2023

September 26, 2023 — Preprint now available:  The ADHD vocabulary size advantage (with link)

Following great excitement for the research I presented at the International Symposium on Bilingualism and the Association francophone du savoir conferences this year, I am very excited to make the first preprint of my project on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder available: Find the preprint here. 

Summary of the preprint: Individuals with ADHD and bilinguals have each widely been considered vulnerable to vocabulary deficits compared to their peers. However, the interaction of ADHD and bilingualism in affecting vocabulary in both languages has yet to be studied. We tested whether a 'double disadvantage' exists for bilinguals with ADHD by measuring the vocabularies of 391 young adults. In Study 1, we categorized them into one of four groups: monolinguals and bilinguals with and without ADHD. Individuals with ADHD had larger vocabularies than those without ADHD, in monolinguals and bilinguals alike, and in both the dominant and non-dominant languages. In Study 2, bilingualism and ADHD status were assessed continuously. Bilingualism and ADHD interacted in both languages such that those with greater ADHD symptomatology had larger vocabularies, particularly for monolinguals and less balanced bilinguals. These findings refute the notion of a "double disadvantage" and instead point to an overall ADHD vocabulary advantage.

See you in the discussion section for some potential explanations for these surprising findings!

June 26, 2023 — Talk at the International Symposium on Bilingualism 14: ADHD & Bilingualism in Young Adults: A Comparison of Bilingual Vocabulary (with link to slides & poster versions of the talk)

May 12, 2023 — Winner of Best Poster Award at the Congrès de l'Association Francophone du Savoir: "TDAH et bilinguisme chez les jeunes adultes: Comparaison du vocabulaire bilingue"  (with link to poster)

March 16, 2023 — Now published: "Quebec-based parents’ concerns regarding their children’s multilingual development"  (with links to paper and preprint)

February 17, 2023 — Match Day: MUHC Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service

I am very pleased to be joining the McGill University Health Centre Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service team this September! I look forward to working on this highly multidisciplinary team with both inpatients and outpatients at the Royal Victoria and Montreal General Hospitals.

January 2, 2023 — Therapy Grab Bag: Some 2022 favorites

I thought I would start the year by rounding up some useful concepts and resources that I really enjoyed in 2022:

• This Way Up: is a website providing evidence-based CBT online. This not-for-profit (free for both clinicians and patients — shoot me an email if you need help setting up a free clinician's account where you can "prescribe" programs to patients) website is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and was created with St Vincent’s Hospital and the University of New South Wales. Some reasons why I really love it:

  • The range of programs: There are programs that are specifically designed for Depression, GAD, Social Anxiety, Health Anxiety, Panic, OCD, PTSD, and Chronic Pain. There are also programs for co-occurring anxiety and depression, including ones specifically for perinatal anxiety & depression, focusing on mindfulness, and aimed teens. Lastly, other programs target specific skills, including stress management, insomnia, mindfulness, and student-well-being.

  • Not only are programs based on evidence-based practice, but their effectiveness has also been tested.

  • Awesome worksheets and handouts are available, and translated into 10 different languages.

• ACT in Context: The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Podcast: this is a free podcast created by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) that allowed me to delve deeper into ACT and its clinical application, all while commuting or going for evening walks!

  • It explains how ACT came to be, introduces acceptance, defusion, self-as-context, contact with the present moment, values and committed action, and looks at how ACT can be used in specific populations such as those with trauma/PTSD and adolescents.

  • Some high-profile guests feature on the show, including Steven Hayes himself, Sonja Batten, and Russ Harris.

  • It's filled with practical exercises and analogies that can be used in session!

• Self-Compassion has been a very useful concept:

  • Here is a wonderful TED talk by Dr. Kristin Neff on the topic, which can act as a good introduction to the concept.

    • In short, self-compassion is not about rating oneself positively or as "better than average", but rather embracing oneself as one is, including any flaws.

    • Its three core components are self-kindness (in opposition to harsh judgment), common humanity (how am I the same as others?), and mindfulness (e.g., in the present moment).

    • Self-compassion offers benefits that extend beyond those offered by self-esteem, and, importantly, does so without being contingent on success. Self-compassion is not associated with narcissism, does not rely on social comparison, and results in a more stable sense of self-worth than self-esteem, all while being related to lower ratings of depression and anxiety and greater ratings of life satisfaction, motivation, sense of connection with others, and self-responsibility.

  • Some great self-compassion resources are available on Dr. Neff's website, including guided self-compassion meditations and exercises.

  • I also recommend her workbook entitled The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive.

I hope you discovered something new that you will find useful, and I wish you a fulfilling 2023!