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Overcoming ADHD: Helping Your Child Become Calm, Engaged, and Focused—Without a Pill
This wise and informative guide applies Stanley Greenspan's much admired developmental approach to a very common disorder. In his distinctive and original view, ADHD is not a single problem, but rather a set of common symptoms that arise from several different sensory, motor, and self-regulation problems. As in his highly successful earlier books and in his practice, Greenspan emphasizes the role of emotion, seeking the root of the condition and rebuilding the foundations of healthy development. Overcoming ADHD steers away from the pitfalls of labeling, or of simply stamping out symptoms with medication, and demonstrates Greenspan's abiding belief in the growth and individual potential of each child.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Stanley I. Greenspan
71 books28 followershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stanley Greenspan (June 1, 1941 – April 27, 2010)[1] was an American child psychiatrist and clinical professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Science, and Pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School. He was best known for developing the floortime approach for attempting to treat children with autistic spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities.[2]
He was Chairman of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders and also a Supervising Child Psychoanalyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Medical School,[2] Greenspan was the founding president of Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health's Clinical Infant Developmental Program and Mental Health Study Center.[3]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stanley Greenspan (June 1, 1941 – April 27, 2010)[1] was an American child psychiatrist and clinical professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Science, and Pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School. He was best known for developing the floortime approach for attempting to treat children with autistic spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities.[2]
He was Chairman of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders and also a Supervising Child Psychoanalyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Medical School,[2] Greenspan was the founding president of Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health's Clinical Infant Developmental Program and Mental Health Study Center.[3]
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 25, 2011
Dr. Greenspan postulates that what is called ADHD is actually a group of symptoms that can have very different root causes. He focuses on improving the child's (or adult's) skills in a few general areas: motor control, sequencing, sensory modulation and reflective (or more abstract) thinking. I'm completely on board with his approach to teaching those with ADHD the skills they need to function well in society. Many of the skills he discusses seem to be inborn in those without ADHD or at least easily picked up by observation, while those with ADHD need to be specifically taught how to strengthen and utilize those skills. Dr. Greenspan provides some good suggestions for how to do that.
Where I get a little skeptical is in his insistence on working on this skills for six to twelve months before even considering medication. While medication is not a substitute for learning those skills, in our experience, the medication provided at least a small measure of immediate relief that allowed my child to make progress in some of those other areas. We didn't have 6-12 months to try something out first; he needed help right then.
He also talks about some activities to help very young children learn these motor, sequencing, sensory and abstract thinking skills. While I'm sure they'd be helpful for active toddlers, it seems a bit preemptive in a book about overcoming ADHD. ADHD is often not diagnosed until the child is in early elementary ages - you'd have to be awfully clued in to even know what to look for in a toddler, especially if it doesn't run in the family.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
Where I get a little skeptical is in his insistence on working on this skills for six to twelve months before even considering medication. While medication is not a substitute for learning those skills, in our experience, the medication provided at least a small measure of immediate relief that allowed my child to make progress in some of those other areas. We didn't have 6-12 months to try something out first; he needed help right then.
He also talks about some activities to help very young children learn these motor, sequencing, sensory and abstract thinking skills. While I'm sure they'd be helpful for active toddlers, it seems a bit preemptive in a book about overcoming ADHD. ADHD is often not diagnosed until the child is in early elementary ages - you'd have to be awfully clued in to even know what to look for in a toddler, especially if it doesn't run in the family.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
March 27, 2017
as i delve into the diagnosis of adhd and oppistional defiant disorder, and debate whether to medicate or not, this book gives useful ideas that easy to try and work easier for the child that traditional behavior modifaction. I marked over75% of this book as things I want to try, things to avoid or things to research
April 12, 2021
This book was broad and did not include the specific help I was looking for. It is good for overarching ideas about how the brain works differently for everyone, but I wanted step by step ideas and plans for things and "games" that I could use with my child. Instead what I got was general "work on this skill" without the guidance to help me know what to help with that skill.
October 22, 2010
There is much conflicting advice for parent of kids with ADD and ADHD, especially advice that is anti-medication. This book shoots for something more behavior oriented and less medication dependent, but doesn't dismiss the usefulness of medication outright.
It was interesting and useful to see Greenspan break out attention issues into their many possible aspects. For instance one kid might be overstimulated by his environment and unable to focus, but another might be understimulated and not responsive/unable to participate, but both can be said to have attention issues. Those are just two of a spectrum of possible elements that could contribute to a diagnosis of ADHD.
Greenspan recommends starting with an evaluation of your child's behavioral tendencies, and then dependent on his or her strengths and weaknesses, some physical interventions, helping your child get the hang of being able to better control his or her physical self through progressive movements/interactions in games or through dance or call and response or mimicing/communication and visual integration activities to improve balance and gain better awareness of rythm, speed, loud and soft sounds and much more.
