“Eddie Enough!” author, Debbie Zimmet shares her inspiration for her book about a third grader, Eddie, whose “…first word was a sentence and I haven’t stopped talking since.” This short and insightful interview discusses her book about a boy who can’t sit still. He wonders why others don’t want him as a partner for class projects.
Mark Smith wrote from his experiences parenting a son with ADHD. “When we were reading everything we could find about the disorder, we were disappointed not to find more books from a child’s point of view that showed other children in the same situation, a book to reassure kids that they aren’t the only one this is happening to. That’s why I wrote Pay Attention, Slosh!”
As any parent, teacher, coach, or caregiver of a learning disabled child knows, every learning disability has a social component. The ADD child constantly interrupts and doesn’t follow directions. The child with visual-spatial issues loses his belongings. The child with a nonverbal communication disorder fails to gesture when she talks. These children are socially out of step with their peers, and often they are ridiculed or ostracized for their differences. A successful social life is immeasurably important to a child’s happiness, health, and development.
Brain chemistry, not bad parenting, is responsible for the 12 percent of children younger than 18 who have diagnosable brain disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), separation anxiety disorder (SAD), or enuresis (bed-wetting). Through case studies, scientific data, and information about children’s development and brain chemistry, Koplewicz helps parents understand the obstacles their brain-disordered children face. A practicing psychiatrist, he also suggests means, including therapy and medication, by which families may lessen the difficulties posed by those disorders. He devotes the final section of the book to considerations of the nature and treatment of problems including, besides those noted above, depression, conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, and autism. Presented with compassion but in no-nonsense style, his effort offers a wealth of scientific information in a format easily accessible to parents, extended families, and friends of “difficult” children.
—Kathryn Carpenter from Booklist
PHP’s mission is to help children with special needs receive the resources, love, hope, respect, health care, education, and other services they need to reach their full potential by providing them with strong families, dedicated professionals, and responsive systems to serve them.
