ADHD Books

Informative text on Celiac Disease. Gives the whole scoop plus help in deciding what you can and cannot eat. Guides you thru what you can eat as well as where to get the products. Lots of references given. Medical contact references to get you started.

This is the third celiac book I have read since diagnosis and the best one so far. The authors do an excellent job of explaining what celiac is who gets it, and why it is difficult to get diagnosed. The information is presented clearly, in well-defined categories, and without resorting to jargon.

Symptoms are described in great detail, with other possible diagnoses given for each. Unlike other books which essentially tried to pin every symptom known to man to gluten, this book offers much more balanced information.

for those already diagnosed, there is much helpful information, including not only foods to avoid but much dispelling of myth about foods which are safe to eat despite common assumptions. The authors also discuss 'survival' strategies for coping with dietary limitations, what to do with celiac children, even the current state of celiac research.

This book is an excellent resource and I ezxpect I will return to it many times.

This book contains all you need to know about celiac disease. Dr. Peter Green's book is a great resource for those who want to learn more about the disease's symptoms, testing, diagnosis, and disease management. It also describes other diseases associated with CD. Although written by a doctor, the book is written in layman's terms. If you suspect you have celiac disease or are gluten intolerant, this is a valuable read.

This book is excellent if you want to understand your condition although I would prefer if it went into some more detail... it generallly touches upon all the key subjects a coeliac might want to address but again you might end up wanting to hear more.

I have tremendous respect for Peter Green, perhaps one day we could see an expanded version of this book.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease in the fall of 2007, and I immediately went to the library to check out the most recent book on celiac disease. This was it, and it was so excellent I decided to buy a copy to have as a constant reference. This book has the latest information on celiac disease. Dr. Peter Green is the head of the celiac disease center at Columbia University; therefore, he is an authority on the subject. The co-author, Rory Jones, has celiac disease herself. The book was written with understanding and compassion, and the disease and potential complications are explained in a clear, easy to understand manner. If you have struggled with gastro-intestinal problems for years, and the doctors can't figure out what's wrong with you, you should read this book.

This book is extremely helpful for children with ADHD. It gives practical and fast working advice that is right on the money. It is a great place to start when looking for an alternative to drug therapy. I highly recommend this be the first book you read when you are learning about ADHD - it may be the only one you need. Thank you to Dr. Bob for all your research and clinical expertise that went into writing this book and for all the children you have saved!

When I first saw this book I thought... "18 days? Yeah, right." But I thought I didn't have anything to lose but a few dollars so I got it. We had tried all kinds of diets, vitamins, meds. Things would get better but not be entirely "back to normal".

I read through Dr. Bob's book, took notes, implemented some of the thoughts... I read the entry of one of the readers below that talked about the parasites and wondered if perhaps that was it for us too.

We had an appointment and saw a doctor. Parasites it was. Five days on a course of black walnut tincture and my daughter was a new child. She lost her diagnosis of ADHD the next doctor appointment we had. The teachers could not believe the difference. We are still in awe.

Thank you Dr. Bob. Without you and your book, my daughter would still be on Concerta. And the health of our family would never have been improved from your other recommendations.

For this and so much more, Dr. Bob:
THANK YOU !!!

PS We also HIGHLY recommend the daily devotional Dr. Bob has written. I don't have a friend who hasn't bought it after hearing some of the topics discussed in it - turning grey hair back, the hazards of peanut butter, better sleep, back pain solutions, bringing liver enzymes back to normal, migraines, and the list goes on and on with advice we had never ever heard before and my friends and I read A LOT of health books !!!

Dr. Bob in his book is another one of those writers about ADHD who believes (sincerely) that supplements, food, good parenting, and so on is the correct answer for treatment of all types of ADHD/ADD. While certainly, the above would help almost any type of disorder, he never bothers to mention at ANY time when his idea did not work, (ie the vitamins failed to solve the child's problems)--so am I believe it is 100% successful?!! Amazing. My question for Dr. Bob is if pharmaceuticals do not work, then why can I name so many success stories from people who DO USE them. Oh, by the way, they do not work all the time. He is a convincing, good writer, he is just totally wrong. Also, he forgets that we now are seeing adults in their 40s still having the symptoms of ADD, who by the way had them first diagnosed in the 1-3rd grades. I would recommend his book, because it is well written and organized. And, all children do NOT need to take medications to modify their behavior. I do think our society at time has gone overboard with that notion. But his book is not the cure all with his omega oils and patented products he so often wants you to use. He has some very good ideas, and I took this into account. He says sugar impairs you immune system, which is abosolutely false, and has some other non sense he tries to pass on with questionable science to back it up. To me it appears as another one of those who believes you should avoid ALL medications at ALL costs no matter what. Also, how many cases a day does he "treat" for ADHD, and how does he deal with adults who have had it for so long. Does he, while flexing soft tissue as a chiropractor, take time out to express his feeling while giving a massage? ADHD/ADD is a long complex condition-- that foods and vitamins cannot "fix" so easily as this half life of 18 days he speaks about. It often involves moral and personal issues at home, that by avoiding sugar is just not going to cover. guyairey

