The A.D.D. Book New Understandings, New Approaches to Parenting Your Child

"Dr. Bill" Sears, author of The Baby Book, beloved pediatrician, and creator of "attachment" parenting, teams with Lynda Thompson, an expert on attention deficit disorder and a proponent of neurofeedback, to provide parents with a highly positive, helpful guide to understanding and assisting the ADD child. Sears and Thompson carefully describe the ADD child's particular cluster of neurological traits--some positive (creativity, spontaneity, hyperfocus) and some potentially negative (selective attention, distractibility, hyperactivity). They emphasize that all of these traits can, depending upon how they are perceived and shaped, work to a child's advantage or disadvantage.The authors provide insight into and an analysis of accurately diagnosing the ADD child, managing problem areas, and helping the child cope at school and at home. A thorough discussion about the use of stimulant drugs (Dr. Bill calls them "focus pills") describes appropriate use and misuse, and stresses that the drugs should be used in combination with other, more holistic therapies. Thompson's expertise in neurofeedback is presented as an effective alternative therapy. At a time when many schools have lengthy "Ritalin lines" in front of the nurse's office every day, Sears and Thompson's book is a welcome relief for parents looking for a wide scope of alternatives.--Ericka Lutz

William Sears, M.D., is a former assistant professor at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.