Mon cerveau a besoin de lunettes - Vivre avec l'hyperactivité

by Annick Vincent

I’ll tell you a secret about me: ever since I was little, I’ve had a tendency to get “spaced out.” My ideas jump around like popcorn. It ’s hard to keep my concentration when my thoughts a re banging a round in my head like bumper cars…

Tom is eight years old and coping with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Through his imaginary journal, he shares his daily life with readers, helping young people, as well as parents and other caregivers, to better understand and cope with ADHD. Tom is endearing, and his journal is funny and imaginative. It brings his reality to life, with all its challenge —challenges that are anything but imaginary. Packed with effective tips and practical advice for coping with ADHD, this book is an indispensable tool that will answer plenty of questions, regardless of your age!

Genres: Adhd, Parenting, Self Help, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2010

Reviews

[Danielle Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is well-intentioned with some good information, but it focuses a lot more on medication than on other interventions. The interventions that are focused on are things like creating organizing systems and calendaring, and as a neurodivergent professional, I can say that we have all tried that, we need more than that.

The book also doesn't align with the neurodiversity paradigm, framing ADHD as a disorder, and somehow recognizing that ADHD is disabling in this world while also semi victim blaming ADHD kids for not masking their traits better through sheer willpower. It is not a book I will feel comfortable sharing with my kids, unfortunately.

[Josée Lepire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre qui parle vraiment à l'enfant, avec des mots et des expériences d'enfants. Non pas que c'est sursimplifié, mais que c'est concret et arrimé à leur quotidien.
Tout le processus du livre permet de normaliser le TDA/H, d'en faire non pas une maladie, mais simplement une façon différente de fonctionner, qui comporte ses défis et ses avantages.
Plusieurs trucs sont énoncés au cours du livre et, bien pensé, regroupés à la fin du livre sur un aide-mémoire qui peut être découpé.

PS: c'est pour les enfants, et aussi leurs parents, leurs enseignants, etc...

[Heather Gmiterek · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this book first as a family 3 years ago when we had a child in our care with adhd and his therapist recommended it to help explain to our kids why kiddo acted the way they did sometimes and why they took medicine every day even though they weren’t sick. It was one of many tools and books we used to help our kids understand neurodiversity and how it effects our day to day. It helped the diagnosed kid understand what was going on in their brains and helped the other ones gain insight and compassion.

We just reread it as we have another kiddo recently diagnosed starting a med trial to explain some of the changes we are making to help executive functioning. It was a good refresher and very helpful.

It is very simplistic and geared towards young children. All the kids found it helpful and opened great conversation and questions.

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the better books that I've found about ADHD for kids. I'm not sure exactly what age range this would be best for; the main character is 9, but the tips seem more useful for older children. The thing I cannot get past is that, throughout the book, ADHD is referred to a as a "problem." We've been dedicated to a strengths-based approach for our ADHDer, and this book just doesn't fit into that. When you're teaching a kid about a neurological condition that they have, and will have for their entire life, it feels so important to help them approach it without shame or the discouragement that a "problem" hovering over your life would bring.

[Mélodie Lamontagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellente approche explicative pour les enfants TDAH. Ce livre m'a beaucoup aidé a mettre en perspective le fonctionnement de mon cerveau, a me juger moins sévèrement et a apprendre mes forces et mes faiblesses. Très bonne façon d'expliquer les différences non visible et la prise de médicaments (ou non).

[Dany VR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since my son's diagnosis, I have read several books about ADHD, both for adults (parents) and children. This book focused on children and has been the best we have read so far. Quite clear, funny, empathetic and concise. A book to read, not just once, but several times, and keep it as a reminder. Excellent to be shared with everyone involved in the child's life.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

C’est un livre très mignon pour expliquer le TDAH aux enfants. J’aime bien l’idée d’avoir Tom expliquer sa propre vie avec le TDAH et j’ai aussi aimé la fiche avec les symptômes à remplir avec l’enfant. Un point de moins pour les dessins qui ne sont malheureusement pas toujours facile à comprendre.
En général, une bonne initiation pour les familles dans le thème du TDAH.

[Marylovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy and educational read that my family enjoyed. It was really helpful to have a simplified adventure to follow about a child with ADHD. We were recommended this book when my oldest was being assessed. It helped him not feel like havingADHD was a negative thing.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read to my adolescent son who has been recently diagnosed with ADHD. It brought up lots of good info for both him and I, as well as allowed him to ask questions. He is very open to wanting to understand what ADHD is, and how he can lead a healthy lifestyle with it.

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great resource for introducing the concept of ADHD to not only kids but adults too !! It present the idea in a lighthearted way but also address normal problems or issues that one would face! I’m looking forward to reading the adult version next !

[Jessica Parr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to introduce an ADHD diagnosis to not only children, but parents as well. I would say that it needs to be paired with other resources just to ensure proper comprehension, but overall I recommend this book to any child that struggles with managing the symptoms of ADHD.

[Ashlaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good explanation, especially first explanation, of what ADHD is for people who don't know or might have preconceived ideas. However, I know that as a child I, personally, would have found the metaphors used to explain a bit condescending since there isn't an additional, more scientific or detailed explanation given. I do understand now that most people wouldn't and it's ok for a first explanation.
It's written as a first person account from a kid with ADHD, easy to read and has tips and illustrations, supposed to be the kid's drawing in the story. I didn't like the illustrations though I like the idea, because I could not always tell who the characters drawn were even if there's like, very few characters. The doodle with glasses is cute though! I like this one!
However, the illustrations as a whole do make the thing more lively.
There's an additional sheet at the end of the book with a list of all the tips that you can cut out to carry with you, keep on your wall, in a binder or whereever you need.
Tl;dr: It's a really good first book to read on ADHD especially if you don't have much time or come with preconceived ideas or have trouble reading, but the lack of further explanation and very simplified explanations with those metaphors would have made me feel condescended to as a child. The tips are great and I would have been helped by them as a kid but only learned about those in my late teen years/early adulthood, on the Internet.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livre intéressant donnant plusieurs conseils pour les gens s atteint de tdahet expliquant c'est quoi etc.. et facile de comprendre pour un enfant. A lire avec son enfant.