Rating: 
Summary: This program works!
Review: I bought this book seeking help for my unruly 5 year old child, who certainly fit the ADHD description on the "diagnosis" checklists, but was too young to actually be diagnosed. I wanted to do something about her behavior before she got into school. I was not faced with the medication question at the time, and was hoping to avoid it altogether.This book was great. The behavior modification program he describes worked wonderfully. It has transformed our child and our family dynamic greatly. What the program does is put the consequences of the child's behavior squarely on the child's shoulders. "Punishment" is a lengthy (10+ minutes) timeout in a boring room. (Spanking is only advocated if necessary in order to get a child to stay in the chair, and then on a very limited basis. It is not a regular part of the timeout.) The theory, as I understand it, is that this type of child loves stimulation, and the absence of it -- sitting in a chair in a boring room with nothing to look at or do -- is an effective punishment. Instead of pleading with my child or yelling at her or cajoling her, etc., I simply say "timeout" and off she goes. (And yes, amazingly, she does go to and stay in the chair, without being spanked. Don't ask me why, but she does.) At the end of the time she has to be able to tell me why she was sent. I can think of only one occasion on which she really did not know why. I lent my book to a neighbor whose son fit the general ADHD profile, and she had similar results. She has since recommened it to 5 others. I don't know how the author's research stacks up scientifically. Again, I was not looking for drug information. But I feel that he at least makes a strong argument against the drugs, and that his behavior program is a good one to try before resorting to the drugs. It is not easy for a parent to accept that maybe a more effective parenting style works with this child. I have two older children who are well behaved and have never needed this much work to parent. But it was amazing to see how once my child had to suffer the consequences of her own behavior, she was able to turn it around. One example: she had a regular appointment at a place that was filled with toys and so was very difficult to leave when it was time to go home. The people there liked to talk about how she "had trouble with transitions," which meant that I would either spend 5-10 minutes cajoling her to leave, while I and her siblings waited and I fumed, or carry her out crying, again with me fuming. The only person who was stressed out by this scene was me, Once I implemented the CSP program, I would tell her to leave. If she didn't comply, we left under the usual conditions, except I wasn't fuming, because I knew I could address it once we got home. When she got home, I would calmly tell her timeout, and then leave her there for 30 minutes, without telling her why she was going. Every time, at the end of the timeout, she could tell me why she had been sent. It took about three of these timeouts for her to be "cured" of her "transition difficulties"! Then when I said it was time to leave, she got up and came without incident. Our timeout chair is in the living room, which is an out of the way room. It is a comfortable chair, normally positioned -- not facing the corner or anything. The timeout is not designed to humiliate the child, just bore him or her. You do not yell or scold or constantly monitor the child in the chair. The point is to give the child as little attention, positive or negative, as possible. The other ESSENTIAL part of the program is praise for good behavior. For example, when she got up and left at the right time instead of lingering over toys, I made sure to note it and praise her for it. She loves all the positive attention she gets. It is probably even more motivating than the boring timeouts. It is real work to constantly catch your children doing things right, but it has a wonderful effect on their behavior. If you think about it, Dr. Stein's program is really a very positive and hopeful approach, although it may not seem like it on first reading. He says that we should expect reasonable behavior from these kids; that we should not relax the standards for them; that they do not require constant accomodation. In short, expect them to be normal, not impaired. It expects them to able to acquire a skill that all of us need in life: self control. Further, the timeout is based on lack of attention, positive or negative, so parents stop yelling and freaking out. The child might be throwing a fit in the car, but you can stay calm because you know that when you pull in the driveway all you have to say is "timeout." This book is not the answer for every "ADHD" problem. It does not really address school issues, and I wonder how effective it would be for an older child, say 12+. My daughter behaves much better, but she is still a very "active" kid, so it will not transform a wiggly kid into someone who magically sits still all the time. But overall it has made a huge difference for our family and my daughter. It has de-stressed me and my interactions with her, and has led her to choose better behavior more of the time. I strongly recommend it for any parent at her wit's end trying to figure out what to do with her child. And if you are considering the drugs, be warned that it does provides a strong anti-drug view. But perhaps weighing all the arguments -- pro and con -- makes for a more informed and sound decision, even if the decision is to use the medication. If you really can't take or don't want the anti-drug stance, just skip the first half of the book and use the behavior program. It is terrific.
Rating: 
Summary: for the good of your child
Review: I found this book VERY disturbing. I understand that there are two views about wether or not to medicate children diagnosed with ADHD... for the record, I believe that many do not need to be but some MAY require help for biochemical imbalances.
The information in this text was presented in an incredibly judgemental way with underlying assumptions that are harmful to families. He presents the case that children with families that have stable routines, loving but consistant discipline, lots of time for positive family interaction, not interupted with invasions of the chaotic world around us DO NOT HAVE ADD/ADHD children. This is just INCORRECT. This makes the responsibility of these children's problems fall completely on the parent as a CAUSE of these problems. This kind of judgementalism at a time when families are in crisis and reaching for answers is detrimental to the parents... who's stability the children depend on. It is true that manipulating these environmental factors ( stability, routine, discipline, consistancy, ect) all have a positive effect on these families, the lack of them is NOT the cause of ADD/ADHD...
This book is toxic for parents just reaching out...
Please consider other books such as "From Chaos to Calm" and others that may start you out with a no drug approach without critisizing what you have done or not have done....Beware of any "Doctor" who determines that medication is or is not called for when addressing your childs need and they have not even met your child.