My 5 year old son was recently diagnosed with ADHD. So, when I first saw the title of this book I thought it was a joke and I was hestitant about ordering it. But to my surprise it is a great book! The book does a great job of explaining (in plain english) what ADHD is, how to begin to heal the body and how important a sugar/ dairy/ gluten free diet is.
Upon his suggestion, I immediately, but graduately, changed my son's diet and found an hollistic doctor which we are currently working with. I have seen a change in his hyperactivity since removing the sugar and the fast food and he is even doing much better in school.
This book is an easy read, I read it in four days! I recommend this book to all parents!

My 3 year old son had been out of control for a long time. He had many symptoms of ODD. He had a short fuse and got angry easily. He always whined and wouldn't sleep through the night. Both my husband and I were at a breaking point, but knew we did NOT want to go the medication route. I always thought our family ate pretty healthy; we would limited our kids sugar/snack intake and we weren't a milk drinking family so I didn't think that my son's 'attitude' symptoms were food/mineral deficiant related. Boy, were we wrong!
While reading Dr. Bob's book I compared my son's 'symptoms' to those in the book. Dr. Bob's book has been a lifesaver! We noticed a difference in only 5 days!
We started w/ the nigtly salmon oil, added flax, changed to soy and rice milk and we are beginning to add vitamins and whole food minerals. We even started the program for all 3 my children.
This book has added a bright future for our children and has given my husband and I the peace in knowing we are actually getting to the root of the problam instead of just medicating the problem. Thanks Dr. Bob.

I have two children who have been 'diagnosed' with ADHD. The school also suspected that my son has Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of autism. I was desperate to avoid drugging my kids. Dr. Bock explained, in words that a parent could understand, what could be the cause and how I could help. I tried taking my kids off of milk products (not even a casein free diet)and what a difference! My son stayed focused enough to help clean out a garage for THREE hours without any prompting from either of us. My daughter didn't show as dramatic a change, although I can say that her flare-ups of temper and stubborness have decreased. I am sold. His book gives real case studies of children he's helped (and even if he exaggerated or outright lied, it did work for my son), resources for parents looking into helping their children, and other important information. This book sits on my desk, next to the dictionary and the PDR for meds. I would recommend this book WITHOUT hestitation to any parent who needed more information on allergies, asthma, ADHD, and autism. Caution: he doesn't promise a cure, and in fact, clearly states that even with diet modifications, de-toxifying the body and nutritional supplements, some children still require medications. But, if my choices are a casein-free diet and an ADHD med versus anti-anxiety/psychotic meds & ADHD meds, well, that's a no-brainer.

I highly recommend this book for parents of autistic children looking for treatment options. It is very well written and well organized.

I have purchased a copy of the book "Healing the New Childhool Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies", for each of our four adult children and their families...We have grandchildren with all of the above issues, and find this book to be extremely comprehensive, common sense, and helpful. I highly recommend it.

I saw Dr. Bock speak at the 2008 Autism One conference in Chicago, and literally ran to the book store to get the book. I ended up having to order it online, and it was so worth the wait. This book will make you laugh, and it will make you cry, and more importantly, it will provide hope and tools to parents and health care providers who want to fight the new childhood epidemics. Amazingly well written. Thank you so much Dr. Bock - a true inspiration!

Dr. Bock presents a very interesting theory regarding why we see so much autism, ADHD, and allergies these days. The information presented is vastly different than that presented in my training and my interest in this area has been perked. I plan to set forth to master this knowledge base and see what I think as time passes. In the meantime, I will recommend this book to all my parents. Interestingly enough, I had a parent group of children with dual exceptionalities. This group is now together getting tested and carrying out the recommended steps in the book. Several parents are very impressed with the changes in their children. This is quite promising. I hope others in my field read this book as well. We can then have a healthy and enlightening discussion.

