EEC273 - Chovanes

Blake Taylor's mother first suspected he had ADHD when he, at only three years of age, tried to push his infant sister in her carrier off the kitchen table. As time went by, Blake developed a reputation for being hyperactive and impulsive. He launched rockets (accidentally) into neighbor's swimming pools and set off alarms in museums. Blake was diagnosed formally with ADHD when he was five years old. In ADHD and Me, he tells about the next twelve years as he learns to live with both the good and bad sides of life with ADHD. Blake's memoir offers, for the first time, a young person's account of what it's like to live and grow up with this common condition. Join Blake as he foils bullies, confronts unfair teachers, struggles with distraction and disorganization on exams, and goes sailing out-of-bounds and ends up with a boatload of spiders. It will be an inspiration and companion to the thousands of others like him who must find a way to thrive with a different perspective than many of us.

For most of us, it was just another horrible headline. But for Deborah Spungen, the mother of Nancy, who was stabbed to death at the Chelsea Hotel, it was both a relief and a tragedy. Here is the incredible story of an infant who never stopped screaming, a toddler who attacked people, a teenager addicted to drugs, violence, and easy sex, a daughter completely out of control--who almost destroyed her parents' marriage and the happiness of the rest of her family. "Honest and moving...Her painful tale is engrossing." WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD From the Paperback edition.

This book takes readers on a journey as one mother searches for answers to her child's defiant behavior. Filled with heartwarming stories, honest insights and enlightening discoveries, The Dance of Defiance is a story of hope. Written by a parent for parents, this book will be a valuable tool for parents, educators, and individuals working with a child who has oppositional defiant disorder. In addition to strategies for parents and teachers and a section on sibling relationships, The Dance of Defiance contains an extensive Parent and Family Resource section that provides valuable help those on a similar journey.

Jeffrey's Journey is a remarkable success story about a loving family's refusal to give up on a deeply troubled child. Written by his mother and grandmother, the book chronicles the struggle of a very young boy diagnosed with severe behavioral problems, including compulsive and oppositional defiance disorders. By age seven, Jeffrey had seen multiple doctors and been prescribed over a dozen prescription medications to his violent rages but nothing had helped. Then state officials gave Jeffrey's mother an ultimatum: find something to manage your son or lose him to institutional lock-down. Extensive research convinced this conservative, Christian mother that medical marijuana could be her son's last hope. Working with a courageous pediatrician and a patient's cooperative, she discovered that cannabis calmed her son, allowing him to function so well that he was able to attend school and enjoy friends.Jeffrey's Journey details the success of Jeffrey's treatment, Debbie's court battle defending her son's right to unconventional medicine and the threat to Jeffrey's on-going care by federal raids on California's medical marijuana dispensaries.Includes material from the pediatrician who supervised Jeffrey's marijuana therapy, letters from other struggling parents who heard about Jeffrey's story on 48 Hours, and a resource section.

"The Little Monster: Growing Up with ADHD is an autobiographical look at the effects of ADHD on individuals, as well as their families, friends, coworkers, and lovers. Jergen, himself diagnosed with ADHD as a struggling college student, tells numerous stories about his incredible life. Some are humorous, others painfully sad. He discusses how he went from being a happy child who enjoyed school and wanted to learn to being extremely withdrawn and depressed as a result of the constant reprimands from his parents and teachers." "By eighth grade, Jergen had twice tried killing himself. By college, he had become an alcoholic. Finally, just when he thought that he was going to end up in a white padded room he was diagnosed with ADHD. Years of pain, anguish, frustration, anger, and rejection were suddenly revealed." "Jergen describes how he eventually turned ADHD into as asset that enabled him to get his Ph. D. in half the time of his non-ADHD peers, become a tenured associate professor at age 34, publish five books in two years, and most importantly find peace and happiness." "He presents ADHD from an insider's perspective and illustrates how constant academic and social failures can gradually erode a child's self-esteem. The Little Monster is a valuable tool for any parent, professional, or individual touched by ADHD."--Jacket.

For all parents who have ever cried in despair over their hyperactive, impulsive, and seemingly uncontrollable child; for every teacher who has ever vented frustration at a student who just won't pay attention; for every kid who has ever asked himself, Why does everyone hate me? - help is here. Only a Mother Could Love Him is a remarkable look inside the mind of a person with ADD/ADHD. Ben Polis attended six different schools, served over three thousand hours of detention, and drove his family into counseling. But through great determination and the use of self-taught concentration techniques, Ben not only graduated high school but also attended a competitive university. Ben describes what it's really like to feel those constant impulses, to get all that medication, to desperately want to be "normal." In addition, he offers lots of valuable advice to parents, including: finding what forms of discipline will work, and what will never work, surviving the daily homework struggle, medicating or seeking other methods of treatment, teaching your ADD/ADHD child to read Only a Mother Could Love Him is a much-needed salve for parents and kids who feel isolated, depressed, and confused. From schoolwork to exercise to drugs, Ben Polis has important insights to share, and a message of hope that will warm the hearts of those suffering the most.

Raising Will is a heartfelt, humbling memoir written by a Texan-turned-Minnesotan mother and child psychologist. Her heart breaks for Will when he is repeatedly banned from Fun Friday in first grade shortly after he is diagnosed with ADHD. The family zigzags through an obstacle course of therapy, medication side effects, tutoring, and sleepless nights, while shining a light on Will's inherent strength--blues guitar. Readers will surely recognize themselves in this story and find solace, laughter, and hope as they celebrate the surprising blessings ADHD can bring.

An update to Susan Hughes acclaimed Ryan, A Mothers Story of her Hyperactive/Tourette Syndrome child. It covers the very difficult adolescent years - a period when he had to be placed in a residential treatment facility - and the subsequent period of returning home and pursuing a normal life following an excellent response to the right combination of medication, family and school support. This is a hair-raising and heart rendering story that should be read by everyone who has ever interacted with a difficult child.