Customer Reviews

ADHD- Living Without Brakes

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recommend this book to any parent who has recently entered the ADHD world with one of their children. My 9yr old daughter was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type this spring. ADHD Living Without Brakes is the first book I read after sitting through the parent feedback session with the child psychologist who performed my daughter's neuro/psych test.

I found this book to be a wonderful diving board into deeper waters of ADHD reading, if you will. In 130 pages, Dr. Kutscher clearly, consisely and effectively tells us about ADHD in terms of brain physiology, emotional effects on the ADHD'er, strains on family life and a memorable explanation of what it must feel like to have ADHD. For me, that last bit was unexpected and cherished. So many times while reading this book did I stumble across an "ah-ha!" moment of recognition.

After reading ADHD Living Without Brakes I understood my daughter exponentially better than I had before; and I felt confident in choosing further reading on ADHD that would have seemed overwhelming at first (you know, the three inch thick books on ADHD that include a maddening amount of information of which you'll only need a small percentage).

Dr. K's descriptions of ADHD's effects on the brain's executive functions are invaluable. Understanding executive function opens the door to sympathy and help for the ADHD child. His explanation of co-morbid dysfunctions are eye-opening.

He gives parents simple steps we can take to make our child's life function smoother and for us all to feel more sane at home. Using his techniques has worked well for us. His suggestions are basic, loving and realistic, rather than a complex system that needs special training and memorization.

I only have two criticisms of Dr. Kutscher's book:
-- Be warned that his language can be a little harsh toward parents in a couple of places. I'm guessing that his experience has been with many families who have lived in a crisis mode for a long time. For those cases, the blunt language is very appropriate and it's good to get it out there to keep our perspective clear. I will grant that Dr. Kutscher also gives parents grace in the book as well. Thank you for that! There's a balance -- just don't be shocked when you come across a couple of zingers aimed at parents.

-- In my opinion the summary should have been handled much differently. The book is 166 pages long; 35 of that is the summary! The summary literally restates ALL the pertinant info from every section of the book. That's great and everything; but it doesn't do it in bullet form, instead it's another narrative, most pages containing huge verbatim chunks from the front of the book. Good grief that was laborious to read. Yes, it's very important to read all the information more than once; but I didn't expect such a long winded summary. Brief notes with page numbers for cross-referencing would have been fine.

All that being said, I find this book my favorite so far, in terms of telling parents why ADHD looks, acts, sounds and feels the way it does. This book helped our family tremendously. I keep it next to me at my desk.

I am a parent of a child with TS and ADHD and I highly recommend this book. It has been an excellent tool for home and school. Explains ADHD and gives wonderful strategies for parents and teachers in an easy to understand, all-inclusive book. This book, as well as Dr. Kutscher's other books has helped me understand and advocate for my son. It is useful to read before scheduled IEP and Sec. 504 school meetings in getting accommodations for the ADHD child.

This is a very informative & understandable read for parents & educators of children with ADHD. It gives a lot of useful interventions that are easy to set up. It's a great resource for those CSE meetings to determine if your child qualifies for any help or adjustments in how his work is review & graded. I would recommend this to any parent who is navigating the Special Education & 504 Maze.

From the wide range of ADHD symptoms and common difficulties parents face in diagnosis and handling ADHD kids to solutions to these problems based around four rules, Dr. Kutscher discusses the basics of handling ADHD kids, offering checklists, discussions of both school and home solutions, and more. Any health library strong in ADHD solutions and diagnosis needs this easy approach, which will appeal to parents common confused by jargon and medical studies.

I have been raising my now eleven year old granddaughter for several years. Her behavior has been a significant problem, though I have never lost sight of the wonderful person she is. Counseling, medication, hospitalizations, a stint in residential care - so many opinions and diagnoses. For a time, it was looking as if it would be impossible for me to continue caring for her. I requested assessment for ADHD, kind of as a last hope, and though I had to struggle for a long time for the Connors scale to be completed and "scored", the new diagnosis has opened so many doors. Medication treatment has brought about many positive changes. This book has outlined an understanding of her "mental set" that has completely altered my understanding of the many characteristics she has exhibited, offered me many suggestions for handling her that have produced positive results, and given me a sense of direction for her care that, while challenging and of concern, has freed me of despair. It has also helped me to understand what I have reason to expect from the educational system.
There is no magic. Her behavior, depression,family conflicts and personality will continue to present challenges and will require effort for a long time. This book helped me to see a path, a set of understandings and a reason to hope that one day she might come to understand the differences in her view of life and be able to manage. There is so much wonderful about her to fight to save.

A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE: Everyone has a neighbor with a child that is a menace; oh excuse me an adult too most likely. You cannot understand why the kid knocked over your garbage can for no apparent reason. You'll never understand why your neighbor's wife is always loosing her patience with her ADHD husband. He seems so normal. After this read you'll understand what goes on in their brains & have some compassion instead of calling them idiots. It's a must for all educators to appreciate how their students think - PLEASE adapt your teaching methods. It's a must for the 35+ who didn't know they had ADD problems as a child (it didnt exist) and now you can feel validated for all your challenges in life, you can start afresh, even if your 70, do it for your grandkids, they will respect you even more. Yours truly, a 41 year old ADD male adult (without the H!!!)

Wow! This book really opened my eyes about what ADHD is,and why children with ADHD do the things they do.
Really helpful, and enables you to better deal with your child.
You realize your child isn't the "Brat" everyone and maybe even yourself thought they were.
It puts things in the perspective that we need to be compassionate and caring to our child. Once you learn what this book teaches you, not only do you understand why
your child acts the way he does, but you have the tools to help your child and make some positive changes in yourself and your child.
I am raising my grand children and the oldest, 11 years old is severely disabled. Her brother, 10 years old has ADHD and Aspergers.
I was scared for my grandson and thinking there was something terribly wrong with him. After reading this book I've made some changes in myself and how I deal with every day life with him. We were "on each others nerves" Big Time before I read this book. I have also realized through reading this book and seeing a psychiatrist, that I myself have ADD.
Our relationship has improved immensely; we actually spend time together enjoying each others company. I am much less stressed out, and his behavior has improved, and I'm sure will continue to improve as we continue to use the skills we've been taught through this book.
I'm very happy my son's psychologist recommended this book.

Looking for explanations about my son's difficult behavior,I really find this book an excellent resource. Very self explain, the examples, the drawing. It is the best book I have ever read about kids or even adults with ADHD and the better way to understand them and help them to improve their lifestyle. I even cry when a I find out so many things my son was doing and I could not help with my ignorance. Amazon is my favorite place to buy everything I need.

This book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers. As a special educator and parent of a young adult with ADD, I was thrilled to have so many feelings validated in this book and to get some helpful advice. The book is very easy to read. I ask all my inclusion and collaborative reg. ed. teachers to read at least the 1st chapter when we have mutual students. That usually peaks their interest to read the rest because they are able to better understand the challenges faced by those with ADHD/ADD. Thank you Dr. Kutcher.

I have a 8 years old son who is ADHD. Our life with him is sometimes very stressful and this book has provided me with an optimistic and positive insight about what ADHD is. I have read some other books but they are more "tough" on the topic. I just feel stonger on how to understand my kid and how to be empathic with his situation. The author does not put anything new about the subject but the way that his book is written is wonderful. It is optimistic and geared to succeed. Good luck on rising your ADHDers and let's try to keep it positive.