Deficit

After reading this book I felt like I could teach on course on ADD! This book answered so many questions that I had regarding my 13 year old son with ADD. It is very easy to read, and written so that you don't have to read the chapters in consecutive order to get something out of it. This book gave me a clearer understanding of what ADD is, HOW it affects teenagers, and WHAT to do about it to make life easier at home and at school. I highly recommend it for any parent who is struggling with a teenager with ADD.

THIS BOOK IS WOUNDERFUL! A MUST FOR PARENTS RAISING TEENS WITH ADHD AND ADD. TEACHERS OF TEENS SHOULD READ THIS ALSO, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE TOUGH JOB OF RAISING AND TEACHING THESE WOUNDERFUL KIDS. THIS BOOK IS A MUST TO READ!

This book was so helpful to me! My 13-year-old son was just diagnosed with ADD and it was a God send. It has so many great suggestions, stories and advice. I stayed up all night reading it! It was like an autobiogrpahy of my son for the past few years. He was especially relieved to figure out what was wrong and read the other kid's experiences.
It was also helpful for me on how to advise my son's teachers of special care that he needs. The appendix for teachers in the back is an excellent tool to give to teachers so they can develop a good basic understanding of the condition.
The book doesn't have much on the medication Adderal which was what our doctor recommended. The information on accompanying sleep disturbances was excellent - our doctor didn't even know about it.

The author did a brilliant job of drawing the connecting lines between Autism and ADHD.

She deserves a whole bunch of credit.

-oddizm

This book took us out of the dark and into the light and we could finally put into words exactly what our child couldn't. He is now almost 11 and we have struggled like every parent out there that knew their child was more than ADHD. This is my second time around with a boy diagnosed ADHD and I kept trying to tell the doctors that there was more to it than that. Armed with this book and the ideas and references provided, we started showing doctors that these children are different and they do exist and there was ways to help them. Last week he was nominated to advanced placement classes. It took a long time to bring him "out" and with the proper care he is getting now it looks like he will be with us for good.

As a parent whose 8yrs child was diagnosed with alphabet soup ADHD, TS, OCD, ODD, BP, Anxiety, Dyslexia, seizures, ataxia, left hemiparesis, developmental delay, Post tramatic stress disorder from the birth of his sisters or a rough in pre-or inutero environment etc by doctors, neurologists, ot, pt from the time he was 18 months - 8yrs etc
His final dx of PDD-NOS at 8yrs 9 monthsw believe it or not made the most sense out of them all. It explains all of his behaviors at different times of his life. It explains how he is one way one day and another way another day and the range and variety of odd behaviors. Before getting the PDD-NOS dx I started looking towards the possible autistic treatments always reminding myself and others "not that he is autistic" and always found how amazing it was that he seemed to respond to the biomedical treatments of autism. Many parents could not understand why I would be interested in autism treatments when my son was dx with all the other stuff. I just told them that autism community is on to something right now in genetic research in looking at diet, biochemical treatments. It is a neurological disease and it has NOTHING to do with the way parents raise their kids.

This book automatically confirms my beliefs that 1) there is a connection between adhd, bp, autism-not just behavioral but medically and genetically 2)that children are often misdiagnosed as only adhd, or bp and not even look at the autism part(thinking) as what is causing some of the adhd, bp symptoms 3)that a child may look adhd as a preschool, change to ODD, and then when he is older and frustrated and full of anger-become dx with bp when originally he has autism.4)there are a lot variabilities in autism -autistics are not all quiet withdrawn kids who stim all day long with poor speech-many don;t have any speech problem at all and in fact has a high vocab., they can be very social but can be somewhat social awkward or not understand some social situations, some can be very active and not stim at all 5)behavior modifications may not alway work and when it doesn't it means there is something else going on rather than just adhd and odd. Sometimes behavior mod can be more harmful to the self esteem when the child has something more going on than just adhd and odd.
Basically this book provides evidence and concrete visuals and confirms many of my thoughts and theories regarding this subject.
Thank YOu Diane Kennedy!

