Ryan: A Mother's Story of Her Hyperactive/Tourette Syndrome Child [Paperback]

Susan Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1990 | ISBN-10: 1878267264 | ISBN-13: 978-1878267269

A moving and informative story of how a mother struggled with the many behavioral problems presented by her son with Tourette syndrome, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hughes describes her growing understanding of Tourette Syndrome via her experience with a complexly disordered and difficult young son. She passes through typical stages of confusion and fear mixed with denial and defensiveness, finding herself relieved by the discovery that his difficulties have a name, hence a treatment, a prognosis (not altogether favorable), and a national network of support (the Tourette Syndrome Association). Mothers' stories of their plights with a difficult child are well-received by other mothers (even occasional fathers) of similar children. The parent of a Tourette Syndrome child may be comforted by Hughes' compassionate account of life with Ryan. Hughes published Ryan in close conjunction with a new treatise by David Comings, M.D., who has also supplied the foreword to her narrative. Comings, a leading voice in the investigation of Tourettes, is the proponent of a compelling though controversial theory that locates Tourette Syndrome and a large array of other childhood psychiatric disorders on a single human gene. Furthermore, Comings has used the Tourette Syndrome mantle as the transcendent element in these varied disorders of childhood, thus artificially increasing its incidence from the conservatively estimated 1 in 2500 to as frequent as perhaps 5% of all children. An overdrawn linkage is thereby made between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Tourette Syndrome, both of which Ryan surely suffers. While a very significant number of Tourette cases have ADHD as a correlate, the vast majority of hyperactive children will never demonstrate the tics and behavior anomalies typical of Tourette. Hughes' failure to make this differentiation will lead parents to harbor undue concern and be unnecessarily on guard for symptoms that in all probability will never occur. ADHD alone is both more easily managed and more successfully resolved than ADHD complicated by the presence of Tourette. In the absence of a discussion of the Comings theory from which this presentation is derived, Ryan is likely to create as much confusion and anxiety as it is hoping to dispel. -- From Independent Publisher

About the Author

Susan Hughes is also author of What Makes Ryan Tick? A Family's Triumph over Tourette Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder published by Hope Press. She is the president of the Tourette Syndrome Association, Southern California Chapter and serves on the board of directors. She has also served on the board of directors of United Parents, a resource group for parents of children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Susan frequently speaks to groups regarding her family's experiences with Tourette syndrome and she has appeared on several radio and television programs. She also conducts in-service trainings for educators and addresses university classes for special education teachers and social workers. She resides in Southern California with her husband Jim, daughter Julie, 19, and son, Ryan, 16, who has Tourette Syndrome. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 153 pages
• Publisher: Hope Pr (February 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878267264
• ISBN-13: 978-1878267269
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,040,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Medicine > Administration & Policy > Health Care Delivery
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Administration & Medicine Economics
  • #22 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Medical

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must have for parents of children with Tourette Syndrome, April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ryan: A Mother's Story of Her Hyperactive/Tourette Syndrome Child (Paperback)

Susan Hughes generously allows us into her familys private struggle with TS and ADHD. She shows how life really is as a parent struggling to control this disorder. She offers us a look into what the future might hold for any parent that has a child with Tourettes. This book gives parents and educators a much better understanding of these disorders. If there is someone in your life dealing with Tourettes then you must get them this book

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ryan: A Mother's Story of Her Hyperactive/Tourette Syndrome, July 1, 2000

By 

Karie House (Portland, Or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ryan: A Mother's Story of Her Hyperactive/Tourette Syndrome Child (Paperback)

I would like a 3-4 page review of this book, please. It would mean so much to me.

Thank you,

Karie