Steven Curtis, Ph.D.
Child Clinical Psychologist
Author, Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges

Finally, someone attempts to describe what's going on in the brain that creates mental/emotional difficulties, and then describes how movement can help remedy these problems. I come from a family of depressive, overanxious, Alzheimer's-prone people with ischemic disease. The first message I picked up is, "It's not your fault. It's the way your brain works (or doesn't work) that causes the depression and anxiety." The second message I got was that it's never too late to start exercising to alleviate or delay these issues. I read the book in a day, started walking the next morning and have followed through every morning since. I have to say, I feel sharper, my blood pressure has gone down and I've even dropped a little weight.

This is a brief for exercise as an element of brain fitness. The author is a Harvard Medical School Professor. There is a lot of science here --any more and I would have been lost. The idea is simply this --we are designed to be moving animals. Our brains are controlled by chemicals which must be kept in balance and cells which must be replensished and grow. Vigorous, regular exercise, like a pill we take every morning but wihtout the side effects, helps manage all of this complexity. We don't know exactly how this works but it works and is a prescription to ward off stress, depression, anxiety, dementia and other like afflictions which all have biochemical roots. In the same way that exercise benefits the heart, Dr. Raney persuasively argues it benefits the organ of the brain. My advice--read the book, go out and get a heart monitor and make vigorous exercise a standard part of your day and life.

I knew next to nothing about the brain's physiology and less about the physiology's relationship to the rest of the body. While I remain no expert in the realm of neuroscience, I found `Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain' a captivating read. For the novice - meaning me - I learned something about the value of exercise in maintaining, on occasion improving, the health of the brain. Ratey approaches, and grows, his analysis by topic (learning, stress, anxiety, ... , aging). It all made sense. As a migraine sufferer I'd liked to have seen something on migraines and exercise. I guess it's up to me to put on my running shoes and see what happens!

With Eric Hagerman, John Ratey has written a book in which he explains -- in layman's terms (to the extent that is possible) -- how physical exercise can "supercharge [provide a `spark' to] mental circuits to avoid or overcome stress, sharpen thinking, lift mood, increase memory...and much more." Obviously, these are all highly desirable results to achieve. Alas, many children as well as adults are out of (physical) shape, do not eat properly, and continue under severe stress to meet their obligations. The implications of what Ratey explains and recommends should be of special interest to young adults, their parents, school administrators, teachers, and coaches as well as to business executives who are responsible for the performance of those whom they supervise.

Here are some of the questions to which he responds:

What are some of the most common misconceptions about "the brain-body connection"?

What in fact is true?

How can aerobic exercise physically remodel our brains for peak performance?

Why is physical exercise the best defense against addiction, aggression, ADD, menopause, and even Alzheimer's?

What are the most significant revelations of a fitness program sponsored by the Naperville (IL) public school district in which more than 19,000 children participated?

Why should such a program (with necessary modifications) be made available to other school children?

In the absence of such a program, what can parents do to increase their children's physical exercise? What sacrifices (if any) must be made to accomplish that?

At a minimum, how frequently should we exercise...and for how long?

What are the benefits to be gained even from minimal exercise?

All of Ratey's observations and recommendations are research-driven, supplemented by his own personal experiences. He seems to be on a mission (one that is commendable) to do everything he possibly can to broaden and deepen public awareness of the consequences of obesity, lethargy, and indolence but also, more to the point, to provide reassurance that even a modest increase in physical exercise can have substantial benefits, not only in terms of improved health but also increased achievement and consequent pride in the classroom as well as in the workplace...indeed in every realm of human life.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Ratey's A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain and John Medina's Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD). It is worth noting that everything that Ratey recommends is consistent with the various "rules" that Medina identifies and discusses, notably #1 ("Exercise boosts brain power"), #7 ("Sleep well, think well"), #8 ("Stressed brains don't learn the same way"), #9 ("Stimulate more of the senses"), and #12 ("We are all natural explorers"). How simple it seems: Eat right and get lots of exercise and sufficient rest. If you do, you will reduce stress and nourish your curiosity. To many of us, the obvious is often invisible until we are enlightened by others such as John Ratey and John Medina.

The first chapter was exciting but it was downhill from there. I agree with the reviewer who said it would make a good magazine article. Exercise is good for the brain - said over and over - became less and less interesting as the book went on.

I loved this book! The stories were wonderful. It takes bravery to be so open and honest. Every story had something I could relate to as a parent and as a parent of special needs children. It was wonderful!

