The Maltreated Child: Finding What Lurks Beneath [Paperback]

Steven Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2004

Parents who struggle to maintain their sanity while a troubled youth is in the home know the frustration and discouragement that can easily develop. These concerned parents take their youngster from doctor to doctor, counselor after counselor, yet never fully understand or find long-term help for the problems.

However in his book, The Maltreated Child, Dr. Gray unravels for parents the complex world of the brain. He explores the underlying root causes that prompt adoptive/foster as well as biological youth to terrorize a home.

The first priority in helping these young persons is to discover what is fueling the behavioral mayhem. Unless parents/teachers have an understanding of what is producing the seemingly irrational actions, it is extremely hard to find workable and practical solutions.

Dr. Gray has been working with maltreated youth who face these difficulties for over two decades. He sees his job as helping parents discern the underlying causes of the young person’s behavior and providing answers specifically tailored for each child. In this book, the author blends his clinical expertise with his unique sense of humor to present down-in-the-trenches practical information for parents.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven Gray, Ph.D., is a board certified pediatric neuropsychologist and director of Gray Neuropsychology Associates, Inc. with clinics in Colorado and Texas.

Dr. Gray's passion is helping foster and adopted young persons, their parents, and siblings. Common childhood disorders he sees include: Academic Underachievement, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, RAD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Childhood Bipolar Disorder and more.

Dr. Gray is a popular speaker at workshops and seminars through the United States. He has also served at Clinical Assistant of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas since 1988.

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: Living Water Press; 1ST edition (July 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974641200
• ISBN-13: 978-0974641201
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,197,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Is Key, January 5, 2005

By 

a reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Maltreated Child: Finding What Lurks Beneath (Paperback)

As parents of difficult children know, understanding what is really causing the out-of-control behavior of your child is the only way to begin to truly help them. In this book, Dr. Gray says we all too often just look at the tip of the iceberg - when the bulk of the problems lie underneath the surface. That is why many of the medications and treatments, which sound so promising, fail to work over the long-haul. The author explains to parents how to get to the root causes. The book is detailed with chapters on ADHD, Bipolar, Borderline, RAD, etc., but it is structured in such a way that it is easy to find the information you are looking for. Dr. Gray uses humor and a friendly style to make the book understandable and fun to read.

I would highly recommend this book to parents and school counselors who have children needing help. You no longer have to have a Ph.D. to understand the world of neuropsychology; The Maltreated Child explains it all clearly. In addition there is a great glossary and abbreviation dictionary at the back of the book so you can decipher the mumbo-gumbo you hear in most clinician's offices. This book contains a gold mine of information.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dangerous Nonsense, July 4, 2007

By 

Reviewer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Maltreated Child: Finding What Lurks Beneath (Paperback)

The author heavily promotes bogus diagnostic tests, treatment and parenting. He is a proponent of what is currently called "Attachment Therapy" (aka Rage Reduction, Holding Therapy, Compression Therapy, etc.). This therapy has been denounced as abusive by the APSAC and the APA's Division on Child Maltreatment (2006). Numerous criminal child abuse and death cases have involved this therapy and its brutal parenting methods (aka Nancy/Beth Thomas parenting).

The author promotes several bogus tests. For instance, he calls the Randolph Attachment Disorder Questionnaire (RADQ) the best test for diagnosing "Reactive Attachment Disorder." He should say "Attachment Disorder" which is a totally different and unrecognized diagnosis. The RADQ is blatantly idiotic on the surface of it, though it has also been evaluated in peer-reviewed journals as totally worthless for diagnosing anything. Elizabeth Randolph herself had her psychology license revoked in California.

Additionally, the language the author uses to describe children and their problems (e.g. "muck") is disturbingly disrespectful.

The author has long been associated with the Attachment Center at Evergreen (now known as the Institute for Attachment and Child Development). I happened to hear the author speak some years ago, at which time he used the ancient "four humors" theory (a theory finally abandoned in the 19th century) to describe the personalities of children: this theory contends that black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood determined the workings of the human body.

In short, this book is worse than worthless. It is potentially harmful to parents and especially their children.