Serendipity
I was renewing my membership at the ADD Resources website. Afterward I decided to check out those nifty podcasts in their Members Only section that they keep mentioning in their newsletter emails. Podcasts of all of the cool speakers that I keep missing because I haven’t figured out how to be in two (or three or four) places at once. So there’s this really great long list of podcasts, sooo long that I have a hard time deciding which one I want to check out first, but for some reason, as I click on the titles one by one, I can get descriptions of the speaker and the talk, but the illusory podcasts seem to prevail and I can only guess that since I have just paid online for my renewal within minutes, maybe my access is limited until the bank opens on Monday morning. While I’m reading the description of a podcast, I see an interesting website, GiftOfGabConversation.com and BEHOLD! I have stumbled on to a GREAT FIND! And I’m anxious to share this with those of you who might be interested in learning more about working with ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome.
Karen L. Roe writes the Gift of Gab website to address the needs of people who experience ADHD and AS. Karen states she got her undergraduate degree at UW, then went on to take extensive Coaching Training at Coach University, specializing in ADHD Coaching. Karen’s experience includes having a son with AS, being a past-Board member of the Autism Society of Washington, and she has founded and leads an AS support group which is also open to parents, educators and professionals.
You know, for quite a while, many professionals would have said that ADHD could not occur in conjunction with Asperger’s Syndrome. I suspected something like that was happening in a young client in 2006 and was delighted to go to the ADD Resources Parents of Children with ADHD Support Group that meets on Mercer Island; and to hear a couple parents introduce themselves as parents of children diagnosed with ADD and Asperger’s Syndrome. Finally it is being recognized that these two can co-occur! It’s out in the open and that is good news for some parents who have been pulling their hair out and unable to figure out how to help their children. As these conditions become recognized and acknowledged, then people start finding strategies to better work with and help their children, and THAT IS exciting!
You’ll find information about Karen Roe’s AS Support Group that meets in Greenwood at her website. The “schedule” link takes you to a list of the fine speakers that have or will be speaking there. I’m looking forward to the August meeting when Lindsey Sterling and Jen Varley of the UW Autism Center will be discussing current research. I hope that I’ll see some of YOU there!
Tags: ADHD, Aspergers, Serendipity