Disability-and-Health Books

I like "A Self-Determined Future" a lot better than some of the older books on the topic.

My daughter and I have both been diagnosed with AS, which I think is a personality type but which my wife thinks is a disorder. Since a happy wife = a happy home I have been plowing through the available literature on AS. I am pretty sure my daughter will be fine but my wife lacks my faith so I keep reading.

Apparently I have been finding ways to work around my "disorder" for 40 years. Unsurprisingly I have some strong opinions about AS. (No I am not Mr. Popular, but I get by in a job I can do alone, and I go shopping and do chores early Thursday mornings while everyone else is at work.)

A gross oversimplification of the Bliss/Edmonds method is to find what is working for the patient and to encourage him or her to do it more, in the hopes that what works will compensate for what doesn't work. ("Building on Strengths")

In my opinion this is a good first step but eventually it will become a crutch. If you don't become more flexible, if you don't develop a wider variety of skills, you will barely get by and you will not thrive.

At some point you will have to learn consciously how to do stuff that other people are "hard wired" to do. ("Turn a Weakness into a Strength") Apparently you and I are missing some "social instinct". (Like a computer missing a sound card.) It's not fair, but we have to put work into doing what comes naturally for others.

The GOOD news is that if you are willing to make this effort, all indications are you have a VERY good chance of become a leader in whatever field you choose. AS may be a blessing in disguise.

Don't give up!

An account of the attempt by the South African secret police on Albie Sachs' life while he was in exile in Maputo Mozambique during the 1980s.

i never used this book. i bought it but never got a chance to use it because i found out that i didnt needed it.

The book is written from a British perspective, offering advice for dealing with south Asian immigrants. Hopefully the reader will gain some sensitivity and multicultural perspective, when dealing with migrant families.

There are numerous case studies of families afflicted [if this is the right word] by having a severely disabled kid. You get suggestions on how to gain the parents' confidence, and to give useful tips. A big thing is getting the families aware of resources available to them by the government. Often the families might simply not know, or be chary of interacting with government officials. The text also asks you to encourage them to integrate into the broader community, rather than self segregate into Pakistani or Indian groups.

As a severely disabled person I found this book is very informative. Great, inspiring stories for anyone. Many resources. Good idea of what is required for a disabled person considering a business.

This is a very good idea for parents of children with special needs. It contains places to fill in all the information that someone other than yourself would need if your child was away from home. Grandma and Grandpa have all the phone numbers, contacts, likes and dislikes, bedtime, and more, all at their fingertips.

Far from being a strictly professionally oriented book, there's also places for likes and dislikes, daily routines, and places to fill in behaviors ("When I'm sad I...") and to fill in what would make the child feel certain ways ("these are situations that I feel aggressive/sad/happy/etc."). It would also be a great thing to have if your child ever needed to be hospitalized - the nurses and doctors would know exactly what your child needs, what medications s/he's taking, allergies, dietary needs, cultural considerations, etc.

This is an invaluable book if you have a child with needs that perhaps cannot communicate these things to a caregiver. I bought one for my daughter, who is autistic. The next time she visits family, this book will go with her, so that no one has any doubt about what they should do in any given situation. I highly recommend it!

Read this book in 2 days. Fascinating. Answered all my questions
and gave lots of suggestions for parents dealing with an ADD child.

Concerned Mom,

Before 86-ing this book, look at your own source, which is 5 years old. Also consider that the vast majority of the psychiatric profession in Europe believes ADD is a figment of the American psychiatric community's imagination. If they're right, anyone who believes ADD is a genuine disorder is a pseudoscientist, whether they believe it can be conclusively diagnosed or not.

In addressing ADD and ADHD Dr. Phil and Frank have both maintained that a thorough attempt at a differential diagnosis MUST be made(ruling out other learning disorders, stressors in the home, other possible disorders or chemical imbalances, depression, etc.) PRIOR to reaching a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. They also insist that this must be done in CONJUNCTION with an EEG. The EEG reading alone is persuasive, but not diagnostic. If they have claimed to the contrary then they are going against everything they have maintained in their shows addressing this issue.

You may agree or disagree with them and I'm sure some qualified professionals disagree with them as well. That's not uncommon in the medical community, and it certainly doesn't make this pseudo science.

