Rating: 
Summary: Profitting from the backlash
Review: Dr. Stein is an idiot and obviously does not have ADHD or a child with ADHD. I had the obligation to endure a public statement made by Stein and his summary point was the parents were in pain, not the child, and that the parents were medicating their children to make the life easier. His book is banal and full of the type of self aggrandizing platitudes that embarass the rest of the mental health profession. In many cases, including mine, Ritalin may not be the answer, but Dr. Stein is not either.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent way to Avoid Drugging Your Child
Review: Dr. Stein's book offers an easy, direct, honest procedure for both parents and professionals to use in working with children who have been diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD. It gives parents some clear hope of avoiding the use of medications such as Ritalin, that come with rather dangerous side effects, such as cardiovascular problems, arrhythmias, constipation, nausea, stomach aches, dry mouth, weight loss, growth retardation, tics (sometimes permanently), Tourette's Syndrome, blurred vision, headaches, insomnia, and about two dozen other side effects, including possible loss of brain mass and gross brain dysfunction. This refreshing and simple technique created by Dr. Stein can be used with all children, not just those diagnosed as ADD/ADHD. In represents what most parents do informally and instinctually. His program serves as a valuable and simply understood aid to those who do not have natural parental instincts and to those whose children have more conflicts and more difficulty relating to parental initiatives. It teaches parents to parent and teaches children how to comfortably be children. Of particular interest to me, Dr. Stein talks about children who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, rather than about children who have a disease called ADD/ADHD. The very diagnosis ADD/ADHD has been cited by many psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, learning disabilities specialists, and other professionals as a bogus diagnosis of either relatively normal children or children with other emotional problems in order for the pharmaceutical industry to sell more of its drugs that do not treat and specific disability but merely suppress behaviors. As one psychiatrist put it: "It simply makes kids sit down and shut up." The recent National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement (November, 1998) highlights the controversy over the efficacy of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis and also discusses the overuse of stimulant drugs, even though ADD/ ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood in modern America. Dr. Stein should be congratulated for a job well done.
Rating:
Summary: Finally....the truth!
Review: Finally someone brave enough to stand up and say..there IS no such thing as ADD/ADHD. These are convenient labels for parents who are not prepared to give the time and attention required to their children,its just an excuse for poor parenting skills.
Here....here Mr. Stein........he makes good common sense!
Rating:
Summary: An UNPROVEN pratical program
Review: I agree that Ritalin is not the answer, I personally find Adderall to be much more effective. This book is nothing more than pop-psychology that offers no proof. As in most illogical assertions, personal anecdotes are the only proof offered. The sad reality is anecdotes are only useful if the reader WANTS to believe the story.While there is no denying this method could possibly be useful for some people, to suggest it is more effective than stimulant treatment is to ignore the thousands of clinical studies conducted over the last fifty years. I highly suggest that parents who wish to give their child an opportunity at success disregard the fluff of this work. Stimulants WILL help your child. 95% of ADD patients respond to one of the many stimulants on the market. For children, Ritalin is safer than Tylenol. Investigate for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Good idea
Review: I am an adult with ADD that once took Ritalin. THis book offers an alternative. In general, I am not against the decision to take Ritalin as an adult, but it does seem that our children are not capable of making such a decision (with all of its implications). I have personally felt the side effects of Ritalin and have now learned new ways to deal with ADD without taking it. This book offers good advice and solution.
Rating:
Summary: I only wish I could give this book no stars.
Review: I am utterly enraged by this book. Yes, it's true that attention deficit disorder is sometimes misdiagnosed, and is often used as an "easy out" by parents to explain impossible behaviours in kids that are given free reign over a household. However, ADD is very real, not the "myth" central to the author's theories. As an adult recently diagnosed with the disorder after beginning law school, I can only say that ignoring the disorder and the treatment options avaliable to someone who has it is to limit one's self. I struggled miserably after finally reaching the limits of my ability to cope with my impulsivness and distractability on my own within a law school environment, which is a very demanding environment to say the least, requiring dicipline, structure and focus. Missing 1/3 of a lecture because your mind is wandering is a guaranteed ticket out of law school. Because of my diagnosis and the treatment options that became avaliable, including the "evil" medications, I am now able to "fit" myself into an environment that ordinarily would be almost impossible for me to navigate, and my grades and study habits improved immesurably. Without the knowledge and options for treatment that my diagnosis brought, I would have just thought I was "to dumb" for law school. Any parent who wants a child diagnosed with ADD/ADHD to believe that they "just aren't smart enough" should try the methods in this book. Any parent who wants their child to succeed to their full potential should toss this in the trash and seek the advice of licensed psychologists and other medical personel.
Rating:
Summary: Another Sensationalist Book from the Flat Earth Folks
Review: I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but this book, and many of its ilk, that claim that ADHD is over-diagnosed (it's not) and that medications are extraordinarily dangerous (they are not) misleads way too many people into not exploring appropriate treatments for their children. There is a persuasive group of "flat earth" people who still believe that ADHD is not real, that it is an invention of Psychiatry, and that medications are not a reasonable treatment. When they get others to read these kind of books, they do a great disservice to a scientific perspective and the children who count on parents and adults to make fully informed, 21st century decisions. If you must buy this book, do yor children the favor of buying another book that gives a balanced, scientifically proven perspective. Don't just be sucked in by the rhetoric of anti-psychiatry fanatics.
Rating: 
Summary: Negative tone is disturbing
Review: I found the tone of Dr. Stein's book disturbingly negative. First, there is the strong message that professionals who recommend and,parents who administer, stimulant medications are harming their children and that this approach should never be used. This is his opinion, which he is entitled to, but is not supported by over 40 years of research with these medicines. To say they should never be used is as inappropriate as saying they always should be used. Multimodal approaches, which may combine medical and non-medical approaches, might be more effective than either alone in many cases. The tone also appears negative in discussing ways of helping the ADHD child. While he talks of the need for regular positive reinforcement, he spends more time talking about negative feedback, and the strength of the negatives recommended appears far stronger than the strength of the positive feedback advised. Finally, there is the suggestion that his approach is a new one in the treatment of ADHD. I've read many books on discipline, and found very little that was new.
Rating:
Summary: Hopelessly simplistic
Review: I had high hopes for this book, especially after reading some of these reviews. Unfortunately, I found it to be simplistic and incredibly one-sided. Dr. Stein seems to disregard most of the medical research about ADHD. Instead he tells us what we already know and could read in countless other books about child rearing and dicipline. Don't waste your money. I wish I hadn't wasted mine.
Rating: 
Summary: A good plan for any parent
Review: I have not had to struggle with the issue of using ritalin in my own family, however, my interest in the book is well founded because I have so many friends that are. I read the book and I have to say that I found myself nodding in agreement with Dr. Stein's "Caregiver Skills Program" and its premise. What I also liked about Dr. Stein's approach is his emphasis on nurturing within the family and his insistance on compassionate and loving discipline. This book is easy to read and understand and its program is clearly laid out for those who dare to implement. Frankly, I found encouragement and some solid tips for my own relationships with my children! This book is full of the common sense in parenting that is so lacking in many families. I would recommend it not only for those who are craving peace in their family, but also ANY couple that is committed to raising an independant, well rounded and yes, even likable child.
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