Customer Reviews

Celebrate! ADHD

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like most parents of ADHD children, I have spent hours researching on the Internet, reading books, talking with teachers and physicians, scheduling medical evaluations, etc. This is literally the first book that I have found that affirmed exactly what I feel in my heart. I sobbed through the first 30 pages, grateful to find that I am not alone in my perspective that my ADHD son is a great kid with a bright future! I am so exhausted by dire predictions of life-long struggles and failure associated with ADHD kids. This book outlines how ADHD kids are actually more aligned with the attributes necessary to achieve success in life than those without. They are creative, gifted in the arts, imaginative, risk-taking, and courageous. (Think Stephen Speilberg, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney.) Celebrate!ADHD encourages parents to focus on your child's strengths instead of their weaknesses. By labeling our kids as deficient and medicating them for the convenience of adults, we are destroying their natural self-worth and ambition. We don't expect ourselves to be compliant drones who excel in every field or subject, so why do we hold children to such unattainable standards? How would you feel going to work everyday in an uncomfortable work environment, where you are given incomprehensible tasks to complete, and being told that you are a failure or that "something is wrong with you"? I am actually going to send a copy of this book to my son's principal, in the hope she will remind teachers that all students are good at something and worthy of praise. BUY OR BORROW THIS BOOK...you will not regret it!

This is a good book to read to be reminded that our kids with ADHD are still great kids and it is affirming of them. However, I did not find many specific helpful hints on how to improve/modify difficult behaviors. If you are looking for a book about ADHD this is a good one to round out a library but if you want specifics on modifying your and your child's behavior I would not recommend it.

A few weeks ago, we emailed Kirk Martin because our home had spiraled into an explosive household--we were constantly yelling and fighting with our daughter. We read Celebrate!ADHD and then invited Mr. Martin to our home for an in-home consultation and coaching session.

I can't begin to describe what a difference this has made in our lives. His insight into our daughter was amazing. He connected with her in a way no therapist or psychologist has been able to. And he gave us strategies that make sense. Our home is so different now. If you live in the VA/MD/DC area, take advantage of this incredible resource. And by all means, buy the book, too!

Finally a positive, encouraging perspective on ADD. I'm so tired of the negativity so what a refreshing book this is! I've seen so many wonderful qualities in my son, but get too bogged down trying to fix all his weaknesses. If you are looking for a positive plan that will help you take charge of your child's education and life, by all means read this book. It's the best book on ADD I've ever read. And I've read them all :)

I am sufferer of ADHD (in my day they called it being "hyperactive") and having a 3 year old son with the same, it is so nice to get a positive and helpful perspective on myself and my son. So many teachers and other parents love to criticize my son without seeing the positive attributes associated with this condition. Although dealing with my son can be challenging, I would not change him. He is very musical and creative. Most entreprenuers have these same traits.

For the past couple years, we've suffered from the so-called "explosive household." If you have a child with ADHD, you may know what I mean. All the doctors tell us is to increase medication after medication. Nothing has worked.

Then I took advantage of a phone consultation with Kirk Martin. His insight into our son and our family life was pretty amazing. I got the book and it provided such practical and innovative tips that I've ordered multiple signed copies for several families and teachers.

Kirk has insight that I've never heard anywhere. He really gets kids with ADHD, knows what makes them tick, and I guess that's why his strategies are so successful.

If you have a child with ADHD, get "Celebrate!ADHD."

Kirk is my entrepreneur Coach, helping me transition from the corporate world to starting my own business. My kids attended the Camp also. So I know that the core principles of the book work both for kids and adults.

Discover your natural gifts, talents and passions; be who you are, not who someone else wants you to be; use your gifts to help others; live with purpose; turn negatives into positives.

The only reason I gave it 4**** is because I wish there were more tips for Adults with ADHD. Perhaps that's another book, Kirk?!

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.

I saw this book in USA TODAY and heard about it in the Free Celebrate!ADHD Newsletter--the positive approach grabbed me.

We had tried everything and were sick of fighting our son, using different medications, fighting with schools. We're using the Action Plan and strategies now, and the difference in our son (and our family) has been amazing. All along we were trying to change our child when the biggest change we needed was how we viewed him. Highly recommended.

I've grown weary of two things: reading depressing books telling me all the different ways I have to change my child. And reading psycho-babble that doesn't work.

Thank God for Celebrate! ADHD. The focus is on changing your attitude instead of your child, and working with his nature rather than against it. And the Action Plan is super...it's something I work on together with my son. It's working. I could have saved myself a few thousand dollars in therapy for my child by reading this first!