Customer Reviews

Ritalin Is Not the Answer Action Guide: An Interactive Companion to the Bestselling Drug-Free ADD/ADHD Parenting Program

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I am the mother of Ben, who has had lots of labels...Adhd, Autism, PDD, brat. Somehow he has made it through to the fourth grade and basically is a bright kid.

Ben was languaged delayed and might not have made it in the regular classroom without ritalin because he was just out of control and I was clueless as to how to change. In earlier days, we literally had to "show" Ben how to talk, with pictures... he had to "see" it to understand it, as he didn't pick up language as most kids do. He was different from the beginning!!!

He is the most frustrating, and the most enjoyable of kids I have ever had the pleasure to love. But when it came to correction, I just believed I would have to spend the rest of my life ignoring his oppositionality. It was like I had no control...and just kept getting more and more frustrated, and giving more and more negative vibes off because I was just at my wits end. I don't like the idea of spanking or yelling at all, and it always just seemed to make matters worse. Ben took no responsibility for his behavior.

When I came across this book initially I ignored it because it was that crazy "anti-ritalin" crowd, or so I thought. You know, the "zealots". After having read it and applied it somewhat, I wonder if Dr. Stein hasn't serendipitously (sp?) come across a way to help our kids behave, in the same way Catherine Maurice's book helped provide me with a way to teach Ben language!! Hey, we're on this earth to help each other out!

I really do believe Ben has a difference that makes it hard to deal with some aspects of schooling. I don't recall anywhere in this book Dr. Stein saying that it's easy. But if I only give in and say, "He can't do it, he's handicapped..." am I really helping him? It isn't a matter of ritalin or not...what this book forces you to think about is how we as parents unfortunately handicap our children by having such low expectations of them.

How can a form of discipline that includes no yelling or spanking, no belittlement; that encourages positive behavior and encourages thinking of the consequences of actions beforehand; that requires us as parents to refuse to see our children as handicapped and to enrich their lives and show them unconditional love, be bad?

Got me....

(...)

Do you want to be blown away by the straight-forward truth. Our child was out of control, dominating every situation we were in - it was all about him and his inability to see others. Inattentive, can't focus, getting F's in school, only because ....(the list is endless), this book lays out how to get your child on the right tract so he/she can be a contributer to society and not take from everyone.


This book spells out what our Grandparents knew and could not tell us. No more drugs, no more psycologist office visits, no more check lists and prizes, no more manipulation and bargaining; 'let your yes be a yes! and your no be a no!'
This book teaches us parents how to use gentle, firm, consistent tones so anxiety is not produced in these children.
This book talks about the way some children receive information; what are we doing as parents???? This book is not for cowards. If you are a parent who is easily influenced, this book is not for you, it is a wake up call to how we as parents parent.

Our child just received his report card...I want to cry because I am so greatful for the transformation. He received almost all A's and some B's. He can now actually draw a picture with detail. Before he would scrible on an assignment and say, "I'm done." I follow Dr. Stein's recommendations and have found peace. Our son's brothers and sister now have a friend and not a bully for a brother. It is truly amazing.

December 2002: Did you know that there is no scientific test for the presence of ADD/ADHD? According to Dr. Stein that's because ADD/ADHD is NOT the epidemic biological/chemical/genetic/dietary disease that today's popular medicine would have us believe. It's what grade schools used to call poor conduct, and it can be corrected with a two-pronged, drug-free approach: increase praise to reward good conduct and use boredom--what I refer to as "Time Out on Steroids"--to correct bad conduct. The book includes a simple, well-reasoned explanation of what Dr. Stein believes causes kids to be inattentive (IA) and highly misbehaving (HM). More importantly for parents like me it includes a detailed, step by step, VERY PRACTICAL program for working with an IA/HM child in a broad variety of settings (e.g. at home, at a store, in the car). He calls this the Caregivers Skills Program (CSP).

