By George T. Lynn with Joanne Barrie Lynn; 269 pages. From the book cover: "An inspiring guide to nurturing the remarkable abilities of 'attention different' (AD) children diagnosed with conditions such as autism, Asperger syndrome, AD/HD, bipolar disorder, or Tourette syndrome."
If your child exhibits odd, frightening, disturbing behavior, casting it as the dark side of genius is certainly more appealing than seeing nothing but damage and doom. The authors, parents of a son with Tourette's, share the strategies and concepts that have worked for them, although "success" is a slippery concept.
- Looks at the blessings as well as the curses of neurological differences
- Offers both a professional's and a parent's point of view
- Gives seven criteria for parents to follow in nurturing their child
- Includes the need for parents to care for themselves, too
- Deals with adolescence and transitions into adulthood
- Most appropriate for children with severely disturbed and frightening behavior
- Style of writing may be off-putting to some parents
- May make you feel bad if your child doesn't fit the "genius" mold
- Chapter 1: First criterion: caregivers recognize the AD child's genius
- Chapter 2: Second criterion: caregivers are attuned to the AD child
- Chapter 3: Third criterion: caregivers help the child discover a Great Story that moves him forward
- Chapter 4: Fourth criterion: caregivers build the AD child's participation in a community
- Chapter 5: Fifth criterion: caregivers address physical factors and medication
- Chapter 6: Sixth criterion: caregivers help the AD child re-member himself
Chapter 7: Self-care rule #1: live on purpose! - Chapter 8: Self-care rule #2: live free!
Chapter 9: Self-care rule number three: cultivate love in your life! - Chapter 10: The peril of neglecting to nourish the genius of the AD child
- Chapter 11: How learning differences frustrate the expression of positive genius
- Conclusion: Following the AD child's genius to the domain of the soul
In all my years of participating on e-mail support lists for parents of children with special needs, I've often been struck by the gold standard that being "bright" represents to so many moms and dads. Almost invariably, pleas for help from parents on the edge begin with "He's very bright, but ..." What comes after the "but" is often horrific, and yet there seems to be a sentiment of, "Well, he steals and fights and sets the cat on fire, but at least he's not stupid."
Something like that same sentiment fills this book, and while the authors are careful to say that by "genius," they don't necessarily mean intellectual excellence, the examples given tend to fall heavily into the categories of inventive or creative brilliance. The book stresses the importance of giving AD ("Attention Different") children a "Great Story" which casts their struggles in a positive and forward-moving way, but what strikes me even more is the degree to which parents need that story, too, to be able to survive the extreme sacrifice and disruptiveness that devoting oneself to such a child entails. Easier to live with a monster, maybe, if you can imagine him a Mozart.
The AD designation here encompasses autism, Asperger syndrome, ADHD, bipolar disorder and Tourette syndrome. If your child with those diagnoses exhibits extreme and hard-to-manage behavior, to the point of violence, this book might give you a useful way to see your way through to an acceptable degree of health for your child and yourself. If your child does not fit so snugly into the "very bright, but ..." category, you may find other books more practical and useful on a day-to-day basis. And if you can't read phrases like "high-level wellness" and "identify the daemon in your AD child" without rolling your eyes, you'll find this book very slow-going indeed.
