Attention Deficit Disorder Books

Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood

Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Personal Health -> Children's Health -> Learning Disorders

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 133 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This clear and valuable book dispels a variety of myths about attention deficit disorder (ADD). Since both authors have ADD themselves, and both are successful medical professionals, perhaps there's no surprise that the two myths they attack most persistently are: (a) that ADD is an issue only for children; and (b) that ADD corresponds simply to limited intelligence or limited self-discipline. "The word disorder puts the syndrome entirely in the domain of pathology, where it should not entirely be. Although ADD can generate a host of problems, there are also advantages to having it, advantages that this book will stress, such as high energy, intuitiveness, creativity, and enthusiasm, and they are completely overlooked by the 'disorder' model." The authors go on to cite Mozart and Einstein as examples of probable ADD sufferers. (The problem as they see it is not so much attention deficit but attention inconsistency: "Most of us with ADD can in fact hyperfocus at times.") Although they warn against overdiagnosis, they also do a convincing job of answering the criticism that "everybody, and therefore nobody" has ADD. Using numerous case studies and a discussion of the way ADD intersects with other conditions (e.g., depression, substance abuse, and obsessive-compulsive disorder), they paint a concrete picture of the syndrome's realities. Especially helpful are the lists of tips for dealing with ADD in a child, a partner, or a family member. --Richard Farr

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life

Judith Kolberg, Kathleen Nadeau

Amazon Price: $14.93 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Routledge Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $13.19

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Solutions, Not Just Analysis! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I've not read the entire book yet, but I already know this book will change my life. (No, it isn't a cure all. We all know there isn't one, though we secretly wish one could be found.)

I just finished reading Chapter 5, "ADD Decision Dilemmas". This chapter wonderfully describes problems I've always classified as "procrastination", but really aren't. I'm 40+ now and being introspective, I've really figured out some of my behavior patterns and partial reasoning for it, but this book really nails it. Not only will this book help you identify those behaviors earlier, it provides suggestions that will help you deal with it!

Being the typical ADDer, I couldn't just read the book cover to cover. I've been skipping around (and this book is wonderfully arranged so that you can). I loved the suggestion about having a few files with labels like "I can't believe I haven't called about this!" and other file titles determined by your reaction to the task. (Chapter 17, Fear of Filing) How lovely! I've started countless piles of "things I need to take care of, and soon", that end up just being shoved in with other junk so I can clear a space... Well, now I've got a new plan for that. I'm going to order the "filing crate on wheels" or similar, also from the book, so that I can create files like "take care of this or I'm screwed". Of course, I still have to work on getting to the 'taking care of it' part. But with better organization, the rest should be easier. I'm sure I'll find a good suggestion or two in the book.

I disagree to some extent with the reviewer that rated the book 3 stars because so many of the suggestions involve others. It is true, there are a lot of suggestions involving others. That isn't the book's weakness; That is just a fact of ADD and of life. Lets face it, having more people around to help us deal and remember is simply handy (especially if they don't also have ADD.) I'm single and live alone. Lots of these suggestions can be adapted. You can make use of helpful people that don't live with you. My sister visits from out of town from time to time, I have friends at work that are understanding, etc. Some suggestions may even be adaptable to remote interactions - telephone conversations and emails. As I read the book, I try to think of how these ideas could be adapted. Don't get me wrong, if another version came out with more suggestions targeted toward singles, I'd buy it again!

Bottom line - if you've struggled with organization/disorganization, get this book! Especially if other organizational books haven't helped you. After all, ADD, like everything, is a matter of degree. Besides, you don't have to be diagnosed with ADD to find techniques crucial to ADDers helpful.

Editorial Review:

Organizing books fall short of addressing the unique needs of adults with ADD. They fail to understand the clinical picture of ADD and how it impacts the organizing process often making their advice irrelevant or frustrating when put into application. Books about ADD may address organization/disorganization but do so in a cursory fashion and on a very small scale in what are usually long books on the subject. This is a book that has ADD-Friendly advice with the ADDer in mind. This collaboration brings forth the best underlying understanding with the most effective and practical remedy from ADD experts in two important fields -- professional organization and clinical psychology. Finally, it offers organizing advice that ranges from self-help to utilizing the help of non-professionals, to using professional assistance. Thus it permits the reader to decide where they are at personally in the organizing process, and what level of support will be most beneficial to their unique situation.