The key to the CSP is that it helps the child understand that it's to his benefit to think...think about the consequences of his actions, think about the rules, think about the feelings of others, etc. This book is surprisingly short for the importance of its subject, reads very quickly, is down to earth and to-the-point. Dr. Stein includes just the right amount of the theories behind the CSP so parents can build on the specifics in the CSP to handle other situations not specifically covered by the book.

If you're considering resorting to drugs or professional counseling to try and help a child you suspect might be ADD/ADHD, you owe it to the child and yourself to read this book.

Updated March 2009: This book is a great start. Use it in concert with the Feingold Diet (which eliminates artificial flavorings, artificial colorings and artificial preservatives) to bring about truly amazing improvements in behavior, school achievement, happiness and self-esteem.

I bought this book for help with discipline and it has done wonders!!! If you follow his plan and stay consistent,it really does work!! The book arrived in excellent condition with no markings whatsoever.

This book was a real eye opener. It actually had a frightening tone to its information - that I'm sure was designed to grasp the attention of the reader who most likely is a parent with questions about the drug Ritalin. It was useful. Everyone with "active" children should read it before doing the extreme.

If you are looking for sound advice and information, try something more current and balanced. If you are looking to support a preconceived opinion that AD/HD is not real, and that ritalin is used merely to control normal and active children, you may not need this book. You are already convinced.

I am a 37 year old mother of five children (ages 9-16) and a master's degree seminary student. I recently borrowed this from my school's library while working on a research paper. I find that Dr. Stein uses fallacious reasoning and scare tactics to promote his ideas. His writing is sarcastic and disrespectful towards parents, teachers, physicians, psychologists, and researchers. Furthermore, his work is poorly supported, and the research he cites is extremely out of date. Out of 54 total sources (which is very few for such an ambitious book), only 16 are less than ten years old, and none are peer-reviewed research on AD/HD. In contrast, there were 12, 077 results in an academic search database (searched today) for the keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Surely Dr. Stein could have used a few of those to support his arguments. He asserts his opinion as a supposed counterpoint to a conspiracy of highbrow drug pushers. His arguments are similar to all conspiracy theorists.

AD/HD is one of the most heavily researched psychological disorders. Between June 1, 2008 and July 2, 2008 there were 131 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles published. Dr. Stein argues that the motivation for research on this disorder is primarily driven by the greed of drug companies. He fails to tell us that AD/HD is shown to increase many risk factors, especially when untreated, for dangerous and criminal behavior in teens and adults. It is also associated with other concerns that affect quality of life throughout the lifespan. AD/HD is not only a personal problem, it is a public health problem. The nation of Canada recommends that all teenage drivers diagnosed with AD/HD use stimulant medication while driving, because the scientific research is so strong that the drug reduces risk taking and traffic collisions in AD/HD drivers. These are real and supportable concerns that are not about control, but health and safety.

Children and adults with significant AD/HD need real treatment from competent practitioners: psychiatrists, counselors, therapists, and clinical social workers. Parents of children with AD/HD need support and help, not advice such as, "These children lack the essential values needed to sustain them through each school day and through the long educational years. School work isn't easy. ... Parents must instill a love of learning and education to curtain a child's inattention and misbehavior in school" (p. 37). Dr. Stein informs us that children with AD/HD simply aren't trying hard enough because their parents haven't properly instilled the value of education and a love of learning. This is a completely unsupported statement, both in research and practice with AD/HD families. It is also extremely harmful thinking that may escalate the tensions often found in families that deal with this disorder.

It must be acknowledged, however, that Dr. Stein speaks to the problem of wrong diagnoses and poor treatment choices. It is true that many other disorders can look like AD/HD (e.g., allergies) and diagnosis must be made carefully in order to determine the best treatment plan. Furthermore, once a treatment method has been selected, it must be monitored carefully and adjusted until optimal. Both pharmaceutical and behavioral interventions are appropriate and often beneficial. AD/HD diagnosed individuals should not be denied appropriate treatment due to the extremes on either side of the argument.