If their claim were simply that the EEG ALONE were diagnostic in the absence of a thorough examination of patient history, etc., then you're beef would be legitimate. But why the hostility? These days children are often overmedicated based solely on the reommendation of tired parents or teachers. By contrast Dr. Phil is advocating a careful thorough screening prior to reaching that diagnosis, and consideration of all available therapies, not medical therapy alone. At the same time the screening process he's advocating will no doubt help some people who haven't been diagnosed but should have been finally get the help they need. So many are written of an depressed or looking for excuses for a lifelong struggle with frustration and attention span (my wife for example), but thanks to a rigorous screening process followed by a careful neurological exam including an EEG, most of the red herrings can finally be ruled out and effective treatment can begin. This is a total middle of the road position between throwing pills out willy nilly and just telling people to get over their disorder. Who loses here? And where is the argument that the EEG IN CONJUNCTION WITH a careful differential diagnosis, detailed patient history and examination of past behavior, academic struggles, etc., can't be diagnostic of this disorder? Some may disagree, but what's new about that?

The three star rating is because I haven't finished reading the book.

I found this book to be an excellent resource for a parent lost in the sea of ADD/ADHD information. The author's conservative approach is sensible and educated. I also appreciate the subtle spiritual insight he offers which helps the reader understand some very positive aspects of ADD. This book has become my main resource while we deal with this situation.

I am an adult with ADHD inatintive type. I have struggled all my life with this condition. Howevere, I have managed to earn a BA in psychology and I am currently working on a masters degree. Because of my expierences in psychology classes I know something about scientific research and empirical evidence. This book was a major dissapointment to me because it lacks the simple scholary research to prove the claims made by Dr Lawless. I am afraid this book is nothing more then modernday snake-oil that will cause more harm then good.

This book is so full of pseudo-science that I fear it may cause a great deal of harm to children and adults with ADHD. Dr. Lawless is a psychologist and should now how to read the scientifice research on the subject found in peer reviewed journals. While, I believe that the chemeicals in the foods we eat are a major cause of illnesses, ADHD and obesity, There is little scientific evidence that add is caused by diet. However, their maybe more evidence in the future. One of his clames of red dye has been proven completly false. Another one his claims about magnet theropy are so out of the scientific mainstream that he comes of as a snakeoils salesman. Please do not buy this book. If you want reliable information by on of the Driven to Distraction books.

There are many great ideas presented in this book about dealing with your add child, BUT the chapter on meds is completely off base. Let me preface the following with MY opinion (I am not an MD or an expert) that children with ADD need a team approach in helping them deal with the condition (if you choose to call it one) and there is a place for meds for many kids, BUT it is only a piece of the puzzle. Parents, teachers, family members, Md's, and behavioral specialists are all crucial. I happen to work indirectly with many of the world thought leaders and experts on ADD (ie. Joseph Beiderman, Mass General Hospital, Boston MA/ Harvard Medical School, ... look up his credentials). First Dr. Frank Lawlis is not an MD, this means he has not been to medical school- that is not to say he isn't a great psychologist, just that he HAS NOT and DOES NOT write prescriptions for these meds and has NO first hand experience with directly managing these meds himself. In this book there are many things that are completely false regarding ADD meds. For example he states that they only work for about 50% of kids. FALSE Let me cite 3 credible sources that disputes this (notice in the book that he does not talk about HIS credible source)
1. "approx 70% of patients respond to the first stimulant agent administered with resulting improvement in their ADHD symptoms." - Practical Considerations in Stimulant Drug Selection for the ADHD Patient- Efficacy, Potency and Titration Beiderman, Today's Therapeutic Trends, 02'
2. "Improvement occurred in 65-75% of 5,899 patients randomized to stimulants." - Practice Parameter for the Use of Stimulant Medication in the Treatment of Children, Adolescents, and Adults, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Feb02'
3. "At least 80% of children will respond to one of the stimulants if they are tried in a systemic way." Clinical Practice Guideline: Treatment of the School-Aged Child with ADHD, Published in American Acedemy of Pediatrics, Oct 01'.

All of these quotes are credible and are opinions based on evidence-based medicine from the experts. Lawlis also states that there has been little research in children and that most studies have been done on adults and rats/mice. This is Completely False! The Journal noted above, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (that was a review of "161 randomized controlled trials that have been published encompassing 5 preschool, 150 school-age, 7 Adolescent, and 9 adult studies" Where does Dr. Lawlis get his information?
The review noted above by the American Acedemy of Pediatrics, identified for analysis 2405 citations, 92 reports, and 78 different studies. This is American Acedemy of Pediatrics- They are only interested in children and adolescents! Not Rats, Mice, and Adults.
These are the most credible Medical Journals published. These are not the biased trials sponsored by big pharma. The information in these Journals is taken very seriously by Pediatricians and Child Psychiatrists, and is heavily relied upon by these professionals.

