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ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Fully updated with the latest AAP recommendations, this award-winning guide offers parents balanced, reassuring information to help them manage this condition. Topics include: evaluation and diagnosis, coexisting conditions, behavior therapy, ADHD and academics, the role of medication, and complementary and alternative treatments. Parents will also find inspirational and relatable stories from other caretakers.
342 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 24, 2023
On my journey to better understand Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), I turned to this book by Drs. Mark L. Wolraich and Joseph F. Hagan Jr. While I have lived with ADHD through at least one person in my household for the past decade, getting a handle on it from the outside is difficult. Putting my mind in the context of the diagnosed and trying to parent my son was hard enough, but when a blended family led to more cases, things got out of hand. I needed some resources and sought them out. This book was one such tool I brought in to assist. It did open my eyes to much, while muddying the waters in other aspects as well.
Touted as being “fully updated with the latest American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for the treatment and care of individuals with ADHD”, this book has won a number of awards as a guide for parents to better understand ADHD in their children. While I do not discount this, it is highly technical and offers up quasi-layperson terms and sentiments on the subject. The information found herein is core and mostly digestible, though the amount of detail might have been more than I needed on some subjects, especially as I chose the audiobook route. Drs. Wolraich and Hagan cover all aspects of ADHD, from understanding its core, the associated disorders that mirror or accompany it, to medications that are on the table, and how to handle everyday life with a child whose diagnosis might seem scary. All in a single book that can be read in a short amount of time.
While I will not get into the core principles or expand on the contents of the book too much, I can say that the authors have a good handle on things. They shine a light on things and help the parent to realise that this is not their fault, nor is it of the child. Be it through brain chemistry or genetics, ADHD is prevalent and since it is not going away, it must be handled. Some would treat the child as fragile or hopeless, though the authors seek to have parents steer away from both. Rather, it is a hill that must be conquered and with the right tools, anything is possible,
I can see a number of things in the book that strongly relate to Neo and his step-siblings, all of whom at at different developmental ages in the ADHD process. I can also see how I struggle with understanding and synthesising things at times to better parent the ADHD child(ren). Drs. Wolraich and Hagan provide some key tools for success, as well as some highly outlandish statements that the reader can find for themselves within the pages of the book. With detailed chapters, the authors tackle a great deal, but tend to do so with relative ease and keep the parent/reader in the know.
While things did get to be overwhelming at times, I was not one to feel too panicked with what was going on. There is hope for success with an ADHD diagnosis, but it takes time, patience, and understanding. This book paved the way to help better comprehend all that is before me and to correct some of the mistakes that I found occurred in my past parenting choices. I suppose the best take-away from the piece for both me and the children in my care.... you are not alone!
Kudos, Drs. Wolraich and Hagan, for swinging a light on things here and helping me to feel better prepared for the years to come.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Touted as being “fully updated with the latest American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for the treatment and care of individuals with ADHD”, this book has won a number of awards as a guide for parents to better understand ADHD in their children. While I do not discount this, it is highly technical and offers up quasi-layperson terms and sentiments on the subject. The information found herein is core and mostly digestible, though the amount of detail might have been more than I needed on some subjects, especially as I chose the audiobook route. Drs. Wolraich and Hagan cover all aspects of ADHD, from understanding its core, the associated disorders that mirror or accompany it, to medications that are on the table, and how to handle everyday life with a child whose diagnosis might seem scary. All in a single book that can be read in a short amount of time.
While I will not get into the core principles or expand on the contents of the book too much, I can say that the authors have a good handle on things. They shine a light on things and help the parent to realise that this is not their fault, nor is it of the child. Be it through brain chemistry or genetics, ADHD is prevalent and since it is not going away, it must be handled. Some would treat the child as fragile or hopeless, though the authors seek to have parents steer away from both. Rather, it is a hill that must be conquered and with the right tools, anything is possible,
I can see a number of things in the book that strongly relate to Neo and his step-siblings, all of whom at at different developmental ages in the ADHD process. I can also see how I struggle with understanding and synthesising things at times to better parent the ADHD child(ren). Drs. Wolraich and Hagan provide some key tools for success, as well as some highly outlandish statements that the reader can find for themselves within the pages of the book. With detailed chapters, the authors tackle a great deal, but tend to do so with relative ease and keep the parent/reader in the know.
While things did get to be overwhelming at times, I was not one to feel too panicked with what was going on. There is hope for success with an ADHD diagnosis, but it takes time, patience, and understanding. This book paved the way to help better comprehend all that is before me and to correct some of the mistakes that I found occurred in my past parenting choices. I suppose the best take-away from the piece for both me and the children in my care.... you are not alone!
Kudos, Drs. Wolraich and Hagan, for swinging a light on things here and helping me to feel better prepared for the years to come.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 13, 2022
Very useful book for this looking to understand how to best approach ADHD.
January 5, 2023
I give this book 3 1/2 stars. It had a lot of good information in it. The break downs of medication and types of adhd was thorough. It explained the basics of adhd really clearly. I feel like it would be a good book to give to extended family or support people in your lives to give them a good overview of what adhd is but not to an exhausted parent who needs some new and fresh ideas. It didn’t go into the deeper harder stuff.