He then goes on to talk about how better physical management and awareness can be used as a basis to build on to help a child be more self aware. That self awareness in turn helps a child better understand how he fits into his environment and gives him a context to work with for adapting his behavior.
Greenspan is very careful to note that every child is different and each child's environment presents its own set of expectations for behavior - that's part of what he seems to dislike about medication. He sees it as a sort of one size fits all treatment that deals with the symptoms of ADHD and ADD but that never adresses the underlying factors that contribute to the behavior of a particular child. I can't argue with him there, but as the parent of a child with ADHD who sees the vast differences in my child on when he is medication and when he is not, I can attest to the idea that sometimes treating the symptoms is necessary and useful.
Parents will no doubt feel guilty as they read his descriptions of how parenting styles contribute to behavior problems in their kids (I sure did), but at least he gives us some tools to identify the problems and work to fix them. On the other hand, an exhausted parent of an ADHD kid is going to find his advice pretty dang challenging. He suggests hiring a college student to help with the treatment/games for your kid - nice if you can afford it. What he suggests is not impossible, but it does seem daunting.
And he clearly sees this treatment as something to give at the point of diagnosis, the earlier the better, so if you have a kid who has been on medications for years already, it feels like you are behind before you begin. His suggestion is to try the physical and behavioral techniques for 6 months to a year to see what kind of improvement you can get, and then, if you don't think you have enough forward progress, try other measures (understood to be medication). Again, if you have a kid in school, I am not sure how realistic that is because you may not have the luxury of that time to have them not be available to learn.
Still, all the physical work he talks about can be done whether a kid is on medication or not, and improving your child's ability to manage his or her own body and be more aware of themselves and how they interact in their environment is bound to be a good thing. I can see the sense in what he recommends, but it is an approach that will take a significant amount of time and effort.
I checked this one out of the library, but I'll probably get a copy to reference, and we'll do what we can to integrate his ideas into our day to day interactions with our son. We might not manage it as well as we could with his team of specialists (and a helpful college student), but his advice seems sensible. I think it will be worthwhile to persue to the extent we can manage.
It was interesting and useful to see Greenspan break out attention issues into their many possible aspects. For instance one kid might be overstimulated by his environment and unable to focus, but another might be understimulated and not responsive/unable to participate, but both can be said to have attention issues. Those are just two of a spectrum of possible elements that could contribute to a diagnosis of ADHD.
Greenspan recommends starting with an evaluation of your child's behavioral tendencies, and then dependent on his or her strengths and weaknesses, some physical interventions, helping your child get the hang of being able to better control his or her physical self through progressive movements/interactions in games or through dance or call and response or mimicing/communication and visual integration activities to improve balance and gain better awareness of rythm, speed, loud and soft sounds and much more.
He then goes on to talk about how better physical management and awareness can be used as a basis to build on to help a child be more self aware. That self awareness in turn helps a child better understand how he fits into his environment and gives him a context to work with for adapting his behavior.
Greenspan is very careful to note that every child is different and each child's environment presents its own set of expectations for behavior - that's part of what he seems to dislike about medication. He sees it as a sort of one size fits all treatment that deals with the symptoms of ADHD and ADD but that never adresses the underlying factors that contribute to the behavior of a particular child. I can't argue with him there, but as the parent of a child with ADHD who sees the vast differences in my child on when he is medication and when he is not, I can attest to the idea that sometimes treating the symptoms is necessary and useful.
Parents will no doubt feel guilty as they read his descriptions of how parenting styles contribute to behavior problems in their kids (I sure did), but at least he gives us some tools to identify the problems and work to fix them. On the other hand, an exhausted parent of an ADHD kid is going to find his advice pretty dang challenging. He suggests hiring a college student to help with the treatment/games for your kid - nice if you can afford it. What he suggests is not impossible, but it does seem daunting.
And he clearly sees this treatment as something to give at the point of diagnosis, the earlier the better, so if you have a kid who has been on medications for years already, it feels like you are behind before you begin. His suggestion is to try the physical and behavioral techniques for 6 months to a year to see what kind of improvement you can get, and then, if you don't think you have enough forward progress, try other measures (understood to be medication). Again, if you have a kid in school, I am not sure how realistic that is because you may not have the luxury of that time to have them not be available to learn.
Still, all the physical work he talks about can be done whether a kid is on medication or not, and improving your child's ability to manage his or her own body and be more aware of themselves and how they interact in their environment is bound to be a good thing. I can see the sense in what he recommends, but it is an approach that will take a significant amount of time and effort.
I checked this one out of the library, but I'll probably get a copy to reference, and we'll do what we can to integrate his ideas into our day to day interactions with our son. We might not manage it as well as we could with his team of specialists (and a helpful college student), but his advice seems sensible. I think it will be worthwhile to persue to the extent we can manage.
