Drawing on clinical work conducted over a decade with boys between the ages of four and late adolescence, Cox probes the reasons for and consequences of boys' relative difficulty in communicating their feelings. The first section focuses on the "psychological realities of boyhood," how boys typically communicate and develop socially and emotionally. The physiology of boys' brains and their verbal and social learning skills make them more vulnerable to learning disorders, including ADHD and autism. Part 2 examines the social pressures that discourage self-expression among boys as they rely on anger and aggression to express themselves, and the contrasts with girls' relatively easier social development and communication skills. In the final section, Cox offers principles for developing child-centered families and for fostering boys' self-awareness and communication skills. He provides guidance for determining when uncommunicative boys need professional help. Throughout the book, portraits of boys of all ages and backgrounds provide human dimension to parents' search to get beyond the silence and behavior that sometimes hinder communication with boys.
Vanessa BushCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Dr. Cox's book is important, insightful, and timely. His ideas about helping boys of all ages will be useful to parents, to teachers, and indeed to all of us who have a stake in boys' emotional health--which is, in fact, everyone."--Mary Pipher, PhD, author of Reviving Ophelia
"Thanks to Dr. Cox's help, my grandson now has a smile on his face: he's learned to advocate for himself and command respect. In this book, you too can discover the tools to nurture and guide 'boys of few words' into articulate, healthy, and happy young men."--Hedy Perkin-Geist, grandmother of a 9-year-old
"We now know that boyhood is a lot more complex than 'snips and snails and puppy dog tails.' In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Cox explains the importance of language in boys' development and their future success and happiness, and provides useful, field-tested strategies for improving and enhancing crucial language capabilities. This compelling, readable, and insightful book will contribute immeasurably to your understanding of the boys in your life. I recommend it highly to parents, teachers, and coaches."--Richard D. Lavoie, author of It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend
"Dr. Cox is onto something important, and his suggestions for helping boys develop critical communication skills are both readable and practical. Parents and teachers will be grateful for this information--and in due time, so will the boys."--Jane M. Healy, PhD, author of Your Child's Growing Mind
"This book is a wonderful source of practical wisdom on how to bring out the best in boys for whom communication does not flow easily, help them to be happier people, and lead them to fulfill their potential. There is no better book offering humane, clinically informed, valuable advice in this essential area."--Simon Baron-Cohen, PhD, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology and Director, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University,UK; author of The Essential Difference: The Truth about the Male and Female Brain
"Adam Cox provides parents of boys with important tools to raise sons with the social communication skills critical for both personal and professional success today. Filled with excellent teaching strategies, this important book will empower parents to raise sons with social competence, in addition to the academic and athletic competence on which parents of boys have traditionally put so much emphasis."--Kathryn Pengilly MA,CCC,SLP, speech-language pathologist and mother of three boys
"It was such a relief to learn there are reasons why my son behaves the way he does--and that the challenges he faces can be overcome. No one has all the answers, but Boys of Few Words answered a lot of my questions."--Jayne Febbraro, mother of an 11-year old
"Dr. Cox not only explains why boys struggle with communication, but gives parents numerous practical ideas on how to help them live up to their full potential. Most importantly, this book recognizes that all boys are different, and gives not just one but many approaches to help us be better parents. Boys of Few Words will be a reference for us until our son reaches adulthood."--Clark and Barbara Finnical, parents of an 8-year-old
