gadoua, a licensed social worker who specializes in helping couples with relationship strife. 'You will either become energized or depressed,' she says, 'and that will be telling.'

• Tell your spouse early. As soon as you start losing your commitment to the relationship, speak up, therapists say. 'Bring up divorce when you still don't want it,' says Bill Doherty, director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project.

• Do therapy on a trial basis. If you think your marriage could be salvaged, find an objective professional and agree on a trial period, typically six months to a year.

• Expect the worst. Anticipate that your spouse will be shocked and behave badly. Regardless, listen calmly—for more than one conversation—to give your spouse a chance to respond.

• Stick around. If you're the one leaving, don't move out or cut off contact too quickly. Some therapists even suggest continuing to live together for two to six months, if that's what your spouse wants, to ease the transition, Ms. Gadoua says.
Email Elizabeth Bernstein at Bonds@wsj.com or follow her column at www.Facebook.com/EBernsteinWSJ.

Internet Deprivation Can Lead to Real Withdrawal Symptoms

Clinical psychologist Dr. Taji Huang talks with Colleen Williams on Nonstop News LA about a new study about internet deprivation, and the impact time spent on the web for children. Aired on NBC Los Angeles on July 26th, 2011.

View more videos at: http://www.nbclosangeles.com.

Click the link below to view the video:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Internet_Deprivation_Can_Lead_to_Real_Withdrawal_Symptoms_Los_Angeles-126194878.html

Was Osama Bin Laden already in Prison in Pakistan?

The notion that the US was only aware of Bin Laden's precise location for a matter of months before they executed their alleged raid of his compound in Pakistan is an insult to the truth, which is that the US knew the Al-Qaeda leader's precise whereabouts; which I believe was a "holding" place or a prison.

Turbo Fire & Depression Alternative Ways to Combat Depression & Anxiety

Dr. Taji talks about Turbo Fire & Depression Alternative Ways to Combat Depression & Anxiety... without medication.

7 years old girl has plastic surgery/ office etiquette

7 year old girl allowed to have plastic surgery. My thoughts on the subject.
Also office etiquette discussion.

Check out the article posted about Dr. Taji Huang

Click on the link below to be forwarded to the article about Dr. Taji Huang from the My Accessory Business blog:

http://myaccessorybusiness.blogspot.com/2011/06/successful-woman-run-buisnesses-dr-taji.html


Successful Woman-run Buisnesses: Dr. Taji Huang Licensed Psychologist

Dr. Taji Huang is a licensed psychologist in Los Angeles, CA. She has been in the mental health field of over 12 years. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in August 2004 at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. She specializes in treating depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, OCD, phobias, and a variety of other mental illnesses. She has worked closely with children, adolescents and adults in individual, couples, family and group settings.

In 2009, she started her own psychology practice at an office space in West Los Angeles and also has a home office where she meets with her psychology clients. She started her business with a website www.drtaji.com and she promoted her practice online on sites like google, facebook, youtube, yahoo, yelp, a variety of other online psychologist networks and through the use of search engine optimization.

Her video blog http://drtaji.blogspot.com/ introduces patients to her practice and is a good reference tool for anyone looking for information on several mental health disorders she has vlogged about. She is a great role model for any professional woman who has dreamed of starting their own business practicing their profession on their own terms.

For more information about Dr. Taji Huang, check out her website at www.DrTaji.com and her vlog at http://drtaji.blogspot.com/