If you are looking for an honest book and not a sugar coated foo foo book, this is for you! The title says it all - The extraordinary HIGHS and heartbreaking LOWS...it's all covered. I have read this book, highlighted, circled, folded pages and bookmarked sentimental excerpts. I keep it handy for the rough days and lend it out to other parents who need a little reassurance that they are not alone. No matter what hand you've been dealt, there is something written in this book by someone like you. You will smile as recognize the rewards other parents have experienced and cry because you have been there. This is my personal bible, exactly what I need to pick me up on the hard days and remind me how blessed I am on the good days.

As a parent who contributed a personal story to this book, I was so delighted to read what all the other parents who contributed had to say. I could find a piece of myself or my child in every story. I agree that this should be required reading for all educational professionals before they enter a classroom.

Lorie B.

This book is a must have for any parents with special needs kids. The stories are riveting and triumphant and heartbreaking all at the same time. True to life stories of how parents deal with these kids. You go from one story to the next. I found it impossible to put down and I don't even have children!

Gerard Zemek
husband of author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

As the mother of a special needs, medically fragile child, I appreciate the honest writing of the essays in the book. Most of them are great. However I found a couple offensive--and I'm not easily offended. A couple parents assume that having kids with physical and easily recognizable disabilities is easier than having a child with an "invisible" disability. Even going so far as to say it's easy for schools to accommodate a child in a wheel chair. Anyone whose dealt with the public school system knows that's not true. I know there is a tendency to feel like your child's disability is worse than any other and that the grass is always greener. But we are one big special needs family and perhaps divisive essays should not have been included.

I read the book in one day. It was very engaging and I went through the whole array of emotions as I read it. Reliving alot of similar moments for I am a Mom with twin boys that have been diagnosed with ADHD. I love to read, however the books on ADHD that I have read have been of little value. As Robert shares his story and his perspective it helped me understand my boys even better. The book may not have all the answers, but it did share some of the discoveries that Robert made on his own. In order to find ways to improve their self esteem, it helps to understand how society tears it down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand a person with ADHD traits.

This book was phenomenal!! It is the story of my life and I am glad I am not alone.
I encourage all adults who think or know that they have attention deficit to read this.
The book encouraged me to accept me for who I am and start my own chapter for ADHD in my own city.

The Little Monster: Growing Up With ADHD
The Little Monster by Robert Jergen is a great read! The book takes the reader inside the head of Dr. Jergen, who has ADHD, and lets the reader see and feel what is like to have ADHD. This story will both touch and delight you as you read it. Most importantly though, this book will both teach and give you hope whether you have ADHD or are a parent or teacher for someone who has ADHD. Dr. Jergen gives the reader workable solutions to everyday problems as well as other referral sources for parents and teachers. When Dr. Jergen entered into his doctoral program, he discovered and wrote this, "The question became, not how to "cure" my ADHD, but how to utilize it."

I found this book to be very useful in seeing the world from an ADHD child and adult's perspective. But the author seems to feel that the entire world needs to shift to accommodate what seems natural to him. It seems that everyone must tolerate and indeed celebrate behavior that makes life unpleasant and difficult for the non-ADHD person who has the bad luck to work with an ADHD adult.

I came away from the book feeling sad for ADHD children and their parents and their poor teachers who have delivered into their classrooms the "gift" of an uncontrolled child. And I am profoundly grateful that I don't work with an ADHD adult.

It would have been nice to read more about how the author tries to accommodate others and less about how the world must warp to fit him.

I highly recommend this book to parents, teachers and anyone interested in learning more about ADHD. I am actually currently taking my Masters in Special Education and this book was a wonderful source of information. It is a very powerful book where the author talks about his personal experience growing up with ADHD. All parents of kids with ADHD should read this book because after this experience they will definitely understand better their kids' behavior. I congratulate the author for sharing his personal experience and for showing through his writing how parents and teachers have a crucial role in developing kids' self - esteem

I bought this book because I was hoping that it would provide me with the necessary tools to calm my otherwise disorganized ADD mind. The book description on Amazon seemed to fit my situation perfectly, and I impulsively bought the book here on eBay. I thought that in a worst case scenario, I may pick up a tool or 2 that would help me somehow. My best case scenario of actually being able to USE the information was what I was shooting for.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I received this book and found that it would help me in numerous situations that I struggle with every day. If you have ADD/ADHD, then you would be familiar with the impulsivity, distraction, hyperfocusing, finanacial distasters, clutter in your home, and on and on. I deal with one or more of these situations every single day that rolls over my head. For me, it is very frustrating.

