The Myth of the
A.D.D Child: 50 Ways to Improve Your Child's Behavior
The Myth of the A.D.D. Child is the first book of its kind to challenge the misdiagnosing of millions of children with attention-deficit disorder and to question the overuse of psychoactive drugs in treating hyperactivity. Thomas Armstrong is a psychologist, teacher, and consultant who has had years of experience working with children with attention and behavioral problems. He believes that many behaviors labeled as A.D.D. are in fact a child's active response to complex social, emotional, and educational influences. By tackling the root causes of these problems - rather than masking the symptoms with potentially harmful medication and behavior-modification programs - parents can help their children experience positive changes in their lives. Dr. Armstrong offers fifty non-drug strategies for helping a child overcome attention and behavioral problems. These include activities for increasing self-esteem and making the most of vitality and creativity. He also provides a checklist to find the interventions that are best for a particular child, and hundreds of resources - books and organizations that support these fifty strategies. Provocative and persuasive, The Myth of the A.D.D. Child is a practical, essential guide for both parents and professionals. Dr. Armstrong is not completely against the use of psychiatric drugs on children, as we at FTR are, but he pretty much takes that stance for all practical purposes because 1) he ably argues against the entire theoretical foundation on which the "A.D.D. Disorder" perches, and 2) he offers many alternatives to drugs and heavily encourages their use due to their benefits (and the harm of drugs). He is right. A.D.D. is a contrived "illness". It is not a "genetic disorder" or a "brain disease". Drugs don't correct any real physical ailment, and in fact, often make matters worse. This book as extensive, covering many alternatives, and a great starting place for anyone concerned with helping a child labeled "A.D.D.". Dr. Armstrong himself says, "I would like the readers to know that my book does NOT say that there are no distractible, hyperactive, or impulsive kids out there. Rather, it argues that the ADD/ADHD concept is not helpful in understanding these behaviors, and gets in the way of our appreciating the wholeness of each child." * * * People and children DO have various problems with life. Instead of naming and redefining these problems as various "mental diseases", and labeling people with them, as is currently in vogue within the psychiatric community, these problems with life and living are best understood and addressed outside of the traditional psychiatric paradigm. Dr. Armstrong adds greatly to the understanding of just how true this is for the child saddled with a label of A.D.D. or A.D.H.D.
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