Friday, May 26, 2000

ADHD.com pays attention to parents

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Loveland mother's Web site provides forum for sharing ideas and information

By Chris Klein
Enquirer Contributor

Renee Masters and son Derk, 13. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        Sometimes it's a desperate mom whose daughter was just expelled from school. Other times it's a frustrated dad who doesn't want to medicate his son.

        Still other times it's a college student wondering if he'll outgrow it.

        Each of the 20,000 monthly visitors to the ADHD.com Web site has one thing in common. Each is searching for advice in their struggle with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. A neurobiological disorder thought to be caused by chemicals not working properly in the brain, ADHD is characterized by the inability to sustain focused attention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity.

A mom's questions
        The Web site was started two years ago by Renee Masters of Loveland, who needed someone to talk to about her 13-year-old ADHD son. Her son was getting help from monthly visits to a social worker. But Ms. Masters left each visit feeling frustrated. “The appointments were primarily for my son. I was lucky to get in a few questions before time was up,” she explains.

        Desperate for feedback, she searched for other parents who shared her challenges. But that proved to be a challenge in itself.

        “You can't really go up to people and say "Hi, does your child have ADHD?'” Armed with her knowledge of Web development from the corporate communications company she and her husband, Terry Alvarado, owned, Ms. Masters established www.ADHD.com.

        “I immediately got e-mail messages from parents with questions about the disorder. They thought I was a doctor dispensing advice.” Instead, she is able to provide parents much more. Her Web site puts parents in touch with each other. “We have people chatting daily,” she says. ×subHed Eight forums

        People like Karen whose 8¹/₂-year-old son has begun to wet the bed every night. And DeeDee whose fiance is embarrassed that his son has ADHD. And Sue, who is afraid her marriage may fall apart if she can't learn to deal with her ADHD stepson. And Joey's mom who is frustrated that he doesn't turn in his homework.

        Visitors to the Web site are invited to chat in any of eight different forums: medication, education, behavior, related disorders, homeopathic alternatives, adult ADHD, evaluations/physician referrals and social skills. Within each forum are dozens of ongoing discussions in which visitors can participate. The medication forum alone is home to 85 topics related to medicating a person with ADHD. Close to 600 messages have been posted from visitors to the medication forum.

        It is problems like “Sock Syndrome” that Ms. Masters hopes her site will address. For years, Ms. Master's son took 15 minutes to an hour to put his socks on before going to school.

        “The seams of his socks had to be lined up perfectly before he was comfortable enough to get dressed for the day. ... Sometimes he would pull every sock out of the drawer looking for the one that felt best. When you're a parent trying to get a child ready for school, battling with socks for 40 minutes is a real problem.”

        Ms. Masters found out only recently that other parents of ADHD children also had problems like the “Sock Syndrome.” The Web site is for them. They no longer need to wonder, “Who can I talk to? What works for other parents?”

        “We can't just pick up the phone and ask the doctor,” Ms. Masters explains. Instead she hopes people will log onto her Web site seeking and sharing advice with their peers.

        In addition to the discussion forums, the site also includes an extensive list of resources, answers to frequently asked questions regarding ADHD and help with recognizing ADHD and other related disorders. Ms. Masters plans to create “neighborhoods” reflecting the various populations affected by ADHD, including adults, children ages 5-12, teen-agers, educators and professionals.

       

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