Nancy Ratey has ADD and dyslexia, and she has grown up with it all of her life. She has managed to carve out ways to deal with ADD through being a life coach for adults with ADD. This book is a testament to her abilities as a coach, along with client histories to show how she helped those clients conquer the very ADD symptoms that we all struggle with on a good day.

She developed the A.N.S.W.E.R. strategy that gives the reader a way to analyze what is working for them and what is not. My favorite part of the book is how she consistently teaches her clients and her readers to not look at ADD as a problem child, but rather look at it as a neurological condition that has to be managed. ADD patients are NOT a disease. We are all people, creative people, and we all deal with the same or similar situations in our every day world.

Some of us may have more impulsivity and distraction, while others may hyperfocus on things that can cause discord in both our personal and professional lives. The author shows us how bring balance into our otherwise chaotic worlds with down-to-earth strategies and concepts that are easy to understand.

This book gave me hope that I CAN do what I set out to do. I just have to structure my life and my goals in such a way that the ADD works with me and not against me. I can do that! So can others who have the distinction of having been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.

It does NOT have to be a thorn in your behind, unless you make a conscious choice for it to be there. The author has appendices in the back that list ADD support groups and ADD resources to help all of us change that which drives us nuts without coaching.

I found that I work best with someone to coach me and/or be an accountability partner. Hiring a coach is an expensive venture, and this book shows me how to become my own coach when money is tight, as it is right now.

This is definitely a book that I will refer back to over and over again. I think that if you purchase it, you will use it until the pages are worn out from use.

I do hope that the author will come out with a workbook that will coincide with the content of this book to offer the reader full-size workbook pages to keep up with the information and questions that we need to ask ourselves when we are trying to come up with solutions based on this book.

Controlling my ADD is going to be easier with the help of this book. I think it just might reach out to help quite a few other people too! I think this was one of my better impulsive buys, and it is definitely one that I do not regret making. Get a copy today!

There are plenty of books about ADHD (although not enough for adults) and some are better than others. This is definitely one of the better ones. Nancy has been in the ADHD trenches for a long time and it shows. She understands ADHD through and through. She offers plenty of strategies and helps her readers really understand the many facets of ADHD. Some books are too simplistic or talk about things that are simply not accurate. It's clear that Nancy has a sophisticated understanding of this complex disorder. She goes beyond the obvious advice that just doesn't work (if it did, you wouldn't need to read this review or read her book). I'm thrilled to have one more resource to recommend to clients.

--Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA
Author of "Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Practical, Easy-to-Use Guide for Clinicians"

What a unique "self-help" book for individuals with ADHD. Many collections are written as a laundry list of suggestions that are clearly unrealistic, especially for individuals with ADHD. Nancy Ratey has not given any suggestions at all per se; rather, she merely shares with us her victorious story of courage, strength, and hope.

With Nancy's perspective I was given piece of mind by knowing we do not have to make this journey alone. Prior to reading this book I had never considered the blessings ADHD has brought to my life. I had only ruminated on the fact that I was always late, procrastinating, disorganized, and inattentive. I never stopped to relish in the fact that I am verbally gifted, empathetic, humble, creative, and fearless. This book provides a wonderful reminder of the amazing gifts of ADHD as well as a means to manage the deficiencies. Accepting that we have a problem and being armed with the knowledge that there are resources available to us to manage the problems is an amazing gift to all of us who have lived in turmoil for so long.

Nancy serves as proof that individuals with ADHD can be successful in all facets of their lives. With individuals like Nancy Ratey in this world individuals with ADHD can find balance and peace in their lives.

I found JackofMostTrades' review reasonable. Perhaps if he gave it one star, one might consider bias - but three stars for this book is very reasonable. I did have trouble finishing it - I guess I'm one of those that got bored half-way through. (Although for the sake of this review I have skimmed the rest) Personally I think everyone with ADD/ADHD should read the book, "A Perfect Mess." Guess what, being somewhat messy can actually be MORE efficient and productive than being a neat-nik. This understanding allows one to focus on those messy habits that truly lead to inefficiency rather than those that just make one's home ineligible to be displayed in Better Homes and Gardens. Reading that book first will help one ignore any inadvisable recommendations and proscriptions in Ms. Ratey's book (and there certainly are some.)

If one has ever set about to clean/organize a room/closet by emptying all the stuff out only to become overwhelmed and left with a greater mess than one began with, this book promotes a psychological equivalent. Yes in theory inventorying all aspects of one's life can help with priority setting - but in practice it's about as successful as organizing a room by dumping everything on the floor first.