April 9, 2013
My son's occupational therapist recommended this book to me to help me better understand his behavior as a "sensory seeker," which is a type of sensory processing disorder that falls under the umbrella of ADHD. I appreciate Dr. Greenspan's comprehensive and developmental approach to treating ADHD. He advocates a program that strengthens abilities and addresses root causes such as difficulty with motor planning and sequencing. This is not a quick fix book; rather, this a book gives parents and caregivers a road map and strategies to help the child improve and adapt.
The 7 key goals of Dr. Greenspan's comprehensive approach are:
1. Strengthen motor function with various exercises
2. Help the child plan and sequence actions and thoughts
3. Modulate a child's response to sensations
4. Help the child practice reflective thinking
5. Build the child's self-confidence
6. Improve family dynamics
7. Create a healthy physical environment
The recommendations are sensible and the results we are seeing with our child are encouraging.
Dr. Greenspan does not discourage medication or rule out the possibility of dietary allergies, but he promotes his comprehensive approach of exercises and other strategies for 6-12 months before medication is considered. From his experience working with children, he believes the majority can be helped without medication. And he acknowledges that diet is a problem for some children, but not all. Each child is unique; each case of ADHD is unique.
I don't think the general public realizes the complexity of this diagnosis and its underlying causes. I certainly did not. My eyes have been opened and my heart goes out to families and children who are challenged with these conditions. I highly recommend Dr. Greenspan's book. He is a gentle soul, an expert in his field, and a man who genuinely cares about helping children.
The 7 key goals of Dr. Greenspan's comprehensive approach are:
1. Strengthen motor function with various exercises
2. Help the child plan and sequence actions and thoughts
3. Modulate a child's response to sensations
4. Help the child practice reflective thinking
5. Build the child's self-confidence
6. Improve family dynamics
7. Create a healthy physical environment
The recommendations are sensible and the results we are seeing with our child are encouraging.
Dr. Greenspan does not discourage medication or rule out the possibility of dietary allergies, but he promotes his comprehensive approach of exercises and other strategies for 6-12 months before medication is considered. From his experience working with children, he believes the majority can be helped without medication. And he acknowledges that diet is a problem for some children, but not all. Each child is unique; each case of ADHD is unique.
I don't think the general public realizes the complexity of this diagnosis and its underlying causes. I certainly did not. My eyes have been opened and my heart goes out to families and children who are challenged with these conditions. I highly recommend Dr. Greenspan's book. He is a gentle soul, an expert in his field, and a man who genuinely cares about helping children.
July 2, 2012
I found this book very encouraging to read. The author gave lots of insight into a number of different biological factors which could have an impact on attention span.... and he also addresses cultural factors as well, which I really appreciated - as the mom of an active boy I get tired of unrealistic expectations being heaped on boys merely because culturally, expectations have now changed....
I took pages of notes and have a starting point for further research into different areas to help my son (and myself).
I liked that this author wasn't anti-medication... but instead recommended trying his holistic approach for 6 months to a year and then reassessing to see if any progress could be detected.
Of particular interest to me in this book was a case study of a woman who could have been my twin- I so completely related to every one of her symptoms. I have long known that I have undiagnosed ADD and this case study only confirmed it for me. I found it fascinating to learn that a lack of balance (something I've always suffered from) is strongly linked to attention deficit disorders - AND that its not too late to work on this area....
Great book.
I took pages of notes and have a starting point for further research into different areas to help my son (and myself).
I liked that this author wasn't anti-medication... but instead recommended trying his holistic approach for 6 months to a year and then reassessing to see if any progress could be detected.
Of particular interest to me in this book was a case study of a woman who could have been my twin- I so completely related to every one of her symptoms. I have long known that I have undiagnosed ADD and this case study only confirmed it for me. I found it fascinating to learn that a lack of balance (something I've always suffered from) is strongly linked to attention deficit disorders - AND that its not too late to work on this area....
Great book.
June 7, 2016
This book is full of good intentions, but lacking a solid execution. I'm not overly familiar with his other books, but this one focuses on topics usually covered by an occupational therapist, which I don't think he is. Overall, the message is a solid one, but I think the book is only useful if you have experience with OT or are working with one and would like help creating a game plan for occupational therapy.
November 10, 2013
As a parent with a newly diagnosed ADHD child, I found this book both encouraging and informative. Granted, I was starting with nothing - I didn't know any of the facets of ADHD and certainly had no idea about how the symptoms break down into motor, sensory, or emotional development. This book gives me hope, and a place to begin!
November 20, 2009
similar to "difficult" children book
March 10, 2011
Refreshing and thought-provoking. I'm sorry Dr. Greenspan is gone and we won't hear any more of his thoughts.
Read
June 6, 2012Interesting but not one of my favorites on this topic!
December 13, 2012
Not what I needed to know...
April 18, 2013
Has some great strategies to try to work with your child toward improvement. Gives hope.
March 28, 2015
Some of the suggestions in this book seemed a bit out there, but it is one of the few books I read that did not put medication in the list of first options.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews