Unraveling The Add/Adhd Fiasco [Paperback]

David B. Stein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2001

The number of children being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD has skyrocketed, along with prescriptions for Ritalin and other powerful amphetamine drugs to treat these problem children. This pharmaceutical answer to a behavioral disorder is one of the most controversial subjects in parenting today, and Dr. David Stein offers parents a safe, foolproof alternative.Challenging the disease theories of ADD/ADHD, Stein discusses the conditions in modern society and the American family that cause so many children to hate schoolwork and behave disrespectfully to all authority figures. Rejecting the pill solution, he presents a truly effective parent training program called the Caregivers' Skills Program that helps children learn appropriate behavioral and cognitive skills permanently, without drug therapy. Parents are trained to teach their children to love reading and learning, and to respect authority at home and at school. Stein presents case studies from his own highly successful practice that demonstrate the remarkably effective CSP that can help parents, educators, physicians and therapists treat today's problem children.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. David Stein is professor of Psychology at Longwood College in Virginia. In addition to teaching, he has been a clinical practitioner, writer, researcher, and public speaker for over 25 years during which he has campaigned against the use of amphetamine drugs to treat children labeled ADD/ADHD. He is the author of many professional publications and scientific presentations, and has won numerous awards, including the 2000 Outstanding Teacher Award at Longwood College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740718592
• ISBN-13: 978-0740718595
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. David Stein is professor of Psychology at Longwood College in Virginia. In addition to teaching, he has been a clinical practitioner, writer, researcher, and public speaker for over 25 years during which he has campaigned against the use of amphetamine drugs to treat children labeled ADD/ADHD. He is the author of many professional publications and scientific presentations, and has won numerous awards, including the 2000 Outstanding Teacher Award at Longwood College.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The CSP non-medication approach to ADD/ADHD, September 5, 2001

By 

Samuel D. Ravenel (High Point, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Unraveling The Add/Adhd Fiasco (Paperback)

I am a practicing pediatrian with a heavy emphasis on behavioral problems. After reading Dr. Stein's former book RITALIN IS NOT THE ANSWER, although skeptical because so much of conventional "wisdom" about managing ADD was challenged, I cautiously began to offer this approach to select parents. The results were impressive in several cases, and this fueled my desire to learn more about Dr. Stein's approach. Having now begun to offer the CSP (Skilled Caregivers Program) for any parent who prefers a non-medication method of dealing with ADD/ADHD behaviors, I continue to experience success in a number of cases where previously medication offered the only hope for improvement. The current volume amplifies on what Dr. Stein has previously written, and adds a number of areas to supplement the fundamental behavioral premises and techniques. Having had an opportunity to read the manuscript twice prior to its current availability, I am most impressed and unhestitatingly recommend it for any parent dealing with this issue and for professionals who would like to be able to help parents to manage their child's behavior problems effectively without having to resort to medications.
A chapter on Dr. Stein's ideas about why we may be experiencing such an explosion of the behaviors defining what we have labelled as ADD/ADHD is outstanding and thought-provoking. I agree with his overall assessment that this behavioral syndrome likely represents basically a culturally derived phenomenon rather than a biological or neurological one.
The discussion of both the importance of, and how to carry out, positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior is outstanding and provides the book a commendable balance while dealing with oppositional behavior. I encourage fellow professionals who might initially hesitate to consider seriously Dr. Stein's conceptualization and recommended approach, to do themselves a favor and read this book.
S. DuBose Ravenel, M.D, F.A.A.P.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parent of "ADHD" child, October 5, 2002

By 

"isaacsmommie" (Phoenix) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unraveling The Add/Adhd Fiasco (Paperback)

After reading all the reviews for this book...I thought that it desperately needed a review from a parent who read and practiced the book. I am a graduate student in Social Work and a mom to a child that I DID NOT want to medicate. I wanted to try behavioral approach first. I can tell you that after two weeks my child's behaviors improved at home by 90%. It has now been 3 months and his behaviors at school have improved but are not completely gone. So in the next few weeks we plan to put in place the report card system. I know alot of professionals will say that it hasn't been long enough to evaluate. So I will post again at the 6 month mark and then the 1 year mark and let you all know how it is going.

I don't think that this book is meant as a Professional Journal it is meant for parents...like me...that hear over and over again what a disjustice we are doing to our children by NOT medicating. Well BRAVO to Dr. Stein for standing up and saying that it is possible to have an IA/HM child that can function appropriately...without the use of stimulants.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This program works!, October 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Unraveling The Add/Adhd Fiasco (Paperback)

I bought this book seeking help for my unruly 5 year old child, who certainly fit the ADHD description on the "diagnosis" checklists, but was too young to actually be diagnosed. I wanted to do something about her behavior before she got into school. I was not faced with the medication question at the time, and was hoping to avoid it altogether.

This book was great. The behavior modification program he describes worked wonderfully. It has transformed our child and our family dynamic greatly. What the program does is put the consequences of the child's behavior squarely on the child's shoulders. "Punishment" is a lengthy (10+ minutes) timeout in a boring room. (Spanking is only advocated if necessary in order to get a child to stay in the chair, and then on a very limited basis. It is not a regular part of the timeout.)

The theory, as I understand it, is that this type of child loves stimulation, and the absence of it -- sitting in a chair in a boring room with nothing to look at or do -- is an effective punishment. Instead of pleading with my child or yelling at her or cajoling her, etc., I simply say "timeout" and off she goes. (And yes, amazingly, she does go to and stay in the chair, without being spanked. Don't ask me why, but she does.) At the end of the time she has to be able to tell me why she was sent. I can think of only one occasion on which she really did not know why.

I lent my book to a neighbor whose son fit the general ADHD profile, and she had similar results. She has since recommened it to 5 others.

I don't know how the author's research stacks up scientifically. Again, I was not looking for drug information. But I feel that he at least makes a strong argument against the drugs, and that his behavior program is a good one to try before resorting to the drugs.

It is not easy for a parent to accept that maybe a more effective parenting style works with this child. I have two older children who are well behaved and have never needed this much work to parent. But it was amazing to see how once my child had to suffer the consequences of her own behavior, she was able to turn it around. One example: she had a regular appointment at a place that was filled with toys and so was very difficult to leave when it was time to go home. The people there liked to talk about how she "had trouble with transitions," which meant that I would either spend 5-10 minutes cajoling her to leave, while I and her siblings waited and I fumed, or carry her out crying, again with me fuming. The only person who was stressed out by this scene was me, Once I implemented the CSP program, I would tell her to leave. If she didn't comply, we left under the usual conditions, except I wasn't fuming, because I knew I could address it once we got home. When she got home, I would calmly tell her timeout, and then leave her there for 30 minutes, without telling her why she was going. Every time, at the end of the timeout, she could tell me why she had been sent. It took about three of these timeouts for her to be "cured" of her "transition difficulties"! Then when I said it was time to leave, she got up and came without incident.

Our timeout chair is in the living room, which is an out of the way room. It is a comfortable chair, normally positioned -- not facing the corner or anything. The timeout is not designed to humiliate the child, just bore him or her. You do not yell or scold or constantly monitor the child in the chair. The point is to give the child as little attention, positive or negative, as possible.

The other ESSENTIAL part of the program is praise for good behavior. For example, when she got up and left at the right time instead of lingering over toys, I made sure to note it and praise her for it. She loves all the positive attention she gets. It is probably even more motivating than the boring timeouts. It is real work to constantly catch your children doing things right, but it has a wonderful effect on their behavior.

If you think about it, Dr. Stein's program is really a very positive and hopeful approach, although it may not seem like it on first reading. He says that we should expect reasonable behavior from these kids; that we should not relax the standards for them; that they do not require constant accomodation. In short, expect them to be normal, not impaired. It expects them to able to acquire a skill that all of us need in life: self control. Further, the timeout is based on lack of attention, positive or negative, so parents stop yelling and freaking out. The child might be throwing a fit in the car, but you can stay calm because you know that when you pull in the driveway all you have to say is "timeout."

This book is not the answer for every "ADHD" problem. It does not really address school issues, and I wonder how effective it would be for an older child, say 12+. My daughter behaves much better, but she is still a very "active" kid, so it will not transform a wiggly kid into someone who magically sits still all the time. But overall it has made a huge difference for our family and my daughter. It has de-stressed me and my interactions with her, and has led her to choose better behavior more of the time.

I strongly recommend it for any parent at her wit's end trying to figure out what to do with her child. And if you are considering the drugs, be warned that it does provides a strong anti-drug view. But perhaps weighing all the arguments -- pro and con -- makes for a more informed and sound decision, even if the decision is to use the medication. If you really can't take or don't want the anti-drug stance, just skip the first half of the book and use the behavior program. It is terrific.