It's not surprising that coaches would of course advocate for this book. (Note the vast majority of 5 star ratings are by coaches.) However, Jack is correct, there never has been a study showing the effectiveness of coaching in ADHD. Of course, coaches will like a book that promotes coaching. That doesn't mean there is any science behind it. For a non coach like me - I didn't find the book that useful.

The book doesn't really acknowledge/discuss that ADHD is not about having a disorganized mind but rather a differently organized mind. Thus it fails to capitalize on the strengths that come with having a differently organized mind. When she talks about focusing on accomplishments, she considers these accomplishments as having occurred despite ADHD not because of ADHD. I think understanding the way ADHD is a strength is important to helping one overcome the ways it is also a weakness.

It accepts certain concepts as normative - like the idea that mess creates stress. Actually it is attitudes towards mess that create stress. That's why I recommend A Perfect Mess. Getting rid of the idea that mess/seeming disorganization is inherently bad will do much more to reduce your stress than stressing about organizing. (She doesn't discuss how much of shame is culturally induced - but conforming to the dominant culture isn't always the best solution.) Sometimes mess is a sign of efficiency and sometimes it interferes with efficiency. The key is figuring out which is which. Promoting the concept that laundry isn't done until it's put away (as this book does) obscures the fact that for some people it is more efficient to not put one's laundry away. It's also possible to have a functionally organized kitchen where almost nothing has a "home." It looks messy and cluttered but it's highly functional and there's nothing wrong (and much right) with prioritizing function over a neat appearance.

The client examples are both a strength and a weakness. On the one hand it is useful to see the ANSWER technique applied. On the other hand the client reasons for a problem may not have anything to do with the reader's reasons for a problem and her discussions are not always complete enough to assist the reader in problem solving their own barriers. Furthermore the ANSWER technique by assigning the difficulty to the ADHD brain - may fail to help the struggling reader identify non ADHD contributions. People are more than their ADHD.

For example, this is particularly salient in the discussion of procrastination. Labeling procrastination as an "ADHD cause" of a "symptom" such as difficulty prioritizing ignores that procrastination itself has a number of causes which often need to be addressed in order to stop procrastinating. For example, anxiety/fear can be a major contributor to procrastination and adults with ADHD commonly have higher levels of anxiety than non adults without as well as a high rate of comorbid anxiety disorders (up to a 50% in some studies.) Yet anxiety isn't even mentioned as a potential issue in the chapter on procrastination. And anxiety's contribution to ADHD problems isn't just true of procrastination - a study of adults with ADHD found an anxious state was more predictive of learning/memory deficits than poor organizational strategies or lack of sustained attention. It may be that this is a limitation in the coaching approach itself rather than specifically this book. Either way I felt that the section on procrastination was incomplete and of limited usefulness.

Strengths:
I liked the problem solving approach and discussion of the need to find individualized solutions. I liked the emphasis on not blaming or shaming and avoiding judgment. I think its discussion of ways to instruct one's executive assistant to be more helpful is something that is not commonly discussed and probably useful if applicable. (Does not apply to me, unfortunately.) I think that, particularly for someone who has not read many other books on ADHD, organizing, etc, a number of the suggestions could be useful.

However, if you are a person with ADD who has a large collection of half read books on ADHD - there is a reasonably large probability that this book will join your half-read collection. The best antidote for this problem that I've found is checking books out of the library rather than buying them. I bought this book based on all the exuberant reviews of those coaches who apparently had received a prelease copy, but in retrospect I should have reigned in my impulsivity and impatience and waited until this book arrived at my local library. Half read library books don't add to clutter once they are returned. :)

I have just completed reading Ms. Ratey's book and thoroughly enjoyed. She uses her personal experience in conveying her message. I have worked in the mental health field for 30 years and feel that this book is an invaluable resource for professionals who deal with these types of challenges on a daily basis! Kudos to Ms Ratey. I'm waiting for Volume 2!! ThanksThe Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents

This is a great book to help adults and parents of children who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, realise their true potential and channel their energy in a positive way using the gift they have, which is often described by the medical profession as a disorder!

I'm not one to leave verbose feedback - especially about a book. However, the book describes someone like me with uncanny accuracy. I've always joked that I have ADD. What I learned though, was that ADD is more than just being distractable. It is also about the tendencies to "think outside of the box", look for faster solutions, different approaches, and in general, how ADD people are "different" from societal norms.