Somebody at a CHADD meeting suggested that I read this book. I am happy that I did! It is so well written that I couldn't put it down. I read it in one evening. It gives many practical strategies. But the best feature is that it views ADHD as a gift that should "be utilized, not repressed!" I can't recommend this book more highly. Get it. You'll be happy that you did!

Cimera, Robert E. (2002) Making ADHD a Gift: Teaching Superman How to Fly. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Education.

How you teach children about ADHD could set the tone for the rest of their lives. You'll have to paint an honest picture of the condition but also be very positive .... Talk to them about their favorite superhero.... Bring up the fact that each superhero has different abilities.... Then explain that people in real life are a lot like superheroes-everybody has different abilities.... The super abilities of kids with ADHD include having a lot of energy and being able to run around a lot without getting tired. They can also be very creative and intelligent. The purpose of school and IEPs is to get children with ADHD to control and utilize their super abilities for "The Good"... You are teaching Superman how to fly (p. 97).

This is the gift of this book. Robert E. Cimera is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh who was diagnosed with ADHD-C as an adult. He views ADHD as a positive ability. Each chapter begins with a chapter outline; a case study, illustrating elements that will be addressed in the chapter; questions for consideration, for understanding the case study; and a discussion of underlying elements, concerns and strategies. The information is conveyed in a conversational style suitable for the layperson or student educator.

In the first chapter he gives an overview of definitions and diagnoses of the four types of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): ADHD-I (Inattentive), ADHD-HI (Hyperactive-Impulsive), ADHD-C (Combined), ADHD-NOS (Not Otherwise Specified). This information serves as a basis for understanding the case studies and discussions that follow. Each chapter gently carries the reader through a critical thinking process of application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

In the chapters that follow, the author covers the topics of: inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, social skills, educational programs, and strategies for ADHD children, adolescents and adults. Cimera also has the reader consider the possibility of other conditions or situations that could mistakenly be diagnosed as ADHD. The last chapter contains resources for individuals with ADHD and resources for their teachers and parents. It includes booklists, periodicals, videotapes, contact information for organizations and support groups and an annotated list of Internet sites. Most of the materials had imprints from the early nineties and late eighties. Only one of the websites mentioned was not currently accessible. The website annotations were quite pertinent to their content with the exception of the U.S. Department of Education site, which has been drastically revised since the publication of this book. Although there is a very detailed table of contents, there is no index. The addition of an index would have been useful.

Overall, Cimera provides a positive, supportive and informative voice on the subject of ADHD. I found the examples of students and their goals (pp.130-131) especially illuminating in exploding my own preconceived attitudes toward ADHD. Special education students, classroom teachers, parents and adult individuals with ADHD could find valuable information and insights in this book. It provides an accessible introduction to the condition and provides the reader with the educational, environmental and behavioral accommodations and strategies that can help ADHD students, their parents, teachers and classmates create supportive scaffolding for success...

Positive and informative. I big help for teachers or parents of children with ADD. Loads of strategies and resources.

This book talks to teachers. As a special educator with ADHD children of my own, Chris Dendy zeros in on understanding this neuro-biological difference. She writes in a clear and concise manner. This book is loaded with hands-on materials, excellent up-to-date information, and strategies to teach the compensatory skills to these students. Buy this book for your child's teacher and send one to the director of special services,too.

I'm 59 years old and have recently been diagnosed with ADD. I'm going back to college and requesting Section 504 accommodations. This book is so helpful. It has so much information and just plain great advice. Any one who has ADD and wants to know more about how they learn and what can help them learn more easily will benefit from this book.

The author arranges content in a fashion that makes it quick/easy to find what you are looking for. Often we who deal with ADD teens are looking for material because the latest crisis has us pulling out our hair. This book is arranged so you can quickly find your dilemma addressed clearly. The book is reassuring to parents and teachers as one immediately recognized one's child described in detail. We are not the only one and it will be ok!! High school is NOT the way the rest of the work world operates, they WILL find their niche in life. The best part is the strategy page that accompanies each area of difficulty i.e., strategies for dealing with forgetfulness, for their total lack of time sense (tardy, poor long term planning, etc). The second best part is the section on neurotransmitters, MRI scan results and genes linked to ADD. In other words, ADD is real and our children are not lazy or character flawed. They are trying to cope as best they can but have one hand tied behind their back. The book helps us help them, and teach them to help themselves.