Other books are presented in a much more healthy fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and unprofessional information
Review: I found this book VERY disturbing. I understand that there are two views about wether or not to medicate children diagnosed with ADHD... for the record, I believe that many do not need to be but some MAY require help for biochemical imbalances.
The information in this text was presented in an incredibly judgemental way with underlying assumptions that are harmful to families. He presents the case that children with families that have stable routines, loving but consistant discipline, lots of time for positive family interaction, not interupted with invasions of the chaotic world around us DO NOT HAVE ADD/ADHD children. This is just INCORRECT. This makes the responsibility of these children's problems fall completely on the parent as a CAUSE of these problems. This kind of judgementalism at a time when families are in crisis and reaching for answers is detrimental to the parents... who's stability the children depend on. It is true that manipulating these environmental factors ( stability, routine, discipline, consistancy, ect) all have a positive effect on these families, the lack of them is NOT the cause of ADD/ADHD...
This book is toxic for parents just reaching out...
Please consider other books such as "From Chaos to Calm" and others that may start you out with a no drug approach without critisizing what you have done or not have done....Beware of any "Doctor" who determines that medication is or is not called for when addressing your childs need and they have not even met your child.
Other books are presented in a much more healthy fashion.
Rating:
Summary: for the good of your child
Review: I was not lazy, stupid, or anti-authority. My parents are very strict, I still cannot watch R rated movies in my parent's house even though I am in college. In my entire public school career, I have only gotten one referral, it was for throwing things on the bus. Oddly enough, I was absent the day our school bus driver gave it. It was 'recanted' by the school. My IQ is very high, 130 without medication, 140 with medication. Nevertheless, I never succeeded in school. I got Cs, Ds, and the occasional F. Not for lack of effort, I spent hours on homework every night. I remember the miserable hours in elementary school when my mom worked with me to learn the spelling words. In addition, I was spanked, it did not help my grades or anything else that was caused by ADD. As for my kids, I will probably spank them for the things that spanking can help. In the eighth grade I got medication for ADD and everything changed. My grades jumped to As and Bs. I became much more social and athletic. Right now I cannot decide if I want to study symbolic logic or physics in college. Obviously I am an extreme success case for ADD medication. I'm writing my story here in the hopes that some parent wont be duped by Dr. Steins prejudices and prevent their child from getting the medication he or she needs. Having ADD is miserable without medication. Now I am working my way through Immanuel Kant's Critiques for personal enjoyment, the Critiques are perhaps some of the most difficult books of Western philosophy ever written. I am a lover of learning, but I could not learn without help. From someone in the inside: take it from me, if your child needs medication do not deprive him or her of it because of a Dr. Stein's superstitions.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT Book
Review: In the midst of countless titles on ADD/ADHD that claim to be "resources", Dr. David Stein offers more than just opinions--he provides a SOLUTION. Stein has taken a stand AGAINST amphetamines for treating ADD/ADHD. And he offers a program that has proven it works. If you are a parent with an ADD/ADHD child, a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer, or a lawmaker, this is a MUST READ.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Stein's Caregiver Skills Program Works
Review: My wife and I read Dr. Stein's books outlining his CSP program because our 8 year old son had a number of behavioral issues, at home and at school, that made some of his teachers ask us if we knew about ADHD. Well, I did, as I took a PhD in psychology from Wisconsin in 1988, and what I knew was that it didn't exist except as a label for a complex of recalcitrant, noncompliant behaviors and a low tolerance for frustration. I also knew that use of psychoactive stimulants, such as Ritalin, amphetamine, and methamphetamine, is especially inappropriate for children as they are very likely to permanently change the structure of the brain, lead to depression and other real diseases, and eliminate any valid basis for the child to experience true self efficacy and pride, not to mention genuine higher order creative thought. So, we read Dr. Stein's books and began applying the techniques with our son. We were astonished at how quickly our child progressed! The dawdling in the morning, frequent emotional outbursts, refusals to comply with directives to do whatever - all these - declined dramatically. Were they completely eliminated? Well, did I say he was 8 years old? If you want to get a true scientific picture about the whole ADHD fiasco, and you also have a child who you desperately want to help and not inadvertently hurt, then I strongly recommend that you start with this and Dr. Stein's other related books, then read Peter Breggin's "Talking Back to Ritalin." Dr. Breggin, an MD and psychiatrist, provides compelling proof not only that ADHD doesn't exist, but that stimulant drugs like Ritalin cause serious physical and psychological harm, and that an extremely powerful industry works hard to perpetuate the mythology of ADHD. Some of the other reviewers here need to read these books, and actually try the CSP program, which is an effective method for addressing the difficult motivational (aka "attentional") problems that many pefectly normal children face.
Rating:
Summary: Spanking won't 'cure' ADD.
Review: Well, if you believe ADD is a myth, and is just an excuse for "Highly Misbehaving", and you believe this inattentive behavior can be cured by strict discipline including 3 sharp spanks at each incident, here's your book. Not for me. I gagged on this one. I guess it's good to have read it, to see the 'other side', to know the arguments that opponents to ADD treatment maintain, to understand why my kid becomes a political battlefield. I found Dr. Daniel Amen's "Healing ADD" much more scientific and helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the whole story
Review: While this is an interesting and enlightening book on the subject it tends to be one sided - against the use of medication rather than open to all alternatives. "No Apologies For Ritalin" By Dr Guptka may be a better choice in that it provides and indepth analysis of the condition and offers the reader(parents or caregivers) the choice of alternatives that best suits their situation.
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