What attracted me to this book is its premise that ADD types are "different", not broken. It endorses the Hunter/Farmer theme espoused by Thom Hartman.

While the book does not compare ADD to Myers Briggs, I suspect there is a correlation between ADD and such Myers Briggs types of ENFP, ENFJ, etc. I say this as I've done Myers Briggs profiling and am an ENFP. The description to this is very similar to ADD traits. So, I am curious.

I highly recommend the book if for nothing more than its elaborations on what characteristics a person with ADD has.

I love this book. I finally feel like there are actually liked minded people out there! Great insight.

I picked this up to see if I could draw a bead on some aspects of my bipolar disorder. When I bought it, I already had learned steps to control my illness and it had mostly vanished. I had been devastatingly sick for 8 years and increasingly well for about 2 when I found this book. I was not satisfied that I'd looked under every rock for info to heal myself fully. This book turned out to be a HUGE missing piece!

First, let me say, it's NOT a book about bipolar or mental illness but it applies to many of us in these categories by default. Not all of us but some. I was one. I am someone who believes my handling or mishandling of life and my mind is what partially led to my profound illness taking root. I thought this before I found Garrett's book. But he comfirmed it for me on a whole new level I'd never considered.

He also confirmed other bits of science and psychology I'd found elsewhere and adopted as my own. This sort of third party unrelated cross backing of ideas excited me! He confirmed much of what I intuited or had heard or read elsewhere about why some of us melt down mentally.

Some of his material is sort of deep and mystical in feel and you have to have a certain amount of understanding within you about yourself to really climb onboard. Other facts he brings up are solid science but really farout stuff, nonetheless. But I love when a scientist vouches for my trippier thoughts or clarifies with hard data what I only feel to be true.

It's this simple. If you're dissatisfied with life but know you're made of a different thread than most around you, then buy this book. Like me, you possibly just need better guidance to crack through to a level you're right on the edge of but don't know it.

My family members read this book and confirmed that Garrett had absolutely pegged people like me. It's as if he personally interviewed me to write this book. There was almost no page that did not apply to me.

If you're the risk taking, adventurous sort; if you find what most feel is comfortable to be annoying as hell; if you have set higher standards for yourself but can't seem to find how to fulfill them, then buy this book!

That's what it felt like as I read Garrett's book...it felt like somebody had stolen my identity, my life story, and published it in a book. Talk about hitting the nail on the head!

If you've ever been told you're ADD/ADHD, you NEED this book. There's no other way around it. If you don't have this book, you're going to struggle and you're going to flounder, because society just doesn't understand us. They don't understand why we are the way we are and why we do the things we do.

Pick this book up today and read it. Most likely in one setting. That's what I did!

Stephen

The book arrived earlier than expected. It was exactly what the ad said it was and more...very satisfied!

I was looking for a book to help me understand my son's ADD. This was very resourceful. It explains everything so well. It has advice for organization, structure, behavior, etc. I was very pleased with this book.

I like the direct "how to" advice in this book. My husband and I have promised one another we will not medicate our daughter and this book has given us more faith that we can keep that committment. This book has given us ideas that are simple to use and practical. Our daughter has a 504 but after reading Dr. Ashley's book we requested another IEP meeting and revised her entire plan based upon the ideas in this book. She is doing much better in school now and homework is not the torture we all used to suffer. The 504 ideas in the back of the book are worth it alone. our school is now using dr. ashley's checklist to help design IEP and 504s for all their add and adhd kids.

After reading this book I have a better understanding of children with ADD & ADHD and what parents are faced with on a regular basis. Extremely well written and I am looking for to more books from Dr. Ashley.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

I just bought this book with the intentions of reading it. I came to this site to see what other people think about the book. So far I have seen really good reviews on it. But what bothers me are those parents who stress that THEY WILL NOT medicate their child. As a mother I never ever wanted to take that route. I read alot of information to help him without medication. What foods he can eat and other helpful ways to help him without medicine, that was very difficult. Finally after he was almost kicked out of Preschool I took him to our school district and they evaluated him having ADHD. With their diagnosis they allowed him to attend preschool at no cost to me, to make him understand school rules. I also took him to our pediatrician, crying with the news of what they told me, I knew that medication was the only way to help him. Upset and depressed we went home. I started 2weeks before kindergarden and I have notice what a good kid he had become. Since then he has been more focus and attentive in class. He gets his moments when he distracts class but other than that he is doing good. He is very very smart, from what the teachers are telling me.

