Taming ADHD Since it Came in the Mail
599289
As someone who's dealt with severe ADHD from the age of 4, I'm always looking for ways to calm my brain and body down, and this does a pretty great job. It's a little hard to get the hang of at first (I dropped it a lot) but now I use it all the time at work, at home, and especially in class. Sitting through long college lectures goes by so much smoother with this little thing in my hand.
1412304
It's in my ADD med rotation and which helps me keep my adderall tolerance down.  Also, can be paired with low amounts if adderall and coffee for especially stressful and disorganizing tasks.
1878801
There is nothing wrong with celebrating your child's strengths, regardless of whether they've been diagnosed with ADHD. It's the right thing to do, and this positive message is something all parents need to hear.

However, expecting society to change to accommodate your child's "strengths" is unrealistic. Most schools are not about to change their curriculum to help  a few kids. The needs of the many do indeed outweigh the needs of the few. The only way you'll be able to dictate how your child gets taught is to do it yourself, which most people cannot do, or pay to get your child into a private school that follows such principles. Otherwise, you're stuck with whatever your school dishes out and need to work with the system. Whether you like it or not, if your wonderfully creative child is disrupting the classroom, then it's a problem. How you and the school choose to deal with this issue is up to you, but medication isn't always suggested to make it more convenient for parents and teachers.

Sometimes kids really do need medication. And I think that the naysayers need to realize that you're not doing your kids any favors by blocking this option from them when they have issues that are severely interfering with their life.

If you encountered a bipolar child, who often displays the same type of behavior as an ADHD child, would you make the same suggestion and tell them to celebrate their bipolar selves? Somehow I doubt it.

I am reading this and taking away some useful information, but I am also not blinded by Martin's overly sunny attitude.
4160434
This has been VERY helpful in understanding my ADHD son and to approach his worries and reactions with more patience and understanding.
2452809
Homework isn't so bad anymore with something to sit and wiggle on with his active on the go ADHD!  Sanity saver for sure!!
1188222
Im thinking you could apply your method to kicking any habit you might have. Really enjoying the read. Having a hard time finding the food list tho. The teeth on your page hide out a lot of words and makes one guess what the words are sometimes
2984259
Medication alone cures Eddie of his AD/HD. Not an accurate depiction of AD/HD. Meds alone may be helpful for very mild attention deficits but Eddie is depicted as having a moderate/severe disorder.

Disability awareness and acceptance are common traits of successful students and adults with AD/HD. Along with therapists and SPED teachers, parents play a critical role in helping children understand and cope with their disabilities. Be sure to recommend these resources to your friends and your childs teachers.

Here are other superb books for children and teens with AD/HD. For children who are not being read to, its important that parents read the book also and start an ongoing conversation.

Grades K-2
Shelley, The Hyperactive Turtle, Deborah Moss
Mrs. Gorski, I Think I Have Wiggle Fidgets, Barbara Esham

K-3
What Were You Thinking? (impulsivity), Bryan Smith
My Mouth Is a Volcano! (interrupting), Julia Cook
Terrific Teddys Excessive Energy, Dr. Jim Forgan

1-2
My Friend Has ADHD, Amanda Tourville

1-3
My Warp Speed Mind, Donalisa Helsley
Otto Learns About His Medicine, Dr. Matthew Galvin

1-5
Annies Plan: Taking Charge of Schoolwork and Homework, Jeanne Kraus

1-6
The ADHD Workbook for Kids, Lawrence Shapiro

K-6
All Dogs Have ADHD, Kathy Hoopmann
Cory Stories: A Kids Book about Living with ADHD, Jeanne Kraus

3-7
Get Ready for Jetty: My Journal About ADHD and Me, Jeanne Kraus
The Survival Guide For Kids With ADD or ADHD, Dr. John Taylor
Journal of an ADHD Kid: The Good, the Bad, and The Useful, Tobias Stumpf

5-8
Attention Girls! A Guide to Learn All About Your AD/HD, Dr. Patricia Quinn (chapter on medication)

4-12
Positively ADD: Real Success Stories to Inspire Your Dreams (2nd edition), Catherine Corman
A Birds-Eye View of Life with ADD and ADHD, Chris Zeigler Dendy

5-12
ADHD and Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table, Blake Taylor

8-12
Understand Your Brain, Get More Done: The ADHD Executive Functions Workbook, Ari Tuckman
Learning Disabilities and Life Stories (some essays about AD/HD), Pano Rodis

10-12
Learning Outside the Lines (college prep), Jonathan Mooney and David Cole (authors have LD and AD/HD)
1548038
I received it yesterday in the mail......I finished it this morning.  I only put it down to feed my dog and cats, and to grab a bite to eat for myself.  Oh, I got about 6 hrs. sleep too. ;-)
3281359
I went through the book with my child in 100 days. But it wasn't easy. There were kid management problems starting at about lesson 40 and coming back at about 80. Here is what I had to do to stay on schedule:

1. If my son wouldn't cooperate during a lesson, he was grounded and sent to his room. Every time he was sent to his room he came out about 30 minutes later and said he would cooperate. We then finished the lesson with no further problems. This avoided World War III type scenarios.

2. If my son had a problem with a word I put it on an index card. We reviewed the index cards one to two times per day. Also, during a lesson I would often ask my son to read a difficult word and do this many different times throughout the lesson.

3. At lesson 40 I instituted a 15-minute break after the first read. The lessons were taking too long, and my son really needed that break.

4. At lesson 80 I instituted two 15-minute breaks: One before the first read and the other after the first read.

5. During the reading my son might have a problem with one or two words. I put those words on index cards for later review.

