The second year of the Shire ADHD Scholarship Program will award fifty (50) scholarships to individuals with ADHD

Philadelphia, PA, US – October 20, 2011 – Shire, a global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has expanded its ADHD Scholarship Program. The program is for individuals in the United States diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who are pursuing higher education at a college, vocational school or technical school.  Fifty winners will be selected in 2012, twice as many as in the first year.
The Shire ADHD Scholarship includes a $2,000 monetary award and offers a prepaid year of ADHD coaching services provided by the HEdge FoundationH to assist with the transition to higher education.  Fifty one-time scholarships will be awarded on June 12, 2012.  The deadline to apply is March 30, 2012.  For information, including eligibility requirements and scholarship application, visit www.ShireADHDScholarship.com.
“The response to the Shire ADHD Scholarship Program in 2011 was tremendous, with hundreds of applications from inspiring students across the nation,” said Michael Yasick, Senior Vice President of Shire’s ADHD business. “There are thousands of high school seniors, college students, and adults going on to higher education who suffer from ADHD.  We want to recognize the brave individuals who work hard to overcome the challenges of this life-altering condition, and help them continue their educational pursuits.”

Award recipients will be offered ADHD coaching from the Edge Foundation, which includes weekly sessions with specially trained ADHD coaches.  The students set weekly goals and action plans to meet those goals and have e-mail and phone support from their coaches to help keep them on track.  This support may be important for students transitioning to the higher education environment because they have more free time and less adult supervision.

The Edge Foundation is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that offers support for students with ADHD.  The Edge Foundation’s primary mission is to provide access to qualified, professional coaches for students with ADHD as part of their multi-modal treatment program.  For more information on the Edge Foundation, please visit the company’s website:  www.edgefoundation.org.

Shire’s ADHD Scholarship Program is part of Shire’s patient centric approach that offers support to patients, parents, advocates and others while providing care for people diagnosed with ADHD.
For further information please contact:

Media
Matthew Cabrey (mcabrey@shire.com)
Shire Pharmaceuticals

1-484-595-8248

Bev Volpe (bvolpe@simonpr.com)
Simon Public Relations Group
1-215-545-4715  Ext 24

Notes to editors

SHIRE PLC

Shire’s strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician.  Shire focuses its business on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, human genetic therapies, gastrointestinal diseases, and regenerative medicine as well as opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through acquisitions.  Shire’s in-licensing, merger, and acquisition efforts are focused on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection and global rights.  Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.  For further information on Shire, please visit the Company’s website: www.shire.com.

“SAFE HARBOR” STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Statements included herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks or uncertainties materialize, the Company’s results could be materially adversely affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the inherent uncertainty of research, development, approval, reimbursement, manufacturing, and commercialization of the Company’s Specialty Pharmaceutical and Human Genetic Therapies products, as well as the ability to secure and integrate new products for commercialization and/or development; government regulation of the Company’s products; the Company’s ability to manufacture its products in sufficient quantities to meet demand; the impact of competitive therapies on the Company’s products; the Company’s ability to register, maintain, and enforce patents and other intellectual property rights relating to its products; the Company’s ability to obtain and maintain government and other third-party reimbursement for its products; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

© 2011 Shire US Inc., Wayne, PA 19087

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Choosing the right planner for you and your lifestyle is very important, especially if you are busy, overwhelmed by your To Do List and/or have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD).  This is true no matter what profession you hold and no matter what your age.  By third grade, even elementary school students need some type of planner or way to keep track of assignments.

ADHD Creates Significant Challenges

for people when it comes to using a planner and therefore managing their time.  Your list might be too overwhelming, you might forget to look at your planner or perhaps there are other reasons.  I am frequently asked to recommend the best planner for someone with ADHD.  The bad news is that there is not one best planner.  The good news is that I can still help you select the best planner, especially if you have ADHD.

Prioritize

If you have determined that you need a better system of planning (or just need to start one!), I first recommend that you select the planner characteristics that are most important to you.  The checklist at the end of this article will help you identify those characteristics.