March 29, 2025
This was an informative book, having ADHD myself there was information I didn't know in there and some helpful tactics. I would recommend this book not just to parents but also to any staff working in the school setting. It brings up a lot of great points about life skills and education. I am glad I picked up the book to gain more knowledge than what I already have.
December 24, 2022
Not all of it is applicable to every case, but a good read for a mom trying to help her young son (and understand) with AHDD.
January 9, 2016
This is the best book on childhood ADHD that I've found yet. I found the information to be factual and organized in a clear and easy to read manner. I appreciated the inclusion of both medication options and complementary medicine. Overall, it's a really well written review of childhood ADHD and would be a great resource for any parent who has a child with ADHD.
May 11, 2018
I strongly recommend reading this book before any other. It's just the facts in plain language before you explore alternatives.
February 26, 2023
This is a good place to start for anyone who has questions about ADHD or who has a child or has or might have ADHD.
March 28, 2020
As a parent with a newly diagnosed child, this book provided some great insight into what our lives have now become.
Some of the info didn't apply as it is an American publication (I.e. health insurance and some resources) but the facts about what is going on with my child and how to help were fantastic.
Some of the info didn't apply as it is an American publication (I.e. health insurance and some resources) but the facts about what is going on with my child and how to help were fantastic.
April 26, 2023
Nothing earth shattering in here regarding symptoms etc of adhd but the section on PTBM techniques (tips for parenting) alone made this book worth it! That section, for me, was life changing and has helped me tremendously with my son. I expect to use this a lot more as time goes on and has he ages through other stages discussed in the book.
October 5, 2023
What a great resource! This book covers everything-- diagnosis, medication, parenting, school, social life, comorbidities, and ADHD in college years and adulthood. It had a positive tone and easy to read.
August 10, 2020
Finding out my son has ADHD ( both types) after reading this book it really opened my eyes & I learned alot! Highly recommend this, I actually just bought the 3rd Edition!
October 16, 2022
Very well-organized and filled with everything a parent likely wants to know about ADHD. Highly recommend as a first read on the topic.
June 27, 2023
Lots of helpful information! I skipped the chapters that weren't relevant to me right now.
August 6, 2023
Great book for an overall introduction into adhd if you are just beginning your journey! I really enjoyed it.
October 3, 2025
Very helpful handbook
February 1, 2022
This book had a lot of really great and helpful information. I just wish that in the teenager chapter, they talked about how teenagers could manage ADHD themselves instead of only how the parent could help then teen. I also thought they implied that everyone who has ADHD experienced it at the same severity, which is not true. Maybe I misread that, but that's the implication I was getting. Outside of that, I think there's some really great advice for parents helping younger children manage ADHD.
July 21, 2021
Me being the parental figure I never had lolol. Rip my untreated adhd and the care I never got from my “parents” - this is a really good book which would definitely help me if my “parents” read it 10 years ago… I love how the author emphasises on the amount of support and understanding parents are suppose to have coz it really is important and 100% makes a different with children. Also, I love how it mentions adhd comorbidities and how to help w that. Defo 10/10.
August 27, 2022
I guess writers are living in a fantasy.
"Consider hiring a tutor when it's so hard to make your kids do their homework"?
"Choose the best classroom environment and teachers who can regularly praise your kid"?
What the fuck world they are living in? If it was just an excuse to make a book thick, I would understand.
If 99% of the population deems those kinds of options so luxurious to them, just don't recommend them. Check reality.
"Consider hiring a tutor when it's so hard to make your kids do their homework"?
"Choose the best classroom environment and teachers who can regularly praise your kid"?
What the fuck world they are living in? If it was just an excuse to make a book thick, I would understand.
If 99% of the population deems those kinds of options so luxurious to them, just don't recommend them. Check reality.
October 5, 2021
Enjoyed the way it’s written and great strategies until the section were they really push for time outs for everything. Maybe because it’s an American book but the In Canada, time outs are NOT recommended. They makes behaviours worse. Kids need correcting before correcting, not send them away and ignore them…
May 27, 2022
Lacks research on emotional regulation and therefore promoting methods that can be harmful on relationship with a child. I hope there are better books than this one although I found it useful in some aspects.
September 28, 2011
A very straightforward and informative book about adhd targeted to parents.
September 26, 2013
very technical, lots of info on the medications, medical plans, navigating IEPS, etc. Not much on preschool
October 30, 2013
Very good, thorough coverage of ADHD in all its forms. Also good with co-occurring conditions, which is also a big deal. Highly recommended.
August 2, 2016
Publications on ADHD abound, and so I was determined to find the most medically balanced handbook about this contentious and difficult condition. I skimmed much of this but appreciated it all.
January 11, 2020
A good primer on ADHD and coexisting conditions .
September 9, 2015
Excellent overall review of the aspects of ADHD . I found this book to be a good all over guide.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews