Books on ADHD...suggestions

Here's one that is not meant to educate you on the details of ADHD, but to help with how to talk with kids and family about it. It gets positive reviews on Amazon.com

"All Dogs Have ADHD", by Kathy Hoopmann

One of my best friends is a child psychologist and her book is very interesting and informative. At Amazon you can click on the book and read some of the pages. I love it and have read it and used what I learned.

If you want to read it first before buying you can go to your local library and out in a request for it if they don't have it. They might be able to get it on inner library loan for you.

Her name is Gayle Herron
The title is:
Straight Talk about ADD and ADHD

You can get it several places, her publisher is LuLu and it's about $20.
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/straight-talk-about...

Or at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3...

I really like "Driven to Distraction" - helps understand issues, emotional impact on person with ADD/ADHD as well as the people living with the person.

Also I read another one I can't quite remember the title - but it was something to do with Einstein. It talks about the skills and strengths of a person with ADHD were valued in hunting cultures, but not in post-industrial cultures. Takes the exact same behaviors and straights listed as ADD "issues" and shines an old light on them as strengths. Again, multiple intelligence is very important.

Use the library to start - buy the books you think you'd go back to for reference.

Most of all, enjoy your son and let him know he is just fine the way he is - we all need to develop skills to interact with people within our society. It's society's issues he needs to learn to address, not any deficiency within himself.

Hi T.,

I happen to know just a little bit on the subject; my husband and his son both have ADHD. Well, let me clarify. My son has ADHD and my husband has ADD. My husband doesn't have the Hyperactivity that our son has so his is just classified as ADD. This is a very frustrating and challenging thing to have to deal with, let me tell you. I am not trying to stress you out but I have to let you know that it has been a long road for all of us in this family. School is hard for our son, beings that his concentration level is low and gets frustrated and gives up easily when he gets confused and just simply shuts down. We have met with all of his teachers and have come up with a game plan that seems to have us on the right track. But, before all of this came to surface and he was diagnosed with ADHD, he was 5 grade levels behind where his other peers were in school in reading, writing, math and spelling. Let me add that I came into my husband and son's life when he was only 11, now 14. His teachers had passed him on grade after grade, knowing good and well he was struggling miserably. This goes to show that we as parents have to stay on top of things when it comes to their education as some teachers don't care and just pass them along like they are no more important than a piece of paper. It's terrible and I was stunned to learn this. We sent him to a Children's Behavioral Program which helps diagnose and treat many educational and behavioral disorders with children and they said he had one of the worst cases they had ever seen. We even had an issue with him soiling his underwear which after the doctors did some evaluation, it came to be that when an ADHD child becomes so "busy" and can't focus because their brain is all over the place, they often don't take enought time to sit and go to the bathroom completely. They rush themselves and often don't allow themselves to finish their "business". Now, this may or may not be an issue with your son, and hopefully it isn't but I just wanted you to know this can be a symptom, but more so with a more severe case. Just and FYI for you. They put him on a medication called CONCERTA and it has really helped. No more soiling underwear, and teachers have noticed dramatic improvement with his ability to concentrate and completing tasks. The hard part about this is they aren't cured by the medicine by any means but it drastically changes the way in which they deal with this disorder. He still likes to argue about homework and if it doesn't interest him, it is almost impossible to get him to do it. With enough encouragement and PATIENCE it can be done. I have not purchased any books on childhood ADHD but have on adult ADD, but that's a whole nother topic my friend lol. It is no fun and now my husband too is on several meds to help him. It has been a rough ride say the least!!!! Good luck, hang in there, and work closely with his teachers to make sure he is getting the best education possible and that he is not brushed under the rug like millions of kids out there. I hope this helps!!!

My son was recently diagnosed as well. I have bought and started reading about six different books. I have to say, the one that helped me the most was from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The layout is very user friendly. The sections are short and concise. They have sections on medication and sections on behavioral modification treatments.

The other book I've really enjoyed actually isn't about ADHD. It is called "In Their Own Way" by Thomas Armstrong and talks about multiple intelligence. It is based on a theory that people don't just have an IQ (logical and language based intelligence) and EQ (emotional intelligence). One can have a strong musical intelligence, kinetic intelligence, etc. By finding what your child's strengths are, you can help them learn by changing the way you approach teaching them the information. My son was diagnosed as combined ADHD (both hyperactivity and inattentive). We decided to use medication to help with the inattentive aspects, but having read "In Their Own Way", I think my son has strong kinetic intelligence and benefits from more interactive learning (less worksheets at a desk). The movement helps with the hyperactivity as well. So, instead of sitting and reading, we read books like they are a play (he reads one character, I read the other). We practice spelling words like "Red Light, Green Light" (when I say a word, you have to stop and spell it, if wrong, go back to start, if right, keep moving forward). Even if he didn't have ADHD, this book has been really interesting to read.

Good luck

Oh I think I've read at least a dozen books on this as my husband and oldest son both have it. Everything from Dr. Ned Hallowell has been excellent, especially his newer books. The earliest one was, I think, "Driven to Distraction" and he was very pro-medication, pro-conventional medicine when he wrote it but in later books ("Delivered from Distraction" is one, there is at least one more) he talks more about complementary and alternative therapies. He and at least one of his children also have AD/HD, so he writes from the perspective of a patient, parent, and clinician.

I've heard great things about one of the books mentioned below, the "So I'm not Crazy/Lazy" etc. book. There was a great PBS special on recently that went along with the book and it was a wonderful, funny, positive take on what living with this is like. It was good for my husband and I to watch it together and be reminded that this isn't the kiss of death and that many of his irritating habits and behaviors are not his choosing - same goes for my son.

FWIW, my son (almost 13) was diagnosed 5 years ago and we have not tried medication. I'm open to it if things get worse, or if he wants to try it, but so far we've been able to manage with - at various times - tutoring, reward charts, heavy organizational interventions at school and home, dietary changes, supplements, lots of exercise (thank you hockey!), and an alternative treatment called BIT (a/k/a crossinology). He was also diagnosed with learning disabilities so he is on and IEP in school and that support is a lifeline. I have also been able to adjust my schedule so that I work from home 3 days per week, which helps me to help him stay on top of his schoolwork. It's a never-ending quest to continue to help him to develop strategies to do his best despite his scattered mind.

When choosing whether or not to medicate, which is probably what we all agonize over the most, know that it's not all or nothing. Everything I've read about stimulant medication says that it leaves the body pretty quickly, so it's not like starting a heavy-hitter like a mood stabilizer where once you start, you have to be ultra-careful about stopping. If you are open to trying meds and your son's doctors think it would be helpful, give it a try. If he responds positively, then great - you have another tool in your toolbox (but not a cure - you still have to do everything else). If the medication has more cons than pros, you can stop.

Good luck!

He is so lucky that he has been diagnosed so young. I was not diagnosed young and so my life has been a constant struggle and I have been treated very badly due to it.

The best book out there is 'Healing ADD' by Dr. Daniel Amen. Check out his blog too and his website.

Re: medication. How old is he? You need to find out from Dr Amen's book what kind of ADHD he has. There are six different types.

You will learn that there are great foods and supplements to put him on first. Such as avocados, ripe bananas, the riper the better, almonds, seeds, dairy products and lima beans. He needs penty of fresh air, exercise and loving too. Never criticise. No sodas, never caffeine, no sugar, no white four, good fats only. Plenty of fruit and vegetables.

If there is any way you can get him to Dr Stephen Safren at MGH - you will do well too.

There is so much info "out there" that it can be overpowering, as you have discovered! So much of it is helpful, and so much more of it is incorrect or misleading!

I think there are as many books on this topic as on sleeping and potty training - and it's going to be hard to figure out what fits with your child and your philosophy. I don't think you can tell right now what is going to be best for him right now as well as in the future.

I would use the library before investing in a zillion books. I also know and work with many people who have used nutritional solutions without eliminating everything from their child's diet. So much easier! There are things you can add that help immensely. That may put off or eliminate the need for medications. You could always try that first and see. Food won't have side effects that medication may have.

Just don't rush into anything or feel you need to make a decision now without looking around.

Putting him on medicine should be something that you talk to his doctor about, based on the full evaluation you should have. If he has not been to se a Developmental Pediatrician or a Nueropsycholgist/psychiatrist combo, then you need to get one or the other as soon as possible. A Developmental Pediatrican will outline a full treatment plan for you, as will a psychiatrist, based on the neuropsychological evaluation that you provide, and this may very well include medication that will help him with all the other parts of his treatment program, which should include several hours per week of a combination of: cognitive behaviroal therapy, play therapy, social skills classes, speech, langauage, occupational therapy, and behaviroal and educational modifications at school and home. Medication will help him to benefit from all this therapy.

Some good resources are Additudes magazine, and CHADD. Also, any book by Dr. Mel Levine or Dr. Russel Barkley is agreat choice. www.wrightslaw.com has all you will ever need to know about school advocacy, so you need to start reading about what to do, and what not to do so that he gets the most from his education.

If you are wondering if you need both a school based and a private evaluation, the answer is yes, you need both. You should never know less about your son and what he needs than any public agency, and you need a private evaluation to both keep the school honest, and provide the additional therapy and services, beyond what the school provides, that he will need.

M.