Rating: 
Summary: Needed for some parents, but...
Review: "If you're going to err then err on the side of toughness"(p166)
"Do not give warning"
Have you ever known a really hyper and misbehaving child who you thought just needed a little bit of discipline in his/her life? This is the book for them. I would not, however, recommend this book to 95% of parents whose children have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.
When I read this book, it scared me. The kind of "parenting" described done to a child with ADHD is abusive, and leads only to frustration, anger, rage and despair, and possibly eventually to life long trauma. How do I know? I have ADD, and so did my brother. No, I am not taking medication. Any medication. And my father believed in the kind of methods described in this book. My ADD has only led me to have trouble in school, and daydream constantly, but my brother who had childhood ADD was not so lucky.
Every day, for twelve long years, my father faithfully followed the methods described in this book, with my brother. Extremely smart and argumentative, my brother could be a terror, and was. He "recovered" at puberty like a third of children with ADHD, and luckily has no long term mental damage from the methods supported in this book. But I do. Almost every day I fled outside, to my room, to the neighbors, anywhere, because of the screams of my brother. Even at age 10, when he was given a "time-out", he really did not understand what he had done. The spankings, the immediate, no excuses, no bargaining, no reasoning attitude could of destroyed him. The house would be filled with screams, pleas, wails, that I was helpless to stop, not from physical but from mental abuse. To my brother, he would at any point be snatched away to be padlocked in a room for no apparent reason, even spanked. He had ADD, and it did not work. Period.
ADD is not a disease; it's just a different way that a human brain can work.
There are lots of methods of dealing with ADD without medication then the ones in this book. If you want to treat a child with ADHD without using medication, get another book about it. It might work, and at least it won't be abusive. If your child does not have ADHD, this book is for you. It really does work, just not for kids with ADD. This book is also not for those who do not believe in spanking kids nine times a day.
Rating: 
Summary: This program works!
Review: After reading all the reviews for this book...I thought that it desperately needed a review from a parent who read and practiced the book. I am a graduate student in Social Work and a mom to a child that I DID NOT want to medicate. I wanted to try behavioral approach first. I can tell you that after two weeks my child's behaviors improved at home by 90%. It has now been 3 months and his behaviors at school have improved but are not completely gone. So in the next few weeks we plan to put in place the report card system. I know alot of professionals will say that it hasn't been long enough to evaluate. So I will post again at the 6 month mark and then the 1 year mark and let you all know how it is going. I don't think that this book is meant as a Professional Journal it is meant for parents...like me...that hear over and over again what a disjustice we are doing to our children by NOT medicating. Well BRAVO to Dr. Stein for standing up and saying that it is possible to have an IA/HM child that can function appropriately...without the use of stimulants.
Rating:
Summary: Parent of "ADHD" child
Review: After reading all the reviews for this book...I thought that it desperately needed a review from a parent who read and practiced the book. I am a graduate student in Social Work and a mom to a child that I DID NOT want to medicate. I wanted to try behavioral approach first. I can tell you that after two weeks my child's behaviors improved at home by 90%. It has now been 3 months and his behaviors at school have improved but are not completely gone. So in the next few weeks we plan to put in place the report card system. I know alot of professionals will say that it hasn't been long enough to evaluate. So I will post again at the 6 month mark and then the 1 year mark and let you all know how it is going. I don't think that this book is meant as a Professional Journal it is meant for parents...like me...that hear over and over again what a disjustice we are doing to our children by NOT medicating. Well BRAVO to Dr. Stein for standing up and saying that it is possible to have an IA/HM child that can function appropriately...without the use of stimulants.
Rating: 
Summary: Why no Data?!
Review: As a graduate student who shares Dr. Stein's concern over the the increasing number of young children placed on methylphenidate, I purchased his book hoping to get a legitimate, empirically supported, behavior program I can offer to parents who are leary about medicating their children. While I will admit that I do plan to incorporate Dr. Stein's CSP (Caregivers' Skills Program) model with parents because I do think it could work, I was very disappointed that the book offered no significant data supporting his treatment. He goes to great lengths to "debunk" what he calls the "junk science" that underlies the pro-Ritalin argument, but when it comes to him offering quantifiable, "good science" data in support of CSP, his methodology is as bad or worse than the pro-Ritalin camp's! Statements such as "I've worked with thousands of kids" or "80% of children using the CSP at home no longer have problems at school" may sound impressive, but anyone who reads professional literature will know better than to trust such vague, unsupported statements. Dr. Stein takes great pains to promote an "us vs. them" debate, where he goes so far as to call Ritalin proponents unethical and borderline criminal. This antagonist stance will not help his cause (or the cause of anyone else who wants to see Ritalin use decrease) at all. If Dr. Stein really wanted to prove his system worked, if he really wanted to demonstrate that Ritalin is not the answer, then he would do good, valid, and reliable research on the CSP. He has published an article, stating that something like 11 of 12 cases improved, but that is a very small sample to base an entire book on. Personally, I would love to see him take that research to a larger scale. I would love to be able to speak to my colleagues and say "See, this works, and the data supports it!" But as it stands now there is no data, so there is no point. I respect Dr. Stein for what he is trying to do. I just wish he would take the necessary research steps to further validate his model.
Rating:
Summary: Why no Data?!
