Dr. Barkley would be the guru on ADHD, and he has written several books on the topic and is/has been involved in many scientific studies on the topic. Everything presented today was based on Science and after hearing him, I have the greatest respect for the man.

He talked for over 6 hours. I have been to many seminars and the amount of information presented here was mind boggling. What we got in one hour is more then I usually see from other presenters in a day!

The major thing I learned today? That ADHD inattentive subtype (the spacey ones), most likely will be classified as a separate disorder from what is typically known as ADHD. It goes by the acronym SCT.

I did a google search on ADHD, SCT, and Barkley. Of the 24 hits one was for this forum! Two links had many of the points that Barkley covered during his lecture.

http://www.addforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-14504.html
http://www.continuingedcourses.net/active/courses/course003.php
http://www.continuingedcourses.net/active/courses/course003.php
http://www.addconsults.com/tforum/printthread.php?TopicID=130

Thanks for the links, scuro.

A pleasure:)

It confuses me that inattentive adhd might be reclassified as sluggish cognitive tempo. I was diagnosed with inattentive adhd but the psychologist told me that I did not have a sluggish cognitive tempo. Does that mean I am really not part of the inattentive subtype? I only had around three or four of the hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, so I can't be the combined type. I have always thought that I resemble the inattentive type in some aspects and then the combined in others. What else did Barkley have to say about sluggish cognitive tempo?

He said that some people are originially combined or even the hyperactive type whose observable symptoms decrease with age. The DSVM would thus now classify them as the innattentive subtype. He sees this as a problem with the DSVM and believes that it should be updated and be aged normed. Check the one link, I believe he talks about this there.

He said that the new SCT type are like that from birth and that you don't get that way in later life. They are spacey, stare blankly, Hypoactive, sluggish, and mentally foggy.

He said that SCT's are neglected in society vrs the rejected ADHD'ers. That they internalize vrs externalize their behaviours so anxiety and depression was a higher risk. That they also didn't respond as well to stimulants. Other unique features for "SCT's only" were slow and error prone information processing and poor selective attention. Finally, social skills training is much more effective with SCT's then compared to ADHD'ers.

Thanks for the information.

I still don't know which group I would be in. I was hyperactive as a toddler/pre-schooler but after that I mainly displayed inattentive symptoms. Maybe it's because I'm female. Oh well, it is interesting to think about, anyway. Thanks, again.

A fellow that has often posted in the past here was a big fan of Dr. Barkley's scientific method. I don't think mctavish23 could continue to sustain the barrage of misinformation and fool hardy commentary and has likely moved on now. Fortunately you can search through the archive here and see what he had to offer on Barkley's work.

I enjoyed the resources and came to a deep respect for both men.
Thanks for picking up the torch scuro.

Yeah Ian...McT is someone special. To do what he has done with ADHD is remarkable. I know him from the yahoo ADD chatroom and always respected what he has to say and enjoy him taking on the unsuspecting antipsychs and snake oil salesmen. He is a walking library. I think he still visits yahoo regularly.

Spinning mind,

I believe I am an SCT. SCT's know who they are, you just have to say "spacey" or "foggy" and they get who they are right away because that is who they were right from as a toddler. A lot of SCT's appear to be shy or aloof.

Spinning, I'd guess that you are a combined.

Wow, you saw "the man" speak! I'm totally in awe...I'm a undergraduate psychology major--My mentor used Barkley quite a few times in his doctorate dissertation and I'm citing him my research. He's like, the Michael Jordan of ADHD research(but better than mike of course!). I would drive a few hours to see him speak if the opportunity presented itself.

From what I've read, i would possibly qualify as SCT. I'm inattentive type with a just a few hyperactive qualities(figeting, anxious). but excessive daydreaming, hypoactive, shy, not responding well to stimulants--really hits the nail on the head for me. I'm pretty high functioning with my non-stim medication, but those characteristics have really overwhelmed me in the past.

Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky combined! I actually went up and asked him a question!...and we spoke for a minute....others wanted to talk also. It was simply remarkable the amount of information he conveyed during the day. He talked with people all through each break and through his lunch too. We left after four pm and he was still talking about medications and had yet to take questions from the floor. That was still to come!

I asked him about SCT, where I could get more information. He mentioned his handbook(?) which I guess is not for the lay reader like myself. He told me that there is no book on SCT but thought that there would be a lot more information in the next few years.

On a side note he thought there would be a gene blood test in about 5 years. He looked up at the audience and said, and that will be a Godsend.