Adhd: Helping Parents Help Their Children

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Summary: Another wonderful volume by Dr. Edward Jacobs.
Review: Dr. Jacobs has written another wonderful volume in practical parenting techniques. I read Dr. Jacobs' first book, "Fathering the ADHD Child," a few years ago, and it really helped me tremendously as a parent. Naturally, I was very eager to find out what new ideas Dr. Jacobs wanted to share with his second publication. I was astounded to find that I liked his new book even better! "ADHD: Helping Parents Help Their Children" does exactly that! It helps us help our kids find their way in this world. One of the most important, albeit painful, realizations of a parent is that he/she cannot be there for a child forever. Therefore, as parents, we must teach them everyday to thrive in the world independently. The book offers a number of very practical tools, such as charts, diaries, etc., to quantitatively track and manage positive and negative behaviors. These alone are worth many times the price of the book. It is simply amazing how much "true" progress we can make when we measure ourselves methodically and accurately. Clearly such goal setting and assessment techniques have proven helpful in weight control and anger management, but the application of such "scorecards" is actually even more effective with children. Kids just love to keep score! And they love to "win," so the motivation to succeed under a point system is very natural for youngsters. Frankly, I believe these tools can be very effective for any child, not just those with ADHD. Dr. Jacobs also offers pragmatic advice in a number of settings and situations. These include schooling, social skills, discipline, authority and medication. The book even covers the topic of marital issues, such as separation and divorce. I would encourage all parents who want to hone their childrearing skills to take a look at this book. Even those without ADHD children can benefit enormously from the concepts and techniques presented by Dr. Jacobs.