Rating: 
Summary: A truly heart felt book
Review: I have hardly finished the book and i already find myself emotionally involved, similing at parts and feeling quite sorry for the family (i think people who have seen me reading it on the train must think i'm crazy with the facial expressions i've had). It has definitely been a great eye-opener to the use of psycholgy. There are more to children than we will ever know :o)
Rating:
Summary: A great book for parents, teachers and psychologists
Review: This book is a fantastic proof, that early childhood experiences do have a strong effect on later childhood and adulthood. A child that grows up with so much doubt and self-doubt will almost certainly withdraw for self-protection. A great book, and very well-written too.
Rating: 
Summary: An amazing story
Review: I read dibs when i was a freshman in highschool. Now a sophmore in college, I need to go back and make reference to this touching book. The book touched upon so many emotions. i think it is amazing how one person can make such a big difference on one child's life.
Rating:
Summary: A positive book to read if honesty seems too hard.
Review: I read this book as I was starting Therapy. Dibs is a true story that helped me to accept a very difficult childhood.
Easy to read and filled with memories/feelings that I had tried to avoid for years. Very positive and very little about blame.
Rating:
Summary: A book to warm your heart
Review: For anyone who has had a difficult childhood,
this book is an inspiration. Other reviewers
may scoff, but those over 40, who have suffered from mothers' expectations will rejoice with
Dibs as his breaks the chains of obligation
and becomes himself. A joyous, triumphant
story made all the more wonderful because it
is true!
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!!!
Review: This is one of my favorite books, it is an essential reading for any person working in the counseling area. This book helped me to see that I wanted to enter into the field of chlid psychotherap
Rating: 
Summary: Why is this book still in print?
Review: Yet another book trying to blame autistic behaviour on cold, intellectual mothers. Axline spends an entire book telling us how nurturing and warm she herself is, but the book is narrow-minded, prejudiced and cruel. This sort of stuff should have been left behind in the 50s
Rating:
Summary: comments
Review: I am not use to watch movies because I have many other assignments which never permit me to watch movies. But I think above comments are very good and give real view of the moive.
Rating: 
Summary: Axline AND Dibs' mother are both victims...
Review: ...of an inaccurate perspective. In terms of writing quality and emotional "pull," this book deserves 5 stars. And, like Freud, it is important to read -- in the correct context. Axline was a pioneer of play therapy (for individuals and groups), and I think there is no doubt that it is a fruitful method for interacting with troubled children. In my practice as a psychologist, I have certainly found play therapy to be extremely productive because a) it is the natural "language" of children, and b) it is also one of the most important ways children learn.So...yes, I believe Dibs (as presented by Axline -- we do have to rely on her description) closely fits the criteria for Asperger's Syndrome, a syndrome on the autistic spectrum where very bright children capable of complex thinking may be quite impaired in basic social, motor and communication skills. And I do believe her therapy with him was very helpful because she provided a model for social interaction, one-on-one (group situations were probably too overwhelming) that allowed him to increase his positive interactions with others (which, in turn, increased their positive response to him). I sympathize with reviewers who are outraged at the use of "refrigerator mother" theory in the book -- and with the reviewers who experienced the pain of unloving or abusive parents. No, an unloving or uninvolved parent cannot "cause" autism. However, it is also true that no autistic child was ever helped by a lack of love or being locked away from others. What both Axline and many reviewers have not taken into account, though, is the degree to which love between parent and child is developed interactively: Dibs mother blames herself because he was an unwanted child (and Axline agrees with this assessment), but it is clear that people unprepared and unwilling to be parents would need an outgoing, engaging child to "seduce" them into affiliation. Faced with a difficult and unresponsive child, with no experience of nurturing, it is not uncommon for parents to find interacting with their child so aversive that a "refrigerated" relationship develops. (Particularly if, as an astute earlier reviewer noted, one or both of Dibs' parents had ASperger's syndrome.) Dibs' sister, outgoing and charming, allows them to experience "success" as parents, so they, naturally, interact more warmly with her. It might be said not that "rerigerator mothers" cause autism, but that autsim in a child can sometimes lead to refrigerated parents. It is important to be fair to Axline, I think. If Dibs was at least 15 years old when the book was written, she was working with him in the late 40's or early 50's -- and for her time, she showed considerable compassion for Dibs' parents. Moreover, many reviewers are suspicious of the book, thinking that she claims to have achieved her results in 7-12 sessions. Careful reading shows that Axline worked with Dibs approximately once weekly for nine months. Even allowing for illness and vacations, 30 or so sessions with a highly skilled therapist can support massive change in a young child. I'm inclined to believe that what "worked" for Axline was her modeling of social interactions at a pace slow enough for Dibs to absorb skills that led to positive reinforcement when he used them at home and at school. In addition, I think play therapy would have greatly ameliorated the anguish he undoubtedly experienced at being unloved. In return, his mother was able to feel more successful and therefore more loving, which led to a slow but continual improvement in their relationship. I have always wanted to hear Dibs' point of view. He would, presumably, be in his mid to late 50's now, and I often wonder how adulthood has been for him, how he remembers Dr. Axline, and what he thinks of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful story filled with wisdom
Review: I was deeply moved by Virgina Axline's wonderful gift to Dibs and to us as readers.
|