To use the checklist, place a check mark next to each characteristic you would like to have in a planner and indicate an A, B or C priority next to each characteristic you check.

• A = planner must have this
• B = would be nice for planner to have this
• C = not so important to me

After you  select which characteristics are important, take the list with you to the store or have it next to you while you search on-line.  This will help narrow your search and end up with a planner that really works for you.

Select Your Planner

After you have picked your characteristics, it is time for shopping.  A couple of sites to investigate are www.FamiliesWithPurpose.com, www.FranklinCovey.com and www.DayRunner.com.  If you are interested in electronic planners, be sure to review free sites (i.e. Google Calendar) in addition to all of the devices that are available.  If you have a smart phone, integrate with available on-line tools if that will help you remember to use it every day.  Once you have selected your planner, work with it for at least one month before evaluating it’s effectiveness.  If it doesn’t work for you after trying a new planner for at least a month, you may want to consider something different.  Commit to USING it before you discard it though.

Using Your Planner

Here are a few tips to help ensure that you use your planner.

• If you currently use multiple planners, try to consolidate into one.
• After you purchase your planner, commit to using it for at least one month.
• Keep it in a location where you will review it every day.
• Review it at the same time each day to help enforce your habit.

The right planner can make a big difference in getting more done, and more importantly getting your high priority tasks done.  Share your comments to let us know how the check list works for you.  Good luck with your planner search!

Planner Characteristic Checklist

• _____  Month-at-a-glance view
• _____  Week-at-a-glance view
• _____  The ability to see each day separate from all others
• _____  Spiral bound so I don’t lose any pages and can have the entire year in one product
• _____  Binder format so I can add and remove pages as needed
• _____  Zippered binder so I don’t lose any pages
• _____  Electronic with no need to print
• _____  Electronic with the ability to print a To Do List
• _____  Electronic with the ability to print an appointment schedule
• _____  Paper so I can write in it when needed
• _____  To Do List available for every day
• _____  To Do List for the whole month
• _____  To Do List for each week
• _____  Room to plan for multiple roles (i.e. Employee, parent, spouse, business owner)
• _____  Calendar and To Do List integrated into one planner
• _____  Calendar and To Do List separate from each other
• _____  Small size for easy portability
• _____  Large size for ease of writing and room for more items
• _____  Medium size as a compromise between small and large
• _____  Time slots for meetings and appointments all day
• _____  Specific time slots included in the Calendar section
• _____  Pockets for other items such as cell phone or wallet
• _____  Wall calendar format
• _____  Portable format
• _____  Attached strap so it can be carried like a purse or briefcase
• _____  Price is no object
• _____  Budget = $______
• _____  Add your own characteristics here:  __________________________
• _____  ______________________________________________________
• _____  ______________________________________________________
• _____  ______________________________________________________

© 2011, LSR Coaching and Consulting, LLC

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How can you show compassion for YOU today?  Share it below!

Below, I have pulled together some of my favorite goal setting articles here at My Attention Coach to provide you a one-stop “shopping” experience.  Let me know your thoughts!

Goal Setting 101

Clear goals that use the SMART acronym do more to move you towards success than any number of New Years resolutions.  This article shares some quick tips to ensure that your goals are SMART.

Review Goals to Get Focused

ADHD can cause trouble staying focused on your goals.  Especially annual goals that are set early in the year.  This article will help you review your goals to help you stay (or get!)  focused.

Prioritizing ADHD Goals

All of your goals are important to you and prioritizing them allows you to focus your valuable time and energy.  When you have ADHD, prioritizing your goals can be extremely difficult, yet it is an important skill to develop.

Let me know your thoughts and any questions below.

The show is called Practical ADHD Strategies and will focus on sharing practical tips to help you with your own ADHD challenges and those of the other important people in your life.  The show will be 15 minutes.  Just enough time to share 1 – 2 valuable tips during each show.  Not enough time to get bored (I HOPE!).

What topics would you like me to cover on my Blog Talk Radio show Practical ADHD Strategies?  Ask and you shall (probably) receive!

