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Why A.D.H.D. Doesn't Mean Disaster
By Dennis Swanberg & Diane Passno, with medical contributions by Walt Larimore, M.D.
Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2003, 167 pages, $18.99.
In the book Why A.D.H.D. Doesn't Mean Disaster, Dennis Swanberg, Diane Passno, and Walt Larimore, M.D. give hope, offer a new perspective, and supply encouragement to parents of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A Focus on the Family offering, this short book attempts to combine medical information and a spiritual framework for managing the ADHD child. Struggling with ADHD his entire life, Swanberg recounts how growing up was twice as challenging and twice as fun, and tells what he has learned in living with the disorder. Having raised children with ADHD, both Swanberg and Passno convey techniques, tactics, and knowledge that they have learned that will help parents gain a better understanding of their child and the disorder.
After a delightfully humorous story about the importance of perspective on what and how it can negatively impact one’s view of circumstances, the authors then give accounts of three people who have not only struggled with the disorder but have used their unique abilities to best benefit themselves and those around them. These three accounts, one about Swanberg himself, one about his son, and one about Passno’s daughter, contain characteristics that are fairly generalizable across the gamut of the symptoms found in people with ADHD such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Each account includes how they discovered their difficulty in school, how they struggled and compensated for those difficulties, and how they overcame the stigma of failure. Because of these three unique accounts, their symptoms are applicable to many people with ADHD. More importantly, it offers the parents of these children the hope and support that they need to nurture their ADHD child and to help them succeed. To further encourage the parents of children with ADHD, the chapter entitled “Will This Kid Ever Amount to Anything?” regales the reader with the many successes of the authors’ children, but adds the successes of people like Walt Disney, and Charles Schwab who have displayed symptoms of ADHD and other kinds of learning disabilities. One of the lessons learned by the authors was that “Successful people who have been diagnosed as adults with ADHD have used their unique ways of looking at the world to their benefit--they have changed a disability into an asset” (p. 51).
This book emphasizes the collaborative role that the parent plays in their child’s life. The authors make this known by not only identifying with the children who have ADHD, but by identifying with the parents, who may also have ADHD, and their frustrations. They also support and encourage the parents by reaffirming that ADHD is not the result of poor parenting or lack of love. Parenting tips are also included to provide the parents with a sense of direction when managing ADHD such as breaking activities into smaller more manageable parts, and by recognizing every success by reinforcing the behavior. Throughout the book, Larimore is found answering questions and concerns from his professional experience with helping children with ADHD. His insight offers a medical perspective for fact-oriented parents. Larimore is also responsible for the final two chapters of the book that discuss the treatment of ADHD, as well as provide a question and answer section to further assist parents. These chapters aide the reader by correcting misconceptions and dispelling various myths about ADHD, such as debunking the supposed link between sugar and hyperactivity. Larimore also explores other possible behavior, medical, and mental disorders that may be masked by the symptoms of ADHD. Despite the helpful information in these final chapters relating to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, there is an overall emphasis on having the child diagnosed by a knowledgeable professional to prevent the dangers of possible self-diagnosis on the part of the parents.
Although this book is mainly intended for parents with children who have ADHD, the children themselves, their siblings, and even their teachers can benefit from chapters of this book. For someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, the chapter entitled “Attention Deficit Dividends” will be most helpful because it offers coping strategies and ways to use their abilities to overcome day to day obstacles of ADHD, like adhering to a consistent schedule after school to complete homework and other chores. Upon reaching a diagnosis of ADHD, psychotherapists and practitioners who work with the child and their family can use this book to supplement the initial therapy sessions along with Bibliotherapy. They can assign chapters for the family to read to help them better understand their child and ADHD. They can use sections of the book such as “How should I discipline my ADHD child?” to facilitate ongoing psychotherapy. By integrating the content in these sections with ongoing psychotherapy, practitioners can work with the parents to develop a discipline style that best fits the parents and the child. The psychotherapists can emphasize the parenting tips, guidelines, and strategies in the sessions when working with the family and their child. They can use this book to help the siblings to better understand the child with ADHD by assigning the chapters geared for teens for reading. It serves as a great introductory resource, including two appendices, for parents, teachers, and clinicians who are brushing up on their respective skills or who just need a place for more information. This book may be especially helpful to religiously affiliated psychotherapists and practitioners because of its spiritual aspects. Scripture verses from the Bible are placed at the beginning or end of chapters to give hope and to encourage the parents and children with ADHD.
One of the stronger elements of this book is Dr. Larimore’s question and answer section. Not only is this section helpful based on the content, but in its location of the book. Because it is one of the final chapters in the book, it gives the parents a thorough review of at ADHD, before attempting to tackle the problem. If this was not the case and the question and answer section was at the beginning, parents might miss out on the motivational and attitudinal message of the book. They might be tempted to dive right in instead of learning, empathizing, and understanding what their child is truly experiencing. Adults with ADHD should be able to relate well to what the authors are sharing regarding the struggles and difficulties reported in the book. This book is readable; it contains frequent anecdotes, humor, and information in plain everyday language that is suitable for high school reading levels. At the end of each chapter, the authors provide lessons that they have learned while raising a child with ADHD as well as a reflection section with questions for the parents to reexamine their attitudes and behaviors concerning their ADHD child.
A possible weakness of this book is the spirituality or religious elements found in the quotes from the Bible. It is not very forceful nor is it particularly compelling or useful. Some parents who are not religious may not be able to relate to this element of the book. It appears as if the Scriptural references are thrown in as an afterthought and do not relate to particular ADHD dilemmas or childrearing practices. They might best be considered “inspirational” to a potential reader with Christian beliefs. Believers who may suffer from some degree of suspicion about science, or about the medical/psychological approach to a disorder that often looks like “bad behavior” or “rebelliousness” may also find reassurance. Another caveat is that many parents of ADHD children have ADHD themselves, therefore may not have the persistence or attention to complete the book or follow through with its recommendations. On the plus side, this is a short book and may not be that intimidating to an adult with ADHD.
Overall, Why A.D.H.D. Doesn’t Mean Disaster gives hope and offers encouragement with a moderately religious flavor without being “preachy” to the parents of children diagnosed with ADHD. It offers a refreshing point of view to understanding the gifts and abilities that children with ADHD have, along with providing practical suggestions and strategies to help these children.