Lastly, he also states that these drugs are identical to cocaine in their affect on the brain. This is not true, they have similarities, but by NO-Means identical. Yes it is true that stimulant medications can be abused and can also be addictive, but some of the newer formulations of these meds have lessened their abuse and addictive potential by altering the speed at which the drug is released into the bloodstream thereby somewhat flattening the curve (Cocaine use produces a curve that is almost straight up-this is what gives the "high") The most common way for these drugs to be abused is by crushing them and snorting them (which allows for fast absorption and steep curve), and some of the newer meds are crush resistant and/or cannot be turned into a fine enough substance to be snorted. There has also been data published that shows a DECREASE not increase in drug abuse for patients who have taken stimulants. It is believed that kids who are treated (drug treatment and otherwise) are less likely to associate with kids who are failing academically/socially and who are more likely to be using drugs. (This is not to say that high all high achievers abstain from using OR that ALL children who are failing ARE using) It is just a point that kids who are treated are more likely to be focused on school and their responsibilities and are less likely to be involved in drug use. Kids who are failing in school academically/socially are often looked at as outcasts and are often looked down upon by peers, teachers, and family, and this can cause a child to look for an escape... sometimes drugs. Children who Do benefit from stimulant medication sometimes have more self-esteem because of their success, and certainly less scrutiny from peers, teachers etc.

Lastly, Lawlis tells a story about a man who died from long-term stimulant medication. I am not going to say that this did not happen, but I will say that stimulants have been used since the 1950's, and the medical community agrees that they are safe when managed properly. The medical community and FDA have pulled MANY medications that were deemed unsafe from the markets (many times against the will of BIG Pharma) and the stimulants would not have remained on the market for OVER 50 YEARS, if stories like this were common or the least bit likely.

I am not at all stating that stimulant meds are the answer because they are not, but they can be a small piece of the puzzle that is helping these kids with ADD. The book is full of great ideas and approaches to ADD, but he is not accurate about the stimulant medications. Parents who see value in them should not feel ashamed and or frightened by what he says because most of it is just not accurate. Good luck and I hope this was helpful.

Gunilla Gerland writes everything so briefly that I bet even Non English-speaking people diagnosed as Asperger Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder will get what the book is all about! Since I was already diagnosed, I could easily point out what kind of syndromes apply to me right now. Sudden Changes, clumsiness, stressful peer pressure; these are exactly what I have suffered for ages. And according to my doctor, I have some difficulties in reading implications, which still gives me a real headache!
So the point is you need to read this book whether you are diagnosed or not sure you have AS, autism, PDD, and any kinds of developmental problems. And if you find your problems that apply to you, you'll eventually know yourself as well as how to cope with them.

This is a good book for children but I was under the impression that it was geared towards adults. I was very disapointed. There is no pertinent information provided in this book. If you are looking for facts or statistics, look else where. If you are looking for a book to read to your 5 year old, you are in the right place.

I wish I would have read the reviews before I purchased this book. I usually do, but I guess it was an impulse purchase. In my quest to find out more information regarding my son's difficulties and diagnoses I am trying to read all I can. The information regarding how many pages this book is should be listed. It is a tiny booklet that is specifically for children or adolescents. It is not at all what I hoped it would be.

It is important to be aware that I am writing this review from the point of view of myself as a child, since this book is aimed at autistic children. I am now an autistic adult and can read more into the book than I would have been able to as a child, although parts of it are still difficult to comprehend. This book may be more useful for autistic children who are different from me.

I found this book to use language that is too abstract for me to understand many sections of it. I can see myself reading it as a child, or even recently, and thinking, "This little bit makes sense, that little bit makes sense, but I can't even understand the rest of it enough to know if it makes sense or not." I can see myself reading many parts of the book that apply to me, but not recognizing them as applying because the words are too confusing. For instance, it talks about not liking change, which is not something I would have understood the words for. I might have understood better if it had talked about how change could affect me irrespective of whether I liked it or not. Many of the ideas, like thinking differently or asking during misunderstandings, sound so abstract and vague that I still can't make that much sense out of them without a lot of other knowledge about autism that I have gotten from elsewhere.