This book is an outstanding example of an individual's true courage to tackle challenges that most of us cannot imagine. Mr. Schmelzkopf's wonderful sense of humor invites the reader to learn about brain damage and how it effects all areas of an individual's life, as well as their family's lives. His descriptive approach about his cognitive deficits allows the reader to envision a patient's perception of his own environment. Mr. Schmelzkopf's comical, honest, informative style catagorizes his story as a must to read and a difficult to put down book!

Dick Schmeltzof's very personal book, Brain Damage, is both heartwarming and informative. He treats a very serious subject with humor, wit and compassion. It is difficult to imagine the drastic changes that have occurred in Dick's life since the emergency surgery to remove a tumor on his pituitary gland. But through his carefully constructed narrative, we can "feel" his frustrations and also revel in the incremental -- yet moving forward -- progress that he makes. His is a story of great courage, hope and love; a lesson for Humanity. Thanks to Dick for sharing this moving and insightful story of life after brain surgery. Readers will laugh. They will weep. And finally, they will applaud this incredible human being. Dick demonstrates a real gift for storytelling through this book. Let's hope he delights us with "Brain Damage II".

What can I say....I laughed, I cried (rest in peace, Shardak), and then I laughed again (out loud, alone in the room, 1 AM). I saw myself and wondered why anyone who has ever lost their car keys is not in the same program right along with the "Rehabbers". Dick shares some very personal moments with his readers (some of these things it would never occur to me to share with some of my closest friends). He really grabs you and makes you think.....and laugh....and cry.... I felt like I was sitting and sharing secrets with my best friend. Truly inspirational, in many ways!! Thanks for sharing yourself with the world!!

The authors of this incredible book put into words what I've wanted to say for years, but still struggle to make someone understand. Girls with ADD, especially those who are succeeding academically, will rarely be diagnosed unless parents, educators and child care providers educate themselves. This book should be required reading for every educator in our country.

This is one of the best books I have ever read on AD/HD! I think every teacher in every level of school elementary through high school should read this book. It truly describes what is like to live with the AD/HD girl. Which looks and feels totally different the a boy with AD/HD!

It is the only book I have found that deals with the issue from just the female point of view. So much is written about boys this is an excellent source for parents and teachers of girls.

This is a GREAT book to read if you suspect a daughter has ad/hd, or if you have ad/hd yourself and would like to make sense of your entire childhood/adolescence etc.!! Book is broken down into age groups - preschool, elementary, etc. Fabulous! I only wish it had a "Gifted with ADHD" section!

My only complaint is a LOT of typos! Very distracting for someone with add to read!!

reviews were excellent, so I bought the book. During the first 50 pages I almost regretted it. It reads like an extended advertisement for Dr. Weathers' practice in Spokane, WA. Most off-putting is his term "CAER" for the machine in which he performs most of his therapy. It took until page 221 to find out what a CAER machine really did, and I was SO relieved. It is a mostly automated way to do EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization/ Reprogramming, a fifteen-year old method of reducing affect about specific events. EMDR is a proven methodology. Anybody can do it given a little training, although you may not know this from reading the book. Most important, the book has tremendous scope, dealing with the complex causes and possible cures of ADHD in an understandable and comprehensive way. By the way, the patents on his CAER machine are 5,219,322 and 5,725,472 which are good reading if you are a geek.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to help their ADHD child. In July 2001, our pediatrician suggested putting our 6 year old son on stimulants. Unable to bear with that decision, I researched endlessly for another solution before stumbling upon Dr. Weather's website. With nothing to lose, as we had tried everything, we decided to give our situation one last shot, before thinking of succumbing to medication.

Prior to treatment, we read Dr. Weather's book; it was completely intriguing, offering a whole new perspective on not only ADHD thinking, but also on the mechanisms of human thinking and why we act the way we do. What an eye opener it was to us! We found his thoughts refreshing; no other information had ever made so much sense and was so interesting and easy to read. We learned that our son's 'condition' was not a neurological problem, but that it was entirely a learned response to a family dynamics problem. This book gave us a glimmer of hope that we thought was impossible.

