As much as I hate to admit it, my mom was right about a lot of things, not everything, but a lot of things. Moms are like that. Much of what they are right about are things that are especially important for those of us with ADHD. Here are eight things your mom was probably right about.

I went to the 2018 International Conference on ADHD, and I feel it is my duty to encourage you all to attend this year’s conference. Trust me. You won’t regret going.

Confession time: I am a bit of a Trekkie. I have seen all of the Star Trek movies and every episode of every Star Trek TV show that has completed its run–The Original Series (TOS), The Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space 9 (DS9), Voyager (VOY), and Enterprise (ENT). I have come to greatly admire the Star Trek universe and all of the races and characters Gene Roddenberry and all who have worked on the various Star Trek projects that have been created over the years.

I have written previously on the importance of connecting with other ADHDers. Today, I would like to write to you about a unique way to connect with other ADHDers.

One reason parents are often resistant to getting their child tested for ADHD is the fear that their child will be given a label. This is tragic. The ADHD label is not something to be feared. It is not a negative. Yes, there are struggles that come with ADHD, but the label itself does not doom an individual. On the contrary, seeking an ADHD diagnosis can be beneficial.

Last month, I attended the 2018 International Conference on ADHD, and one of our keynote speakers presented some startling statistics. Doctor Russell Barkley, the leading researcher on ADHD, and his colleagues recently conducted a study that showed that ADHD reduces one’s life expectancy by 13 years, and if the DBH Taq1 gene or the DAT1 gene is present, it is a 20-year drop in life expectancy. These numbers should startle you. This is a greater reduction in life expectancy than there is for smoking, excessive alcohol use, obesity, and coronary heart disease.