6. I generally focused heavily on the rules of reading - phonics. Consequently, my son became very good at decoding words. For example, ai-words and ea-words. Also, showing how the ending e affects the vowel - like mad and made. On index cards I would group words by rules, and I explained the rules to my son.

7. If my son had trouble with a word, and said he couldn't do it, then I asked him to tell me the sound of each letter. He almost always figured it out after that. If he still had trouble I would give him hints. Some words I just had to tell him - like "don't".

My son has Asperger's syndrome and ADHD. He didn't want to learn how to read and wouldn't cooperate. I reminded him that it now was too late. He already knew how to read quite well. He starts 1st grade in Switzerland this fall. Instruction is in German. Now I get to teach him how to read in German. He already speaks German and English.
527160
I'm not big into GTD or anything else. However, I was looking for something to help me get control of my inbox. I was going to try the "Inbox Zero" method, but found that I need something a little more in-depth and systematic for my work email.

Other than reading about Inbox Zero I haven't read much of anything on organizing email, so I don't have much to really compare it to. I should also note that I don't use the GTD method, or anything else, for organizing tasks.

With that said, I found that this book delivered a plan to use Outlook to accomplish exactly what I was look to do: reduce inbox and organize tasks.

The plan in this book worked out great on a number of levels for me. The book didn't just focus on folder organization and use, but approached organization as a workflow to be managed across various tools found in Outlook. It also reintroduced me to features of Outlook I had previous dismissed, such as task usage, and demonstrated their value in an over plan to organize email and tasks.

Aside from the organizational plan, I really like the way the book was put together. Instead of going through chapter after chapter to get the big picture how everything fits together, the book starts off with a quick start guide, so you can start implementing the method straight out of the gate. It actual made me more interested in reading the rest of the book, as oppose to being give portions of the method over hundreds of pages. Great job on the author or editors part for structuring the book like that.

While skeptical at first, and and hesitant about getting pulled into some over-organizational method, this book really payed off for me. It took me a 2-3 weeks before I was finally able to get my inbox under control and move into using tasks. But the method outlined in this book worked for me.
1406366
We purchased our revive a few weeks ago but we have only been using it continually this last three weeks. My daughter is 7 yrs old and was diagnosed with ADHD last summer. We have tried many different ways to keep her on task the ball chair, the standing not sitting in your place, you name it we tried it, her first grade teacher was extremely helpful when it came to finding ways to help her stay on task. But once in 2nd grade I knew that she needed to be more self independent and needed something to remind her to stay on track, to bring her out of her day dreams, to make herself be aware of what she is doing. Thats exactly what seems to be happening, she has come home excited telling me mom I finished my assignment without help and I was not last!  At the start I was worried that it would be a distraction, so I made sure to keep her teacher in the Loop. So far her grades have gone slowly back up from B to A on all her assignment, Im excited to see how it will continue to affect her on the daily bases.
2185095
Love the book! It has great ideas for me.  If I could just stay focused enough and sit down long enough to put these ideas to work.  I think it will help me get my filing, medical records and projects finished along with getting my house in order and hopefully uncluttered; all in time.  I have tried other oganizing books but when you are ADHD, Some of those methods don't work and this has ADD User friendly and helps you work with the issues at hand.

LP - Simpsonville, SC
1590778
I kept reading mentions about GTD in blogs and articles but I'm very resistant to trying fads and the "happening" trend.  However, I'm trying to improve myself this year and one of my goals is to get myself organized.  So, when I saw the book in an airport bookstore, I thought it might be a sign.

Like some other reviewers, I have to agree that Allen is overly repetitive; he could have easily written the book in half the pages.  Still, the book really did change my life -- I know it's cliche.

I've tried making lists and keeping up with them before.  I've tried all sorts of methods for organizing my life.  I'm a creative mind stuck in a routine world and I've never got the hang of schedules and doing things all orderly, but lately I'd been feeling lost at work.  Too many little things were flitting through my mind needing to be done.

The GTD method was exactly what I needed.  Now I'm really good at putting every little detailed task down for work projects and I feel so much more relaxed on the weekends because I can check my GTD list home context for household projects and chores and work on things that need to be done around the house.  Now I'm not worrying about what I need to get done when I get home while I'm at work and vice versa.  I know it's written down so it'll be taken care of.  I even have ticklers set up to remind me to call the pharmacy each month for refills so I won't be waiting to the last minute any more.

Now, if I could just get the dog and cats to do the chores on the list for me while I'm not at home, then it really would be stress-free productivity. ;)
2581703
I bought a bunch of these cards for my son because he was having a little trouble in school. Having ADHD, it is hard for him to focus on something "boring" for long. These cards have been a lifesaver for both of us. He can focus for way longer than if we were doing it just on paper and we even make it a game at times.
These are the ones I bought and have used with great success:
-Time and Money
-Phonics Made Easy
-Sight Words
-Alphabet
-Math War
6217
Absolutely the best book I've read on the subject of ADHD/ADD.
4031204
This book taught me truly how to learn. While I have graduated university I still didn't have the tools to avoid procrastinating. It seemed I needed deadlines like the ones imposed by a university course to make me spring into action. Even then I would just do enough.

As someone with ADD I tend to procrastinate alot. This book has truly helped me minimize my procrastination.

Secondly it has helped me learn a lot better by employing some simple techniques to embed newly learned material more effectively.  Not just rereading material to no end.

This book is a must for anyone wanting to overcome difficulties with learning and concentration.
4449887
MY SON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD. WE STARTED READING THIS BOOK AND HE ACTUALLY ENJOYED IT. THERE'S A CHECK OFF LIST INSIDE OF IT THAT HELPED HIM UNDERSTAND A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HIS BEHAVIOR. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.