As it turned out, we went to Spokane and met Dr. Weathers. He was caring, genuine, witty, amazingly perceptive and intelligent. He often took words out of our heads even before we knew how to speak them. He is as brilliant as you would imagine the author of this book to be.

Our son is now a model child in his class...far from his former days of disrespecting his peers (hitting, kicking, pushing, yelling, spitting), refusing to cooperate with authority and activities... just 6 months ago. He now has high self-esteem. Children want to play with him at school and at home. His new teacher remarks what a compassionate boy he is, always helping others with schoolwork or when someone gets hurt on the playground, etc. He is in an accelerated reading program with one other child in his class, and is demonstrating exemplary behavior in and out of the classroom. We could have never imagined it. He is a much healthier, happier child.

The book also taps in to other areas that Dr. Weathers addresses: asthma, allergies, stomach/intestinal problems, depression...many conditions that are affected by our emotins. My son's 6 year long asthma condition is near non-existent. We noticed his rapid improvement when we emotionally responded to it differently. Incredible! His pediatrician is speechless.

Dr. Weather's CAER machine, as described in the book, takes so much credit for our success as well. It's amazing! It is based on Francine Shapiro's EMDR(eye movement desensitization-reprocessing). With its help, you are able to 'wash away' strong negative past emotions. Once this has occurred, you then can move forward, changing current dysfuntional behaviors.

I can't speak highly enough of Dr. Weathers, his book and his CAER therapy. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book and visit Dr. Weathers, as I am confident that he can turn your life around as he did ours. We will be forever grateful to him. Thank-you Dr. Weathers!!!!!

When it comes to understanding what motivates children toward positive and negative behavior Dr. Weathers is truly a genius! Prior to reading "ADHD:A Path to Success" I have read many books on ADHD, and I was not comfortable with their theoretical basis because the theories did not fit the behavioral patterns I noticed in my son. When I started reading "ADHD:A Path to Success" I immediately knew I was reading something very special. Dr. Weathers very clearly elucidates the causes for ADHD, and to my surprise, his theories fit all of the behavioral patterns I have noticed with my son. After reading the book, I immediately contacted Dr. Weathers for CAER therapy. The results were outstanding, and my son is currently excelling in school without any medication. I highly recommend this book and CAER therapy to all parents that have children diagnosed with ADHD. The answers to ADHD lie within this book.

This 'manual' presents a technical and philosophical overview of the complex array of variables that factor into effective teaching of the ADHD child. The author has compassion as well as insight into the children, who often face rejection and failure. The co-occuring low self esteem can carry over a lifetime. A variety of methodologies specific to learning domains are very helpful for diagnostic purposes and lesson planning. As a principal and mental health administrator, I have this book well-placed on my shelf. I refer to it often and occasionally lend it to my staff who are searching for help with a specific child.

Glancing back at the chapters as I prepared this review, I was actually astounded at the sophisticated details embedded there. In particular I think the information that supports the "multi-sensory" approach is greatly needed. The amount of times we write "multi-sensory" activities just because it fits in an IEP is amazing. My own experience with teachers is that they basically have a very limited understanding of the neurological underpinings of sensory and perceptual limitations.

My only reservation about the book is that despite its layout, it actually is fairly theoretical. I think that when a teacher reaches for it, he or she may be looking for some more 'lesson planning' ideas and tend to gloss over the more comprehensive information. I definitely recommend the book for special education teachers who are genuinely interested in a more in-depth review, as well as for purposes of diagnostic and prescriptive planning. I also recommend it for administrators who are involved in staff development or individual supervision.
The only other concern I have is that despite the amount of information about the medication questions, it does not include enough about the tomes of research that is available to support augmenting behavioral programs with psychopharmacology. A teacher should check with his or her supervisor to gain access to this data so that they can respond to questions on this highly charged subject with sophisticated and thus helpful answers.

I have used this book extensively in my roles as a parent of an ADHD child, educator and now as a clinical psychology doctoral student. It is an absolutely phenomenal resource! It offers not only diagnostic assistance and strategies but much needed hope for parents in distress. I give this book to families with children who have been newly diagnosed with ADHD, teachers I consult with and my professional peers.

