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The AD/HD Handbook: A Guide For Parents and Professionals on Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
By Alison Munden and Jon Arcelus. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1999, 160 Pages, $11.83.
Introduction
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD), is a common behavioral disorder that affects an estimated 8% to 10% of school-age children. Children with ADHD have a great deal of difficulty sustaining attention, controlling their impulses, and staying still. These core symptoms have a profound effect on learning, behavior, emotions, and relationships. Upon being diagnosed with ADHD, young individuals, their families, and professionals who provide treatment to them usually have numerous questions about the effects of this condition and different types of treatments methods available.
The AD/HD Handbook provides a very detailed account of knowledge on ADHD and offers realistic advice to families, teachers, and other professionals working with the young individuals and their families. The authors, Alison Munden and Jon Arcelus, focus on the long-term evidence that suggests that ADHD affects individuals of all ages. They also help address difficulties that are faced by those suffering with ADHD, and provide appropriate sources of help. This book is a great tool that provides important information to individuals suffering from ADHD, their families, and professionals working with treatment of this disorder.
The AD/HD Handbook
The AD/HD Handbook is appropriate for families whose children suffer from ADHD, teachers who provide education to this population, and clinicians that treat them. This book outlines what ADHD is, the symptoms, difficulties associated with it, and the types of treatments and interventions available. It begins by describing why a “diagnostic label” is assigned to all mental conditions so they can be recognized throughout the world’s scientific and medical communities. The book also provides diagnostic criteria for ADHD used by health professionals such as “The International Classification of Diseases”, and “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV.”
The book also explains the core symptoms of ADHD (e.g., impulsivity and hyperactivity) and describes some common threads to the stories and experiences of many families and professionals living and working with ADHD (e.g., difficulties paying attention and learning, problems making friends and at home, and other mental disorders/problems associated with ADHD.) The book would prove to be useful in the therapeutic process between parents and clinicians about challenges of dealing with children and adolescents suffering from ADHD.
The authors provide a detailed account of other conditions that may appear similar to ADHD (physical, mental, and genetic) and help provide clarification to families and professionals. For example, the authors describe in detail conditions such as impaired vision or hearing, seizures, sequelae of head trauma, acute or chronic medical illness, poor nutrition, insufficient sleep due to a sleep disorder or environment, other psychiatric disorders that can be mistaken for ADHD, and side effects of medication or drugs. By doing so, they help answer many general questions someone may have about ADHD and conditions and factors that may look similar to it.
The authors describe the evolutionary and biological explanations of ADHD through many theories and scientific explanation that can guide clinicians in the treatment process. The book provides detailed background information on scientific evidence about the causes of ADHD from the fields of anthropology, genetics, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, psychology, and social sciences. For instance, they emphasize that an accurate diagnosis is made for ADHD by clearly understanding their personality, relationships with family and friends, personal strengths and weaknesses, and education needs. By doing so, they help provide families, teachers, and other professionals a clear understanding of specific needs and demands of those suffering from ADHD.
The book provides a useful list of many individuals and organizations that are available in ADHD treatment teams. They include: the child and his or her family, the assessing doctor, school teacher, educational psychologists, behavioral support system, school nurse and doctor, social services, psychologists, family therapists, extended family and voluntary agencies, and parents’ support groups. By doing so, they help ensure that resources and information are available to young individuals suffering from ADHD, their families, and other professionals.
The authors describe and list detailed information about the medical treatments and drugs available for ADHD (e.g., Ritalin, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihypertensives, and their effects, dosages, duration, and reason for prescription.) They also emphasize the treatment of ADHD does not relay solely upon the “pillbox” but also psychological treatment such as, parent training and behavioral therapy, ABC analysis, positive reinforcement, family therapy, individual psychotherapy, and other problem solving skills.
They also emphasize some of the most common types of learning problems ADHD children have in school, provide statistics, and methods teachers many use to reduce such problems while providing education to these individuals. The authors explain that although most of the children who suffer from ADHD many go on to have ADHD during adulthood, but if recognized and adequately treated, it is possible for these individuals to have a career and lifestyle in which they flourish without having much major difficulty in their lives.
How is The AD/HD Handbook effective in bibliotherapy?
In bibliotherapy, the book can prove to be useful in the therapeutic process between parents and clinicians about challenges and demands of dealing with children suffering from ADHD. There are many misconceptions pertaining to this disorder, and as such, the book can be helpful by providing the parents with information that would assist them to better understand and help their children.
Also, assigning certain chapters to read and later discuss in psychotherapy sessions could be useful. For example, if parents are trying to reduce inattentiveness and disruptive behavior in their children, the authors describes strategies and techniques parents can adapt to help their children overcome such struggles without responding with immediate frustration and anger. The parents could be assigned individual steps or techniques and implement them with their child. In future sessions, these steps can be discussed further by clinicians and perhaps implemented with other behavioral techniques.
In addition, if parents are not unsure about certain types of ADHD medication, the section covering this area could be assigned in order to give them a succinct summary of the benefits and risks of prescription medications. Lastly, the book provides a list of measurement and instruments that clinicians can use to assess and measure the symptoms of ADHD in children during the therapeutic process. Overall, this book can be highly effective when used in bibliotherapy with parents and children and can assist with the treatment process for children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD.
Strengths of “The AD/HD Handbook”
This book has much strength that serves to increase a reader’s, particularly parents’, teachers, and clinicians’ knowledge of ADHD and guidance with treatment strategies (both therapeutic and medical). The authors of “The ADHD Handbook” have attempted to present a concise, comprehensive, and cohesive account of both theoretical and practical aspects of ADHD, in a form that is understandable to all interested professionals and parents.
This book is fairly easy to read and it is devoid of highly technical psychological jargon. It proves favorable by essentially discussing topics ranging from the ADHD symptoms to the therapeutic treatments. The text elaborates upon all the treatment methods of diagnosing ADHD and promotes therapeutic flexibility in clinical diagnosis. For those who seek treatment for ADHD, and for whom this conceptualization seems appropriate, this text may be a useful tool to be integrated into the therapeutic process.
This book is also intended to act as a practical handbook, assisting parents and professionals attempting to understand and help children and adolescents who suffer from ADHD and to guide them to further sources of information. This book explains ADHD in detail, its impact on individuals who suffer from the disorder, and the availability of treatment options. Overall, individuals suffering from the disorder, their families, and other professions can easily utilize this book as a beginning tool for learning information about ADHD.
Limitations of “The AD/HD Handbook”
“The ADHD Handbook” is written from a specifically UK viewpoint but does offer suggestions of where, or from whom more information and practical help can be found. This book is written primarily for families and professionals living and working in the United Kingdom, the recommendations and advice contained within it are in line with those included in the “Practice Parameters for the Assessment and Treatment of Children, Adolescents and Adults with ADHD”, published by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Conclusion
Overall, this book is an excellent comprehensive guide to ADHD, clearly explaining all aspects of it, how to identify it, and how to treat it. It provides parents, teachers, and clinicians all the needed resources in one place and encourages its use as a workbook through checklists and record forms. It is highly recommended to anyone who has or works with a child with ADHD.