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Rating: 
Summary: Check the footnotes, or lack thereof...
Review: Horrible! I checked the footnotes for some of Taylor's most outrageous statements and you know what his sources are? HIMSELF!
Most of the time, however, he doesn't bother with resources to back up his claims. There are no footnotes for statements like "There is also a four-hour protein cycle, in which the child becomes noticeably more symptomatic during the third and forth hours after the last meal, then becomes better shortly after consuming a protein-rich snack or meal." "Stuttering and stammering are common parts of the syndrome.""Their reading is disjoineted, only one word at a time with no flow between words and incorrect pauses for punctuation.", and "Fair-featured children (blue or green eyes and blond or red hair) account for 40 to 50 percent of all children with ADHD in the Caucasian category." I guess we're just supposed to take his word for these statements without having access to the sources of his information.
Here's a statement that really disturbed me: "Childen with ADHD tend to relate poorly to other children, especially in group settings. Though at first they may attract friends, hyperactives {his term} are not able to keep them. They are incredibly bossy, dominate play situations and intimidate their playmates, are bullheaded and stubborn about getting their own way, and remain inflexible to the appeals of another child." Notice the word "SOME" is not used--it's just a sweeping, negative judgment of all hyperactive ADHD children that can only add to the stigma of ADHD. Shame on the publisher and the author.
I too recommend Sears' book as an alternative, as well as The Myth of the A.D.D. Child (which although it has a outrageous title, has some excellent information and sources for learning more).
Rating: 
Summary: If you are dealing with ADD or ADHD, this is a treasure!
Review: If you could buy only one book to assist you in helping an ADD/ADHD child, this would be it. Taylor has a real knack for "getting inside the skin" of these children. He has a genuine empathy, and is one of the few authors who can explain them in a way that makes sense.
Even after years of working in this field, I find that I gain new insights and practical information in each chapter. For example, he writes, "Poor depth perception results in clumsiness, awkwardness, and occasional stumbling and running into things." It's a lot easier to sympathize with the klutzy child when you look at it from that perspective!
Rather than simply list and catagorize symptoms, as do many books on the subject, Taylor digs into the issues, demystifying them and offering practical, hands-on suggestions for both professionals and parents.
His understanding of the physiology of ADHD is clear in his description of food cravings. The child who craves salty and highly seasoned food, he explains, is deficient in minerals; the excessive desire for cheese shows a need for amino acids. Similarly, itchy skin and rashes occur because, "Basically, their bodies have lost some natural moisturizers in the form of essential fatty acid derivatives and are suffering from a form of dehydration."
He covers many underlying and related conditions. Taylor has clearly done his homework and is aware of the newest research on conditions that include Asperger's syndrome, autism, PDD, etc. The stakes for these children are very high, and it's essential that a parent be well educated in all the various areas that are involved. The areas include: the use of medicine, the role of nutrition (not the politically correct nutrition du jour, but that which is backed by solid research), and those behavior modifying techniques that really work.
Taylor is unique in that he is an undisputed authority in all of these areas. His gift to the reader is that he offers a wealth of information in a way that can be absorbed and put to use quite easily.
Rating:
Summary: Horrid! Look for "The ADD Book" by Dr. William Sears!
Review: The author has a wonderful respect for the ADHD "disorder," but absolutely no respect for the CHILD with the disorder! Over and over, my thoughts kept returning to the idea that there was little attention given to the child. The child is often referred to as lacking focus and proirities or acting with no apparent direction. To the ADULT in the scenario, there MAY be little rhyme or reason to the child's activity, but the author seems to forget that the CHILD may have a very valid reason for his behavior and we just may not see it! There was little evidence that the author supported the idea of getting into the CHILD'S world and attempting to understand the ADHD from his/her point of view. I was horrified by the fact that, as an educator, I KNOW that some of the behaviors and indicators the author used to identify ADHD were developmentally inappropriate! (Exactly how many 18-36 month old children share and play co-operatively? In the authors mind, inability to share and play this way AT THIS AGE is a classic sign!) A parent just confronting ADHDand using this as a resource would feel there was only ONE option in the world MEDICATE MEDICATE MEDICATE! This book actually presented the chapter on medication before all other options simply because it was what the author perceived as the most popular way of "dealing" with ADHD. Once this medicating was well in hand the author suggests using the dreaded Fiengold Program and LIMIT the diet. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone as more than a resource for understanding the "disorder." I would NEVER suggest reading this as a means of trying to "help" your child! This program will do NOTHING for your children. It will make life more conveinient for you but will limit and frustrate your child. If you are looking to read a wonderful book on ADD/ADHD and these amazing bundles of intelligence and energy, I would HIGHLY recommend "The ADD Book" by Dr. William Sears as the ultimate CHILD centered ADD resource.
