Helping Your Hyperactive Child

There is just not enough good that I can say about Dr. Taylor's book. It literally saved my sanity when my daughter was diagnosed with ADD. Dr Taylor gives short answers to the real world problems associated with this disorder. It was as if I had found a care and feeding manual for this wonderful little girl who was just too much for me, and everybody else. I owe so much to Dr Taylor and I would highly recommend his book to anyone considering buying it. Even if your child has not been diagnosed, the practical suggestions will work for any child.

Having listened to Dr. Taylor in person, read his publications and seen his video and audio tapes on helping children and adolescents with ADD/ADHD, I can attest to his breadth of knowledge on the subject, his creativity and the thoroughness with which he lays out information in this book. For anyone who wants practical suggestions to intervene with a myriad of behaviors including oppositional defiance,surviving summer vacations and holidays,overcoming distractibility, ways to prevent family conflicts, suggestions on diet and how to ensure you are getting an adequate Individual Education Plan at school, Dr. Taylor presents an excellent resource. Contrary to statements of several reviewers, he does provide research references and definitions for many term found in the field. As a practicing psychologist with 36 years of work with children and adolescents with ADD/ADHD, I would highly recommend this book for any parent or professional desiring helpful strategies.

If you could buy only one book to assist you in helping an ADD/ADHD child, this would be it. Taylor has a real knack for "getting inside the skin" of these children. He has a genuine empathy, and is one of the few authors who can explain them in a way that makes sense. Even after years of working in this field, I find that I gain new insights and practical information in each chapter. For example, he writes, "Poor depth perception results in clumsiness, awkwardness, and occasional stumbling and running into things." It's a lot easier to sympathize with the klutzy child when you look at it from that perspective! Rather than simply list and catagorize symptoms, as do many books on the subject, Taylor digs into the issues, demystifying them and offering practical, hands-on suggestions for both professionals and parents. His understanding of the physiology of ADHD is clear in his description of food cravings. The child who craves salty and highly seasoned food, he explains, is deficient in minerals; the excessive desire for cheese shows a need for amino acids. Similarly, itchy skin and rashes occur because, "Basically, their bodies have lost some natural moisturizers in the form of essential fatty acid derivatives and are suffering from a form of dehydration." He covers many underlying and related conditions. Taylor has clearly done his homework and is aware of the newest research on conditions that include Asperger's syndrome, autism, PDD, etc. The stakes for these children are very high, and it's essential that a parent be well educated in all the various areas that are involved. The areas include: the use of medicine, the role of nutrition (not the politically correct nutrition du jour, but that which is backed by solid research), and those behavior modifying techniques that really work. Taylor is unique in that he is an undisputed authority in all of these areas. His gift to the reader is that he offers a wealth of information in a way that can be absorbed and put to use quite easily.

As the parent of a child with ADHD, I've read a lot of books on the subject and on related conditions, and I've investigated many different approaches and therapies. This one book could have replaced my years of research. Dr. Taylor gives the reader a clear, understandable description of why these kids behave the way they do, and of the major options for helping them.Unlike many other authors, Taylor has dealt with ADHD as a parent, as well as a professional. He is able to see these challenges from the parent's perspective, and his compassion comes across clearly. This is a welcome change for parents who are very tired of being blamed for things over which they have little control. The author's bio notes that he has over 30 years of successful experience in helping families of these challenging kids...and it shows!The book has a user-friendly approach that can be understood by the layman, but it also provides impressive documentation to support the science. After they finish reading it, I would encourage any parent to share it with their child's teacher. Or, better yet, donate a copy to the school for all the teachers to use. It would be a much more appreciated Christmas gift than yet another box of stationary.

As the parent of a child with ADHD, I've read a lot of books on the subject and on related conditions. I've investigated many different approaches and therapies. This one book could have replaced my years of research. Dr. Taylor gives the reader a clear, understandable description of why these kids behave the way they do, and of the major options for helping them.Unlike many other authors, Taylor has dealt with ADHD as a parent, as well as a professional. He is able to see these challenges from the parent's perspective, and his compassion comes across clearly. This is a welcome change for parents who are very tired of being blamed for things over which they have little control. The author's bio notes that he has over 30 years of successful experience in helping families of these challenging kids...and it shows!The book has a user-friendly approach that can be understood by the layman, but it also provides impressive documentation to support the science. After you finish reading it, I would encourage any parent to share it with their child's teacher. Or, better yet, donate a copy to the school for all the teachers to use.