what is a good way to remind my daughter to take her meds--she is 18 in number only and forgets

Hey there,

I'm a mom too. Our youngest son is 20. I don't have a pat answer for you...just a few thoughts. I think eighteen year olds need a lot of encouragement.

What's her work and social goals for the summer? Does she have any hobbies or interests? How's it going? When was the last time you let her know how much you appreciate her for her unique qualities?

My sense is that people tend to let go of self-care routines when they're feeling stuck or let down in their lives. Sometimes the lack of structure quickly leads to plain old boredom. That's another way to get stuck. 

When this happens, look for the bigger issue or issues. Don't get overly focused on specific concerns yet. Once you've reconnected with her by focusing on the bigger issues, then you may or may not want to go back to the specific issue of not taking her medication.

If you do, perhaps you could tell her in a loving and gentle way how you see her affected by not taking her medication...how it's affecting her, not just her family and friends. Remember though, personal interests and social goals are important too. There needs to be a balance. Life isn't just about work or school goals.

It's also important for our children to see how vulnerable and uncertain we feel sometimes as we work toward acheiving our goals and how we still push forward even when the going is difficult.

Here's two wonderful books that might help her reconnect with her ADHD peers: 

Learning Outside The Lines: Two Ivy League Students With Learning Disabilities And ADHD Give You The Tools by Jonathan Mooney, David Cole,

ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table by Blake E. S. Taylor

Both were written by ADHD adults close to her age. You can read the reviews on http://www.amazon.com to see if she might like to have one or both books for her personal library.

You come across as a loving mother. Advice rarely addresses the need but sometimes it can be a starting point. Good luck in finding your own way as you work through this concern with your daughter.

Winnie, an adult ADD advocate 

Good morning, I work with that issue also, he's 19. I know part of it is being different, it helped when my son saw that other people take medication every day. This summer I am getting him a watch with alarms to set for his meds. Now I just have to get him to wear it.  (we are still working on wearing a belt and carrying keys)