As the wife of a husband with ADHD and mother of a son with ADHD, I have struggled for years like many other reviewers to do what is right for "my boys". Sandra Reif offers some very encouraging and helpful strategies in this books. I think the key point that all books on ADHD need to make is that each person with ADHD is an individual with unique talents and gifts, and we need to view these in a positive light. Anyone who has struggled with this needs to read a book called GIFTED by Kirk Martin. It's actually a novel about a young man with ADD who comes to understand that the "disorder" parents and teachers had considered negative all his life actually turns out to be a gift. I think you can read a summary at kirkmartinbooks.com, it presents an entirely new way to view the ones you love.

After 4 years of reading depressing books about what to expect from my ADHD child, finally I feel like someone has given me the key to unlocking his wonderful potential. As a homeschooling parent this book is a special blessing! The first day I read it I tried writing out the word collaborate and followed the instructions to have him visualize it. (This is a 9 year old child who is a full grade level behind in spelling) He not only spelled it, he immediately spelled it backwards without missing a letter. I cried! This book will be an immense help in choosing curriculum for him, and I would highly recommend it as a must to parents of ADD/ADHD labeled children.

Jeffrey Freed's book was so good that I had to contact the author and thank him. His book helped me to understand how gifted some of our so-called "Learning Disabled" children really are.

The part that really got my attention was his assertion that "Right-Brained people, almost without exception, make the best speed readers (see p. 119)." You see, I am a speed reading teacher.

After reading his book, I took special effort to note how Right-Brain dominant children did in my speed reading classes (this was fairly easy, since he has questionaires on pages 48 to 50 that help identify Right-Brain dominance). The differences between the Right-Brained and Left-Brained children in my classes was amazing. Based on my experience, Mr. Freed is right on target. Right-Brained people really do make the best speed readers. Jeffrey Freed's discovery was so important that when I updated my own book (Speed Reading 4 Kids) in 2000, I needed to add a new chapter explaining these differences.

I often recommend this book to parents of ADD, ADHD and Dyslexic children so they can understand their children's different learning needs.

I get so tired of hearing that children simply have ADD/ADHD. But why is their attention so distracted? Is medication the answer for every child? Children and their parents have an outlet to better understanding their childs learning differences (vs. disorder). This book is an easy reader, with explanations and choices. It shows helpful avenues to help solve learning differences and are even broken down by subject. Everyday we progress into a right brained learning system with the progression of video games, computers, cable, and many other visual stimulations. However, the teaching techniques have not been updated with this progression. This book gives new insight as to why your child may be struggling, and helps you to help him/her succeed their challenges.

To say Howard Glasser and his incredibly insightful book have put peace in my life would not be profound enough. I read Transforming the Difficult Child the Nurtured Heart Approach and immediately followed it up with his workshop that I flew across country for. What a true blessing this approach has been. Our difficult child is a joy and is taking such pride in her school work these days. Her teacher not only noticed the change but after I gave her one of Howard's books as a gift she has now implemented it in classroom. Following the workshop I completed a survey with the comments, "When are you coming to Dallas? This information will change the world." Well, here I am planning the Dallas workshop in May. It is that profound! This "nurtured heart approach" works with ALL children and even your spouse. It is so simple, so nurturing, so refreshing and builds self confidence in the parent and their abilities as well as the children. This is an investment that you will never regret, never out-grow, and will pass on for generations. Enjoy!

The first thing I love about this book is that I don't feel blamed. It really confirmed to me that all this time I was simply doing the best I could with the ways I new...which is absolutely true...and that there was a reason why all those normal methods didn't work. And better yet there is a way that works. The approach makes total sense. It's so easy and so powerful. This should be required reading for all new parents. Well, so much for my child's ADHD...It's disappeared and been replaced by this loving and cooperative child. They should make it required reading for all the doctors who prescribe medications ten minutes after meeting a child (like they did with mine) so that they can have another way to truly help children.

MY TWO BOYS ARE NOT ADD NOR ADHD, BUT ARE STRONG WILLED AND THIS BOOK WAS VERY HELPFUL IN GIVING IDEAS TO BETTER HANDLE THEM AND THEIR "GROWING PAINS" HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!