Rating:
Summary: Check the footnotes, or lack thereof...
Review: The author has a wonderful respect for the ADHD "disorder," but absolutely no respect for the CHILD with the disorder! Over and over, my thoughts kept returning to the idea that there was little attention given to the child. The child is often referred to as lacking focus and proirities or acting with no apparent direction. To the ADULT in the scenario, there MAY be little rhyme or reason to the child's activity, but the author seems to forget that the CHILD may have a very valid reason for his behavior and we just may not see it! There was little evidence that the author supported the idea of getting into the CHILD'S world and attempting to understand the ADHD from his/her point of view. I was horrified by the fact that, as an educator, I KNOW that some of the behaviors and indicators the author used to identify ADHD were developmentally inappropriate! (Exactly how many 18-36 month old children share and play co-operatively? In the authors mind, inability to share and play this way AT THIS AGE is a classic sign!) A parent just confronting ADHDand using this as a resource would feel there was only ONE option in the world MEDICATE MEDICATE MEDICATE! This book actually presented the chapter on medication before all other options simply because it was what the author perceived as the most popular way of "dealing" with ADHD. Once this medicating was well in hand the author suggests using the dreaded Fiengold Program and LIMIT the diet. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone as more than a resource for understanding the "disorder." I would NEVER suggest reading this as a means of trying to "help" your child! This program will do NOTHING for your children. It will make life more conveinient for you but will limit and frustrate your child. If you are looking to read a wonderful book on ADD/ADHD and these amazing bundles of intelligence and energy, I would HIGHLY recommend "The ADD Book" by Dr. William Sears as the ultimate CHILD centered ADD resource.
Rating:
Summary: Horrid! Look for "The ADD Book" by Dr. William Sears!
Review: The author has a wonderful respect for the ADHD "disorder," but absolutely no respect for the CHILD with the disorder! Over and over, my thoughts kept returning to the idea that there was little attention given to the child. The child is often referred to as lacking focus and proirities or acting with no apparent direction. To the ADULT in the scenario, there MAY be little rhyme or reason to the child's activity, but the author seems to forget that the CHILD may have a very valid reason for his behavior and we just may not see it! There was little evidence that the author supported the idea of getting into the CHILD'S world and attempting to understand the ADHD from his/her point of view. I was horrified by the fact that, as an educator, I KNOW that some of the behaviors and indicators the author used to identify ADHD were developmentally inappropriate! (Exactly how many 18-36 month old children share and play co-operatively? In the authors mind, inability to share and play this way AT THIS AGE is a classic sign!) A parent just confronting ADHDand using this as a resource would feel there was only ONE option in the world MEDICATE MEDICATE MEDICATE! This book actually presented the chapter on medication before all other options simply because it was what the author perceived as the most popular way of "dealing" with ADHD. Once this medicating was well in hand the author suggests using the dreaded Fiengold Program and LIMIT the diet. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone as more than a resource for understanding the "disorder." I would NEVER suggest reading this as a means of trying to "help" your child! This program will do NOTHING for your children. It will make life more conveinient for you but will limit and frustrate your child. If you are looking to read a wonderful book on ADD/ADHD and these amazing bundles of intelligence and energy, I would HIGHLY recommend "The ADD Book" by Dr. William Sears as the ultimate CHILD centered ADD resource.
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