Customer Reviews

The Churkendoose Anthology: True Stories of Triumph over Neurological Dysfunction: Insights into the Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency (HANDLE)

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Going through life as parent of a "special" child, one navigates a maze of physicians, experts, specialists, and amateur diagnosticians. Desperate for help, such parents try a range of treatments and tactics, sometimes destroying their families and their sanity in the process. Ms. Bluestone and HANDLE do not have a "magic bullet," but the simple and authentic wisdom in the HANDLE approach teaches us all that there really ARE honest and practical strategies to help individuals who don't fit any of the models in the medical literature. My son has benefitted greatly from the HANDLE precepts, and this book tells true stories of others whose lives have been forever changed. Ms. Bluestone's own story is an inspiration, and she brings to her work the unique empathy of one who has "been there" and found her way out. HANDLE respects individuality and eschews labels; the accounts of these HANDLE clients are compelling and dramatic. Perhaps the most important thing this book provides is hope, which is often in painfully short supply for "marginalized" people. I congratulate all these writers for recounting their journeys, and I think thousands of people can benefit from stepping into the Churkendoose shoes for a few hours. I recommend this book to those with open minds, tired spirits, and vital hearts.

Compiled and edited by Lisa Brenner, The Churkendoose Anthology: True Stories of Triumph over Neurological Dysfunction is a collection of uplifting testimonies offering a positive message of hope to individuals afflicted with neurodevelopment problems ranging from attention disorders, learning disabilities, Tourette's Syndrom, or an acquired brain injury, to Cerebral Palsy, sleep disorders, Vestibular Dysfunction, Down's Syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. True success stories of the HANDLE (Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency) approach in helping young people and their parents. Enhanced with an informative commentary by Judith Bluestone, The Churkendoose Anthology is highly recommended as an engaging and encouraging read, especially for anyone having to cope with a neurological dysfunction.

The Churkendoose Anthology is a touching compilation of true stories of individuals and families who have triumphed over behavioral dysfunction without the use of drugs. It is an inspiration to all who know someone or suffer themselves. Professional therapists, MDs, especially including pediatricians will benefit from reading and learning about this unique way of healing a multitude of behavioral issues.

If you have any of the following: dyslexa, ad/hd, tourette's, autism, biploar, ocd, cerberal palsy, oppositional defience, dyspraxia, aphasia, balance diorders, any form of learning problems... or have a child or friend who does, please read this book:

This is a collection of personal stories by both adults and children as they triumphed over developmental, or traumatic, neurological dysfunction. HANDLE technique is gentle, compassionate, and very effective. I was often in tears as I read their stories of personal despair and final recovery. This book could very well change your life, or the life of someone you love.

The stories in this book give hope to us all. For more than a decade I have worked with adults and children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The usual treatments involve behavior modification and drug therapy. Little time is spent in observation and evaluation such as described by Judith Bluestone in this book. The Handle Institute's methods offer hope through its methods that have no reliance on drug therapy. This is a book for patients, family members and professionals.

After reading the Churkendoose Anthology, I am embarrassed to feel overwhelmed by my own daily problems. The true stories in this collection show determined people overcoming extreme odds when they look at things differently. The people at The HANDLE Institute must look at neurological problems with a wide lens encompassing everything that might influence a person's development. I am inspired to revisit the problems I once thought intractable. When at first you don't see an answer, look wider and learn more.

Have you heard Ray Bolger sing the Churkendoose song? It is a silly children's rhyme that helps individuals feels good about who they are and how they're uniqueness can be an advantage if only they could see it that way. The song comes to life at The HANDLE Institute.

Although a relatively new practitioner, I didn't anticipate the power within these stories about how HANDLE inlfuenced individual clients and their families. If you care about someone with a neurodevelopmental disorder or maladaptive behavior patterns -- at any age -- you should expose your heart strings to this book. If you work with children or adults whose progress seems stymied, you'll want to know how these 30 folks surmounted seeming barriers. And if you just want to revive hope that creative solutions to difficult problems exist, the Churkendoose Anthology does that, too.

Because it's so intimate a portrayal of real-life experiences, this book moved me to tears. Each story relates, with differing degrees of depth and breadth, an individual and a family's encounter with the Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency (HANDLE), tracing their stories before, during, and after the unique therapy program. Anyone interested in addressing issues with diagnoses like autism spectrum disorders, stroke, head injury, CHARGE Syndrome, Tourette's Syndrome, Down's Syndrome -- and "ordinary" learning disabilities -- ought to read this book.