Alphabet Kids - From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome: A Guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals [Hardcover]

Robbie Woliver (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1843108801 | ISBN-13: 978-1843108801 | Publication Date: November 15, 2008

From ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to ZS (Zellweger Syndrome)-there seems to be an alphabet disorder for almost every behavior, from those caused by serious, rare genetic diseases to more common learning disabilities that hinder children's academic and social progress.Alphabet Kids have disorders that are often concurrent, interconnected or mistaken for one another, for example, the freguent combination of ASD, OCD, SID and ADHD-hence, 'Alphabet Kids'. If a doctor only diagnoses one condition, he or she may have missed others. As the rates of these disorders dramatically rise, "Alphabet Kids" explains it all. Robbie Woliver covers 70 childhood disorders, providing information on causes, cures, treatments and prognoses. Chapters include a comprehensive list of signs and symptoms, and the disorders are illustrated with often heartbreaking, but always inspirational true-life stories of a child with the particular disorder.This comprehensive, easy-to-read go-to guide will help parents to sort through all the interconnected childhood developmental, neurobiological and psychological disorders and serve as a roadmap to help start the families' journey for correct diagnoses, effective treatment and better understanding of their Alphabet Kids.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I wish I'd had Robbie Woliver's book to guide me in the early days of my journey with my daughter - it provides valuable practical information and advice from a wide array of impressive experts that can very well make the difference in the quality of your child's life. Alphabet Kids should be in every household; it is an essential guide for all parents and should be required reading for all teachers." --Cathy Moriarty-Gentile, Academy award-nominated actress, child's health advocate, and parent of a daughter with special needs

"Robbie Woliver has written a very accessible and thorough guide to the proliferating neurological, learning and behavioral disorders that afflict an ever growing number of children. Parents of a newly diagnosed child, or those who suspect that something may not be quite right, would be well served to begin with Alphabet Kids. Refreshingly, Woliver delivers useful information without condescension, or a particular axe to grind." ---John Gilmore, executive director, Autism United

"What a valuable resource to help parents find their way through the bewildering vocabulary of psychiatric labels. An easy-to-read, quick way in to what is known and how to get help. Books like Alphabet Kids are essential if we are to bridge the gap between professionals and families." --Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University

About the Author

Robbie Woliver is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning journalist and editor who was a columnist for Newsday, senior editor at Village Voice's suburban edition, and writer for The New York Times. He is currently the editor- in-chief of the Long Island Press, where he also helms the newspaper's award-winning series "Our Children's Brains." He has freelanced for such diverse publications and media outlets as the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, CBS Market Watch, Salon, BankRate, San Francisco Chronicle, American Demographics, New York Post and numerous others. He taught college-level English and writing and is also the author of several books: Wyoming & March, Bringing It All Back Home, Hoot! and If I Knew Then, which won the 2005 Independent Publisher Book Awards for "Outstanding Book of the Year" and "Most Inspirational to Youth." He lives in New York with his wife, Marilyn, son, Cory, and daughter, Emma.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub (November 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843108801
• ISBN-13: 978-1843108801
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Children's Health > Down Syndrome
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Medical
  • #40 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Children's

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INVALUABLE - A MUST HAVE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATORS AND CO-TEACHERS, October 22, 2008

By 

A. D. Boorman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alphabet Kids - From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome: A Guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Let me preface this by stating that I am a veteran special educator, and I've worked in special education in the public and non-public settings for many years. I have worked with both self-contained and co-taught classes, individuals in crisis, and I have worked as an administrator.

This book is AMAZING. It is simply written, and easily accessible. It lists in alphabetical order an exhaustive number of the different disabling conditions a special educator or co-teacher, or even an educational administrator might encounter. It explains the etiology of the condition, the behaviors that might be associated with the condition (invaluable for manifestation determinations), implications for academics, socialization, and general growth of the student.

If you have a student with a particular condition, you can look it up here and get a clear, concise explanation of what it means to the special or general educator. It is mercifully free of jargon, and what terms it does use are clearly and cleanly defined.

OK, having praised this book as a resource for special educators, general educators, and administrators, I need to be fair. This is NOT a book for clinicians. There are no decision trees, there is no differential diagnosis. The conditions are not grouped by similarities in etiology or symptom logy. For those things, you need a DSM (Descriptive and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses.) The DSM is huge, expensive, and akward, but an invaluable tool for the clinician.
It is difficult for the special educator, and nearly incomprehensible to the layman. This book was aptly described by a co-worker as a 'reader's Digest DSM.'

Further, if you need in depth information on a condition, this is not your best bet. That would be found in a book on that particular condition. This book is thorough, but it is neither complete nor authoritative. This is a collection of research designed for use as a reference.

For that purpose, this is an incredible book. I am amazed that it wasn't written decades ago.

I strongly recommend that every special educator, co-teacher, and educational administrator buy a copy of this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teacher Alert!, December 16, 2008

By 

Claudia Clark - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alphabet Kids - From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome: A Guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals (Hardcover)

After 36 years of teaching I am still excited to find resources in the market place that I can use to expand my knowledge and benefit the students in my classroom. ALPHABET KIDS From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome is one of those must have resource and reference books for every teachers' personal library.
Every classroom teacher can benefit from Robbie Wolivers guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals. The information presented for each disorder is in a format that allows for quick access of the material. It is compiled in section subtitles: Sounds Familiar, Did You Know? Signs and Symptoms, Cause, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis and Sources and Resources. This repeated organization for each disorder makes the reading very clear. The real-life accounts presented for each disorder underscores the need for ALPHABET KIDS, so parents and teachers can help with the challenges that face their children and students.
ALPHABET KIDS will be the book I will recommend to the parents-caregivers of those children in need in my classroom.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful guide through the maze of childhood disorders, November 10, 2008

By 

B. W. Fairbanks "Brian W. Fairbanks" (Lakewood, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alphabet Kids - From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome: A Guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

"Alphabet Kids" is designed as a guide for parents whose children exhibit symptoms of a possible disorder that may impede their physical, psychological, intellectual, or emotional development, but it's a helpful resource for anyone who works with children.

Having taught everything from pre-school to high school, I've often been informed that a student has "Down Syndrome" or "Autism," and I've just as often been baffled as to what such designations meant. In the introduction, author Robbie Woliver states that one is six children are affected by one of more of the disorders in his book, and the reader may feel overwhelmed simply after skimming the table of contents. From ADD (Attention-deficit Disorder) and AN (Anorexia Nervosa) to Dyslexia and ZS (Zellweger Syndrome) and on and on and on, "Alphabet Kids" provides the signs, symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment for each, as well as a brief narrative passage describing the condition.

The author cautions the reader that "Alphabet Kids" is not a medical text, and, therefore, should not be considered the final step in determining whether a child is affected, nor is it a comprehensive investigative report. It does not answer the really big question which is why is Autism "the fastest growing, serious developmental disability in the United States and other countries around the world"? In 2007, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that one in 150 children in the U.S. are autistic. In some cases, it's questionable whether a disorder really qualifies as a medical condition. Could a "disorder" merely be an excuse to prescribe medication and expand the market for the pharmaceutical industry?

These are issues worthy of another book. For what it is - a guide to provide clarity where confusion is the norm - "Alphabet Kids" is an exceptional and necessary tool for parents and educators alike.

Brian W. Fairbanks