You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!: The Classic Self-Help Book for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder

Kate Kelly, Peggy Ramundo

Amazon Price: $10.88 List Price: $16.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Scribner Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $7.23

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 97 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

With over a quarter million copies in print, You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! is one of the bestselling books on attention deficit disorder (ADD) ever written. There is a great deal of literature about children with ADD. But what do you do if you have ADD and aren't a child anymore? This indispensable reference -- the first of its kind written for adults with ADD by adults with ADD -- focuses on the experiences of adults, offering updated information, practical how-tos and moral support to help readers deal with ADD. It also explains the diagnostic process that distinguishes ADD symptoms from normal lapses in memory, lack of concentration or impulsive behavior. Here's what's new:

• The new medications and their effectiveness
• The effects of ADD on human sexuality
• The differences between male and female ADD -- including falling estrogen levels and its impact on cognitive function
• The power of meditation
• How to move forward with coaching

And the book still includes advice about:

• Achieving balance by analyzing one's strengths and weaknesses
• Getting along in groups, at work and in intimate and family relationships -- including how to decrease discord and chaos
• Learning the mechanics and methods for getting organized and improving memory
• Seeking professional help, including therapy and medication

10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD: How to Overcome Chronic Distraction & Accomplish Your Goals (10 Simple Solutions)

Stephanie Sarkis

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Harbinger Publications Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $8.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Decent, depending on what kind of help you need 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This was one of the first books I read on Adult ADD, and I liked it. It did have allot of good ideas, and covers just about all areas. If you need help with organization and time management, I'd recommend "ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life" before this book, but if your focus isn't on just those two issues, this book has broader info, covering other topics, such as the workplace and social skills. So, get this book depending on your needs.

Editorial Review:

People think of ADD as a kid's problem. But kids grow up. Many adults also struggle with ADD. There are book resources on the market for these folks. But they are often too long. Or too complicated. Or too dry and clinical. Adults with ADD need straightforward tools for coping with real experiences. This book offers exactly what they need.

Each chapter takes up an issue pertinent to adults with ADD: "My mind wanders" "I'm always misplacing things." "I have trouble keeping friends." "I have a hard time getting started." In no more than five to seven pages, the book outlines strategies for each problem that are simple to put into practice. If you're struggling with adult ADD, the information in this book offers you immediate and lasting rewards: better concentration, sharper memory, enhanced focus, and greater self-confidence.

The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents

Nancy A. Ratey

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: St. Martin's Press Amazon Marketplace: 34 new & used starting at $14.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For the millions of adults diagnosed with ADHD The Disorganized Mind will provide expert guidance on what they can do to make the most of their lives. The inattention, time-mismanagement, procrastination, impulsivity, distractibility, and difficulty with transitions that often go hand-in-hand with ADHD can be overcome with the unique approach that Nancy Ratey brings to turning these behaviors around.

The Disorganized Mind addresses the common issues confronted by the ADHD adult:
“Where did the time go?”
“I’ll do it later, I always work better under pressure anyway.”
“I’ll just check my e-mail one more time before the meeting…”
“I’ll pay the bills tomorrow – that will give me time to find them.”

Professional ADHD coach and expert Nancy Ratey helps readers better understand why their ADHD is getting in their way and what they can do about it. Nancy Ratey understands the challenges faced by adults with ADHD from both a personal and professional perspective and is able to help anyone move forward to achieve greater success. Many individuals with ADHD live in turmoil. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can make choices and imagine how things can change – this book will teach you how. By using ADHD strategies that have worked for others and will work for you, as well as learning how to organize, plan, and prioritize, you’ll clear the hurdles of daily living with a confidence and success you may never before have dreamed possible.

Nancy Ratey has the proven strategies that will help anyone with ADHD get focused, stay on track, and get things done - and finally get what they want from their work and their life.

For information and resources, please visit www.nancyratey.com

Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your Life

Sari Solden

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Underwood Books Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $7.39

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 58 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Every year, millions of withdrawn little girls and chronically overwhelmed women go undiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder because they don't fit the stereotypical profile: they’re not fast-talking, hyperactive, or inattentive, and they are not male. Sari Solden’s groundbreaking study reveals that ADD affects just as many women as men, and that the resulting depression, disorganization, anxiety, and underachievement are also symptoms of ADD. Newly revised and updated to reflect the latest clinical research, the book explores treatment and counseling options, and uses real-life case histories to examine the special challenges women with ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) face, such as the shame of not fulfilling societal expectations. Included is a brand new chapter on friendship for women with ADHD. Three empowering steps — restructuring one's life, renegotiating relationships, and redefining self-image — help women take control of their lives and enjoy success on their own terms.

