Minor revisions and new illustrations freshen up the third edition of an encouraging, if generalized, guide for young people with attention issues and their parents.
Using simple language and addressing readers directly, the authors first define types of AD/HD and explain current thinking about its behavioral and neurological characteristics. They then go on to offer a basic set of tools and techniques for managing the disorder. These range from building a “Support Team” of adults to using yoga, self-initiated timeouts, medication and other means of controlling emotions and impulses. The authors close with a restatement of their central message, that “[your] AD/HD is just one part of you. Try hard to manage it, and you will have plenty of energy left over to enjoy the many other parts of your life.” Abstract cartoon drawings and photos of smiling children reinforce the overall positive tone. So inclusive is the message that, aside from a single mention that genuine AD/HD can only be diagnosed by a professional, nearly all the advice here about self-control, making friends, establishing good study habits and maintaining a healthy lifestyle could apply to anyone.
More specific and extensive manuals and workbooks abound, but as a lucid guide to the disorder and its management, this has proven its worth over the past 20 years. (multilevel, multimedia resource lists) (Self-help. 9-12, adult)