Review: As a graduate student who shares Dr. Stein's concern over the the increasing number of young children placed on methylphenidate, I purchased his book hoping to get a legitimate, empirically supported, behavior program I can offer to parents who are leary about medicating their children. While I will admit that I do plan to incorporate Dr. Stein's CSP (Caregivers' Skills Program) model with parents because I do think it could work, I was very disappointed that the book offered no significant data supporting his treatment. He goes to great lengths to "debunk" what he calls the "junk science" that underlies the pro-Ritalin argument, but when it comes to him offering quantifiable, "good science" data in support of CSP, his methodology is as bad or worse than the pro-Ritalin camp's! Statements such as "I've worked with thousands of kids" or "80% of children using the CSP at home no longer have problems at school" may sound impressive, but anyone who reads professional literature will know better than to trust such vague, unsupported statements. Dr. Stein takes great pains to promote an "us vs. them" debate, where he goes so far as to call Ritalin proponents unethical and borderline criminal. This antagonist stance will not help his cause (or the cause of anyone else who wants to see Ritalin use decrease) at all. If Dr. Stein really wanted to prove his system worked, if he really wanted to demonstrate that Ritalin is not the answer, then he would do good, valid, and reliable research on the CSP. He has published an article, stating that something like 11 of 12 cases improved, but that is a very small sample to base an entire book on. Personally, I would love to see him take that research to a larger scale. I would love to be able to speak to my colleagues and say "See, this works, and the data supports it!" But as it stands now there is no data, so there is no point. I respect Dr. Stein for what he is trying to do. I just wish he would take the necessary research steps to further validate his model.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: As a parent of a child who has just been "diagnosed" as ADD/ADHD, this book has at least given me hope of a "cure" without the use of drugs. Dr. Stein just can't see why any parent would resort to drugs as the FIRST line of defense before trying a regiment of strict, LOVING, behavior modification. Makes sense, doesn't it? I don't know whether Dr. Stein's methods will work with my child, but I am certainly willing to try. Unnecessarily sentencing him to a life of chemicals would be a crime.
Rating:
Summary: The CSP non-medication approach to ADD/ADHD
Review: I am a practicing pediatrian with a heavy emphasis on behavioral problems. After reading Dr. Stein's former book RITALIN IS NOT THE ANSWER, although skeptical because so much of conventional "wisdom" about managing ADD was challenged, I cautiously began to offer this approach to select parents. The results were impressive in several cases, and this fueled my desire to learn more about Dr. Stein's approach. Having now begun to offer the CSP (Skilled Caregivers Program) for any parent who prefers a non-medication method of dealing with ADD/ADHD behaviors, I continue to experience success in a number of cases where previously medication offered the only hope for improvement. The current volume amplifies on what Dr. Stein has previously written, and adds a number of areas to supplement the fundamental behavioral premises and techniques. Having had an opportunity to read the manuscript twice prior to its current availability, I am most impressed and unhestitatingly recommend it for any parent dealing with this issue and for professionals who would like to be able to help parents to manage their child's behavior problems effectively without having to resort to medications.
A chapter on Dr. Stein's ideas about why we may be experiencing such an explosion of the behaviors defining what we have labelled as ADD/ADHD is outstanding and thought-provoking. I agree with his overall assessment that this behavioral syndrome likely represents basically a culturally derived phenomenon rather than a biological or neurological one.
The discussion of both the importance of, and how to carry out, positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior is outstanding and provides the book a commendable balance while dealing with oppositional behavior. I encourage fellow professionals who might initially hesitate to consider seriously Dr. Stein's conceptualization and recommended approach, to do themselves a favor and read this book.
S. DuBose Ravenel, M.D, F.A.A.P.
Rating:
Summary: The CSP non-medication approach to ADD/ADHD
Review: I am a practicing pediatrian with a heavy emphasis on behavioral problems. After reading Dr. Stein's former book RITALIN IS NOT THE ANSWER, although skeptical because so much of conventional "wisdom" about managing ADD was challenged, I cautiously began to offer this approach to select parents. The results were impressive in several cases, and this fueled my desire to learn more about Dr. Stein's approach. Having now begun to offer the CSP (Skilled Caregivers Program) for any parent who prefers a non-medication method of dealing with ADD/ADHD behaviors, I continue to experience success in a number of cases where previously medication offered the only hope for improvement. The current volume amplifies on what Dr. Stein has previously written, and adds a number of areas to supplement the fundamental behavioral premises and techniques. Having had an opportunity to read the manuscript twice prior to its current availability, I am most impressed and unhestitatingly recommend it for any parent dealing with this issue and for professionals who would like to be able to help parents to manage their child's behavior problems effectively without having to resort to medications.
A chapter on Dr. Stein's ideas about why we may be experiencing such an explosion of the behaviors defining what we have labelled as ADD/ADHD is outstanding and thought-provoking. I agree with his overall assessment that this behavioral syndrome likely represents basically a culturally derived phenomenon rather than a biological or neurological one.
The discussion of both the importance of, and how to carry out, positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior is outstanding and provides the book a commendable balance while dealing with oppositional behavior. I encourage fellow professionals who might initially hesitate to consider seriously Dr. Stein's conceptualization and recommended approach, to do themselves a favor and read this book.
S. DuBose Ravenel, M.D, F.A.A.P.
Rating:
Summary: Great Parenting Tips for any parent
Review: I bought this book because I was told that my son showed some ADD tendencies. I was pleasantly surprised that this book provides excellent parenting tips for all children, ADD or not. Whether or not my son actually has these traits, I now feel equipped with skills to effectively discipline and to help him learn self control.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was of no help!
Review: I bought this book in hopes for some information that would really help our child. We are foster parents who can not spank kids so that is not an option. The author spent 95% of the book telling you what didn't work. When it came to the meat of the book it was of no help. I have read alot of books on this type of behavior and this book would not be recommended by me.
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