Recommended Reading - Excellent Books on Parenting

Written by Elaine M. Gibson

Page 3 of 4

Eagle Eyes... A Childs Guide to Paying Attention by Jeanne Gehret, M.A. Try Eagle Eyes, by Jeanne Gehret, about an ADHD boy who helps rescue his dad because he pays so much attention to what is going on around him he is the one who knows where to go get help. Also: The Don't Give Up Kid, same author, is about a child with reading or learning problems. Both have boys around 8 or so for the main character. I'm Somebody Too is about the older sister of the main character in Eagle Eyes, by the same author. I gave it to my daughter and she read it straight through in a sitting. For the good reader, about 10 or older.
advertisement
Nobody's Fault by Carol Kopelwitz, MD (sp?) I saw the author on a morning news show. He sounded good so I think his book would be good, although I have not read it yet. He talked about our kids having a no fault brain disorder whether it is LS, ADHD, ADD, OC, etc.
Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention. Dixon, E. and Nadeau, K. Chesapeake Psychological Services, 1991.
Hyperactivity: Why Won't My Child Pay Attention? by Drs. Sam Goldstein and Michael Goldstein. Has chapter devoted to social skills. It has steps on helping your child make and keep friends, understanding, defining, and helping your child with social skills weaknesses, a social skills questionnaire and offers skills on listening to others, meeting new people, starting a conversation, ending a conversation, self-reward, asking, following instructions, sharing, understanding body language, playing a game, suggesting an activity, working cooperatively, offering help, saying thank you, offering a compliment, accepting a compliment, apologizing, understanding how his behavior affects others, and empathy.
It's Just Attention Disorder. Goldstein, Sam & Goldstein, Michael. (Video Tape for Children) Neurology, Learning and behavior Center, 670 East 3900 South, Suite 100, Salt Lake City. Utah 84107There is an excellent video out called "Why Won't My Child Pay Attention?" featuring child psychologist, Sam Goldstein.
Survival Guide for College Students With ADD or LD by Kathleen G. Nadeau. ( Magination Press, 9/94 paperback, 9.95 ISBN 0945354630) Good suggestions as to what to look for in a college, along with a lot of suggested approaches, how to advocate for themselves, time management skills, etc. It's a small book, so not terribly intimidating, but is packed with a lot of good advice.
When you worry about the child you love: emotional and learning problems in children. by Edward Hallowell, M.D., new book out: Simon & Schuster, June, 1996, 0-684-80090-X, $23.
Keeping a Head in School by Dr. Mel Levine. It isn't strictly about ADHD but rather learning disorders, but it also talks about ADHD, how the brain works, or doesn't work, and specific ways to learn to deal with the difficulties. It's written for teens/preteens and I've found it very helpful with Eric (when I could get him to read it!). I've also learned a lot from it, and it was also very helpful when I started suspecting other learning difficulties not necessarily related to ADHD. The approach in this book, of course from the title, is related mostly to dealing with it in relation to school, but I think the explanations of how the brain works can relate to better understanding ADHD in general.
Teenagers with ADD: A Parent's Guide by by Chris Zeigler Dendy, MS. A great book "wrongly" titled it should really be AN EVERYONE'S' GUIDE TO ADD HUMANS. I don't know why they named it Teenagers. It is just a great book for everything and reads easily. My guess is that the publisher never read it and wanted an exciting title for selling reasons. This book takes into account all ages but rests with teenagers. It has tests, examples, stories, letters, laws and SAMPLE IEPs too. Nice large print and plenty of note taking space in the margins. I suggest we include this book on our list of "must read" info. I sure wish I had had this 17 years ago! Very comprehensive and they even walk parents through the WAIS, IQs, personality, and academic tests so we can understand. Very Good. Woodbine House 6510 Bells Mill Rd. Bethesda Md 20817 800-843-7323 $18.95 paperback
The Survival Guide for Kids with LD by Gary Fisher and Rhoda Cummings, Free Spirit Publishing Co. Book addresses how kids with Learning Disabilities cope with the stuff they have to at school. Although it is written for LD kids the information is useful for any kid that is considered different. Your local library should have it. Contains very useful hints.
Otto Learns about His Medicine by Matthew Galvin.
A little hoaky, but it helps get the point across in a decent way.
Dancing in the Rain A book of stories of exceptional progress, written by parents of children with a wide variety of early problems. There are several case studies of kids diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Please note that this book is about non-drug therapies, but is not against medication. It would be especially useful for teachers, clinical people, and parents of children with mixed diagnoses or "mystery" symptoms and behaviors. The book is available from the Georgiana Organization, P.O. Box 2607, Westport, CT 06880......(203) 454-1221. It's $20, which includes shipping, which is rather costly for a paperback. The reason for this is that they use it as a fundraiser.