I look forward to chatting with you this Thursday at 1pm eastern for our inaugural show.  I’ll post the replay link here at My Attention Coach and you can always find it over at Blog Talk Radio.  “See” you there!

For More Information:  http://bit.ly/ADHDconference

The Virtual AD/HD Conference is a unique event that brings top resources in AD/HD directly to you. The truth is that sometimes physical conferences just aren’t practical for the people who need them the most. And that’s where the Virtual AD/HD Conference comes in.

The conference brings together an international community of people affected by AD/HD, including adults, parents, spouses/partners, doctors, therapists, advocates, coaches, counselors, and many more.

You can learn more about the conference, review the full conference agenda, and read testimonials from people who have attended here: http://bit.ly/ADHDconference

Here are 5 reasons why I recommend attending the Virtual AD/HD Conference:

1. You’ll access top resources in the world of AD/HD from the comfort of your own home or office.
2. You’ll get the latest information and strategies on the most important topics in AD/HD. The conference topics cover everything from children to adults, from parenting to marriage, and from alternative treatments to medication management.
3. You’ll connect with a supportive group of your peers. The conference is attended by hundreds of people who understand the challenges of AD/HD.
4. You’ll participate at your own pace. You can choose to attend the sessions live, or you can download the presentations later. The presentations and materials are available online for 3 months after the close of the conference.
5. You’ll skip the costs and hassles of traveling to a conference. The Virtual AD/HD Conference is cost efficient because it removes the need for hotels, airports, babysitters, and expensive restaurant meals.

The Virtual AD/HD Conference takes place October 3-6. I think the conference is a great opportunity to connect with your peers and get all the tools you need to succeed from the top experts in the world of AD/HD. I hope you’ll consider joining me there!

Once again, you can learn more about the conference, review the full conference agenda, read testimonials from people who have attended here:  http://bit.ly/ADHDconference

Let me know if you have any questions about the conference!

Take some time to review your goals or to set some new ones.  Whether it is getting organized, staying focused, starting a new project or something else that I have not contemplated, you owe it to yourself to get focused.

To start, take some time today to make sure your goal is SMART.

• Specific
• Making goals specific give you a better idea of where you are headed.
• Take the example of getting organized.  Saying I want to be better organized might move you in the right direction, but saying that you want to clear all of the extra clutter from the file drawers in your home office is likely to motivate you more.
• Measurable
• When you set your goals, make sure you can measure them.
• Having measurements lets you keep track of whether or not you achieve your goals.
• Attainable
• Goals need to be attainable.  Many times, when talking to clients, I learn that their goals are often set in a manner that makes them unachievable.  As you  know, this can be frustrating.  When looking at your goals, look at them to make sure they are attainable.  If not, break them into smaller steps.
• Realistic
• You must be realistic when setting your goals. If ADHD tends to make you impulsive, it is especially important for you to focus on setting realistic goals. When you set goals, double-check to make sure you are being realistic.
• Timely
•  When you have ADHD, it is important to set timely goals with deadlines to help you keep focus on the goals.
• To reinforce the deadlines you set for yourself, I recommend that you write them down in your planner or calendar.

To learn more about goal setting strategies, register for the teleclass I am offering in August with my coaching colleague Dale Davison.  Goals and ADHD: Practical Strategies that Work for You!

I don’t know about you, but I personally hate doing the dishes. Left to my own devices, dishes would probably pile up for weeks.  Of course, I can’t let this happen.  When it is time to do the dishes, I usually need to set a timer for 10 minutes and see how much I can get done in order to motivate myself to get started on doing the dishes. I am always surprised by how little time it can take when I really have fun with this strategy.

If you have kids, it can be tremendously helpful in getting them moving as well. I think it is the adrenaline that helps here.  Setting the timer to get the family room clean can be really motivating for them.  It is fun and they know it will end soon!

You could even implement this strategy at work, but be careful to keep an eye on quality.  I would hate to hear that a report was botched due to “Race the Clock”!

How can you implement “Race the Clock” at your house?