ADHD & Me (Book recommendation)
Anyone whose read this thing for any amount of time knows my daughter has some issues including ADHD.
I've read more books than I care to admit on the subject, but I came across one a few days ago that's different.
This was one of those coincidental things that occasionally happen. My father had sent my daughter some money to spend, so she wanted to go to the bookstore. I was ambling aimlessly through the store while waiting for her to make her selection (these things take time, you see). ;-) I wasn't looking for a book, and certainly wasn't planning to buy another ADHD book, but there you go.
Cutting to the chase, the books is called ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table by Blake E. S. Taylor. It lists for about $11.00 on Amazon. I paid a little more at my local Borders, but I think it was worth it. The author wrote the book when he was a high school senior and he is a young man with ADHD.
The first thing that caught my attention was the title. The second was the size of the book. It's pretty short (~175 pages). I also liked the way the chapters were laid out. Each stands on its own so you can read as much or as little of the book as you like, cover to cover or skipping around. He identifies a ADHD trait (disorganization, inattentiveness, rigidity, etc.) gives an example from his life where the trait was an issue, analyzes the event with a cause and effect section, the finishes up with a list of solutions to try.
I can't really put my finger on why I liked the book so much. Information-wise it didn't add a lot to what I'd already read elsewhere. Perhaps it was the feeling of listening to someone who'd been there I found so refreshing. Too often the books I read seemed to be on the outside looking in--like the author is listing symptoms and guessing at what it might be like to have ADHD. Other books, especially those dealing with organization felt like they were written by people who "got it" and were passing their method along--not by someone who had to fight for every bit of organizational ground gained. A good deal of comfort also comes from knowing you and your situation aren't unique. There are those in the same boat and those worse off.
If you have ADHD yourself, or have ever wondered how an ADHD brain works, this book gives an outlook and insight I haven't encountered before. Now if I can just get my daughter to read it...
I've read more books than I care to admit on the subject, but I came across one a few days ago that's different.
This was one of those coincidental things that occasionally happen. My father had sent my daughter some money to spend, so she wanted to go to the bookstore. I was ambling aimlessly through the store while waiting for her to make her selection (these things take time, you see). ;-) I wasn't looking for a book, and certainly wasn't planning to buy another ADHD book, but there you go.
Cutting to the chase, the books is called ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table by Blake E. S. Taylor. It lists for about $11.00 on Amazon. I paid a little more at my local Borders, but I think it was worth it. The author wrote the book when he was a high school senior and he is a young man with ADHD.
The first thing that caught my attention was the title. The second was the size of the book. It's pretty short (~175 pages). I also liked the way the chapters were laid out. Each stands on its own so you can read as much or as little of the book as you like, cover to cover or skipping around. He identifies a ADHD trait (disorganization, inattentiveness, rigidity, etc.) gives an example from his life where the trait was an issue, analyzes the event with a cause and effect section, the finishes up with a list of solutions to try.
I can't really put my finger on why I liked the book so much. Information-wise it didn't add a lot to what I'd already read elsewhere. Perhaps it was the feeling of listening to someone who'd been there I found so refreshing. Too often the books I read seemed to be on the outside looking in--like the author is listing symptoms and guessing at what it might be like to have ADHD. Other books, especially those dealing with organization felt like they were written by people who "got it" and were passing their method along--not by someone who had to fight for every bit of organizational ground gained. A good deal of comfort also comes from knowing you and your situation aren't unique. There are those in the same boat and those worse off.
If you have ADHD yourself, or have ever wondered how an ADHD brain works, this book gives an outlook and insight I haven't encountered before. Now if I can just get my daughter to read it...