Learning Outside The Lines: Two Ivy League Students With Learning Disabilities And ADHD Give You The Tools

Jonathan Mooney, David Cole

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Criticism for the public school system in the United States is nothing new; kids of all skill levels are slipping through the cracks at every age and in every city. Rather than attempting to change the system or point out it's failures, Jonathon Mooney and David Cole have created a practical guide to help kids jump through the necessary hoops to achieve whatever larger, postschool goals they may have. While much of the material is written for kids who've received the label LD or ADHD, many of the suggestions can be just as helpful for those who've been labeled "gifted," or any other student who feels frustrated with the daily routine of standard education.

The introduction (personal histories of the authors) is great reading for parents of LD or ADHD kids, and much of it has a humorous tone that makes it equally appropriate (and approachable) for discouraged adolescents. From the terror of weekly spelling tests to the few inspiring teachers and tutors the two encountered, the tales are equal parts entertaining, poignant, and encouraging to others who may well be experiencing quite similar events. There's little discussion of what methods are right or wrong--ultimately, both authors take a fundamentally pragmatic view, and it's "right" if it worked. A steady focus on study skills fills the majority of the book, and Mooney and Cole take what are generally pretty familiar stands on note-taking and test preparation and break them down into easily digestible concepts. With different methods for different types of learners (visual thinkers are encouraged to use maps and brightly colored markers), students will find plenty of help in creating notebooks, focusing their attention, and even appropriate ways of conducting the infamous all-nighter. Including information on how to recover lost class notebooks, how to make the most of a syllabus, and "The Seven Habits of Highly Disorganized People," Learning Outside the Lines provides students with plenty of tools to further each reader's personal idea of success. --Jill Lightner

ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table

Blake E. S. Taylor

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Memoirs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Blake Taylor's memoir, written when he was 17, offers, for the first time, a young person's account of what it's like to live and grow up with this common condition. Join Blake as he foils bullies, confronts unfair teachers, struggles with distraction and disorganization on exams, and goes sailing out-of-bounds and ends up with a boatload of spiders. It will be an inspiration and companion to the millions of others like him who must find a way to thrive with a different perspective than many of us.

The book features an introduction by psychologist Lara Honos-Webb, author of The Gift of ADHD, and a leading advocate for kids with ADHD.

Blake's mother first suspected he had ADHD when he, at only three years of age, tried to push his infant sister in her carrier off the kitchen table. As time went by, Blake developed a reputation for being hyperactive and impulsive. He launched rockets (accidentally) into neighbor's swimming pools and set off alarms in museums. Blake was diagnosed formally with ADHD when he was five years old. In this book, he tells about the next twelve years as he learns to live with both the good and bad sides of life with ADHD.

Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD: Beyond Piles, Palms, & Post-its

Terry Matlen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Women with AD/HD tormented by the daily chores and decisions needed to survive in a world of linear thinking will find solace in this self-help guide. Offering a collection of practical solutions to seemingly simple daily problems, this book will help to relieve the guilt and anxiety so many women have when they feel they don't measure up to the norms of today's society. These proven gems of wisdom, submitted by hundreds of women with AD/HD from all over the world, will help the reader painlessly get through the piles of laundry on her floor and stacks of paper on her desk. Written to accommodate readers with AD/HD who often have difficulty reading a book from cover to cover, this guide is designed like a manual, allowing them to flip through to areas of interest without having to read the entire book to find what they need. Practical tips provide help in dealing with organizational tasks, including paperwork in the home and office, preparing meals, social situations, paying bills on time, household chores, shopping, and personal and family health.

Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized

Susan C Pinsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, are prevalent in society today, afflicting about 4.4% of the adult population, which is over 13 million Americans. Four out of every five adults do not even know they are ADD, and while it is often difficult to differentiate adults with true ADD from adults who are merely forgetful and disorganized, Organizing Solutions for People with ADD outlines new organizing strategies that will be of value to anyone who wants to improve their organizational, or lack of, skills in their life. The chapters consist of practical organizing solutions for ADD at Work; prioritizing, time management, and organizing documents, ADD at Home; paying bills on time, de-cluttering your house, scheduling and keeping appointments, ADD with Kids; driving them to various activities, grocery shopping and meals, laundry, babysitters, organizing drawers and closets, and ADD and You; organizing time for your social life, gym, and various other hobbies and activities. Color photographs that capture the short attention span of the reader are featured throughout, as well as sidebars and testimonials from adults with ADD, providing numerous organizational tips, such as, the importance of dividing time into minutes or moments, task completion, how to avoid procrastination, asking for help, and how not to be a packrat.