The good thing about this book is that it does not present autism as a wholly negative thing, and gives a strong message that autistic people can be proud of who we are. The problem is that if I had read this at any time in my life as an introduction to autism, I would not have known much better than I had before what autism was in the first place.

As a special education teacher, I am always looking for ways to teach my aides and regular education teachers about different disabilities and to help them understand that each mind works differently. This book is short, concise, very simply stated and yet is packed with amazing information that anyone can understand. I shared it with several people who knew little of Auspergers, Autism, and PDD and they were all extremely grateful for the information and walked away understanding better. The book breaks down what life may be like for someone with A.S., Autism, or PDD regarding sensory interpretations, eye contact, etc. and is organized to give a complete understanding without overwhelming one with too much information. We are buying several more copies for our school district!!

A wonderful resource to have as part of your professional library when working with children.

As an educator who works with young children with autism and an inclusion specialist who educates typical students about disability awareness, I must caution about the stereotyping risk of this book. Autism is too complicated to simplify into one boy and his spinning frisbee. The book portrays a boy who, "wanted to be in his own world just about all the time." True, many kids with autism prefer to play alone, but also there are many who would like to play with others but do not know how to initiate play or respond to typical play situations. Others love to be hugged and enjoy some social interaction. There is such a wide spectrum of autism, and I'm really not sure how one book could capture it, so maybe it's not fair to criticize. The book could certainly begin a discussion. But it should be noted that, without follow-up discussion or further education, the wording in this book could lead some people to believe that all people with autism want to be left completely alone. Simply not that simple.

Its a good book that shows some of the particular way of behavior of a kid affected whit Autism, however it doesn't get to any conclusion or way to get to the kid or understand him.

This book is a great one for reading with neurotypical children who have friends, classmates, and/or siblings on the autism spectrum. It is well written, has nice pictures, and lends itself easily to discussions.

I disagree with the person whose review states that the "sterotypical" behavior of the child spinning the frisbee is a negative thing. This is simply one example of a type of sensory need our friends on the spectrum have, and it opens the door to discussion about it.

When I first read this book I was not crazy about it; I tend not to like books directed at kids that are overtly about autism because the kids automatically know that it is a "lesson" book rather than a story book. But of all the books I bought in an effort to give the regular education teacher a tool for talking with my son's typical classmates about his autism, this is the one that my typical 10 year old daughter selected. We have used it for three years and each time the teacher has said it generated an interesting and sensitive dicussion among the children (grades 1-3). Of course it takes a good teacher to lead the discussion, too, but this book has proved to be a valuable resource.

Until there is a better term for Attention Deficit, that's the name kids have to deal with. This is a great book anyway because the child uses his "problem of paying too close attention to minute details" to find his way out of the woods in order to rescue his dad. He is the hero and not a problem child as such. We learn some about his problems and some solutions but this well written story puts us in his shoes in a very understanding and kind way. This reminds me of a new book, Whoa Wiggle-worm by Betsy B. Lee. It discusses kind and unkind nicknames in an entertaining story showing a child learning self-control. A diagnosis is not given. The child might not be ADD or ADHD. The label is beside the point. I hope both books are in print for a very long time.

I am outnumbered by ADD/HD family members & this kid sounds just like one of them! While I would prefere that doctors quite calling it a deficit, like there is something "wrong" with this personality type, I am NOT against medication. Most ADD people are VERY lovable & so smart, great problem solvers too. They have a lot going for them, but I have seen the use of drugs DRAMATICALLY improve their lives! When they can focus watch out! To see their self esteem soar because they CAN excell is a real blessing. So I'm glad the author included getting medication in the story. Some kids have diabetes & require medication, they are not looked down upon as inferior, nor should the child taking medication for ADD. Overall, it was a good story, opening up the world of ADD from a child's standpoint.

I can't believe the hardcover edition is out of print! This is one of the best books I've read to help the self-esteem of children with Add or LD or any other kind of learning problem.
It doesn't dumb down the criteria. It shows the child being the hero of the story using some of his natural abilities. It also shows some of the techniques he develops for learning. It is a wonderful story for any child with or without a disability.

The book, though could be identified & related by some children with this disorder, mentions very little about the symptoms of ADHD, minimizes the realistic aspects of having this disorder, is ambiguous about the treatment processes details. As a therapist who sometimes uses books with children in treatment, this book has not been effective as I had hoped.

It's just not that great. Borrow it at a library and see what you think before purchasing.