As an adult diagnosed with adhd a year ago, I've been doing a lot of reading and searching to learn more about it. Out of a huge stack of books I've read, only a handful give genuine insight into the mind of an adder. Most of what I've found is either too clinical to keep my attention, or too trite to be taken seriously.

Well ... thank God! Bryan is neither a psychiatrist, nor a professional copywriter. He's just some dude with adhd.

His is an amazing, yet disturbing story. What makes it amazing is how similar his story is to mine. At times I felt I was reading a story about myself, just with different scenery. What makes it so disturbing ... well ... is how similar his story is to mine.

The most helpful thing the diagnosis has done for me, is provide a new window from which I can review my past. Some of the mistakes I've agonized over for so long, were nothing but the symptoms of adhd. Communication issues, scheduling issues, work issues ... the list goes on and on ...

Reading about Bryan going through the same things in life I have, has helped me realize I'm not alone. There ARE actually people out there who DO know what I'm talking about!

I can't possibly recommend this book more. Put it at the very top of your list! Buy it now! It's that important.

Just one more thing ... after I was done reading the book, and took a few days to absorb it all, something hit me ... it's why I'm here recommending the book to you right now, and it's gonna hit you the same way too ...

I can't help but feel that I know Bryan, like he's a personal friend of mine.

That's the style of book he wrote, it's that personal. And that should tell you just how genuine "One Boy's Struggle" truly is.

Thanks Bryan!

Are you still reading this? Stop. Go buy the book! :-)

This book should be mandatory reading for anyone entering the field of teaching or who is already teaching, counselors, resource teachers, juvenile workers. ADD is often undiagnosed (unlike ADHD where hyper is apparent) and the child struggles and never knows why. I wonder how many sit in prison today wondering why they never fit in with society or runaways who could never conform to their families rules. I am recommending this book to everyone I know so hopefully they could recognize ADD in a child (or adult) and make a positive difference in their life.
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I knew relativly nothing about ADD and how it can affect your life and all those involved. This is a wonderfuly written story of a young struggling boy who knew that he was not bad, but had to wait for years to find out the truth of whý his childhood had been the way it was.
'One Boy's Struggle' is a must read for anyone, not just for someone wanting to find out more information regarding ADHD. This is a poignant story that moved and deeply touched me and made me care for this young man. Thank you, Bryan for the wonderful story that is yours, and that you share you struggle with us.

I am truly grateful for Bryan writing this book and for me to have found it. For many years I lived with undiagnosed ADD, never understanding why, but always knowing that I was different, and did things differently than other people all my life.

When I was finally diagnosed with ADD it was a tremendous relief to know there really was a reason. I had learned the basics through talking to professionals as well as reading the various books available on the subject. This book is very different from all the basic texts that are available. You can only learn so much at school from reading textbooks. It is not until you finish school and go out into the real world when you realized how it all applies.

Bryan's book is the real world. The ADDer World so to speak. The other books show you the cause but Bryan's shows you the effect.

I highly recommend this book to be read by all people living with ADD/ADHD. It will help you understand the impact that this disorder has actually had on you through your life. I really had no clue myself before reading this book. It is also really nice to know that we are not alone with our struggles. If you did not have it before, you will finish this book realizing that there is definitely hope for an incredibly productive enjoyable future for you.

Even more so however, I recommend this to parents and teachers dealing with children with ADD/ADHD. No one can ever truly understand what it is like to go through life having ADD/ADHD unless they have it themselves. This book shows you the truth dead on, and most likely will be the closest you will ever get to really understand what your kids are dealing with on a daily basis, in both their minds, as well in the world around them.

I also highly recommend checking out Bryan's website: ADDerWorld.com. It is a safe harbor to connect with, and understand others dealing with ADD/ADHD. From my personal experience I can pretty much guarantee that he will personally answer any question you may have if you contact him.

Not a fabulously well written book, but it provides invaluable insight into the heart and mind of a child/young man suffering from ADD. If I were president for a day I'd make it mandatory reading for all elementary teachers and parents of boys with or without ADD. The author clearly has extensive knowledge of ADD as well as first person experience -- a powerful combination that really helps the reader understand some of the many nuances of ADD. This book opened up very enlightening dialogue between my spouse and I and then my immediate family. We were able to confirm what we have long suspected; that in my family most of us have varying degrees of ADD but as adults have learned to compensate in interesting ways. We are productive and happy adults, but felt validated at the similarities we found with the author. Thank you so much for being so generous with your life experiences!