The Bottom Line
By Cathy Laver-Bradbury, Margaret Thompson, Anne Weeks, David Daley and Edmund J.S. Sonuga-Barke; 154 pages. Subtitle: A Self-Help Manual for Parents
Even good parents run out of ideas sometimes, and need a fresh approach to dealing with challenging behavior. This parent-friendly and encouraging manual gives you a step-by-step look at new strategies to try and new skills to build. It's the kind of thing that will make both you and your child feel more competent and successful.
Pros
- Parent-friendly tone is encouraging and empowering
- Frequently lists strategies and skills for easy reference
- Diary of good and bad days lets you keep track of what works and what doesn't
- Charts help with behavior analysis and management
- Good, practical, easy-to-try advice, just what harried parents need
Cons
- Nothing groundbreaking or new, just an assemblage of the tried and true
- Would be nice if it was a larger spiral-bound format, for ease of copying those diary pages
- Not much on the list of resources for further information
Description
- Part 1: What Is ADHD and What Can We Do About It?
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Parenting a Child With ADHD
- Chapter 3: An Overview of the Programme
- Part II: The Six-Step Parenting Programme
- Step 1: How Does ADHD Appear in Your Child?
Step 2: Strategies to Help Children With ADHD - Step 3: Helping Your Child's Attention Through Play
- Step 4: Improving Your Child's Communication
- Step 5: Managing Your ADHD Child Outside of the House
Step 6: Times Ahead - Resources
Further Information About ADHD
Guide Review - Book Review: Step by Step Help for Children With ADHD
"Parents do their best and what your are doing is probably already pretty good, but it may need some fine tuning to make it work for your child with ADHD. What seem to be little changes can make an enormous difference."
Right there, about halfway through the second chapter, is when I fell in love with this book. I've read so many parenting how-to manuals that make it clear, either subtly or right in your face, that Parent, you're doing it all wrong! It's lovely to find a book that says, Hey, you're not doing so bad! Let's just tweak that a little.
There's nothing really revolutionary in this step-by-step guide to parenting kids with ADHD, nothing I haven't read before in other books and tried myself here and there, but having everything all together in such a nicely organized, parent-friendly, and positive package is a real plus. There are also some nice add-ons, like a diary you can fill out on good or difficult days to keep track of strategy success, charts to keep track of behaviors, and lists of skills and tasks.
If you're at one of those "what am I going to do with this kid" stages, let this book lead you through some more steps to try and skills to build. In addition to making you feel like a better parent, these techniques will help your child gain more control over her behavior and more confidence in his self-worth.
