The ADHD-Autism Connection: A Step Toward More Accurate Diagnoses and Effective Treatment (Paperback)

~ (Author), Rebecca S. Banks (Contributor), Paul T. Elliott (Contributor), Carl Daisy (Contributor) "I live in a laboratory..." (more)
Key Phrases: autism researchers, trum disorders, playground politics, Temple Grandin, Fred Volkmar, Russell Barkley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

At last, long-awaited answers to the questions you’ve been asking. Help for frustrated ADHD patients and their families. (As well as those with autism, PDD, Asperger’s syndrome, and other related conditions.)

Attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is one of the most rapidly growing diagnoses of our generation. Often the diagnosis fails to provide real help, leaving patients, doctors, and families at a loss to know what to do next. But for the first time ever, new insights into the overwhelming number of similarities between Autism and ADHD are giving those with ADHD genuine hope.

For years, the label of Autism has carried a negative connotation. Parents were afraid to admit the diagnosis and banished the term from discussion. Finally, The ADHD-Autism Connection gives parents, educators, and doctors a reason to embrace autism with a renewed sense of hope and understanding. This book will show how these understandings can minimize the frustration, misdiagnoses, and misunderstandings ADHD sufferers and their families face.

From the Inside Flap

At last, long-awaited answers to the questions you've been asking. Help for frustrated ADHD patients and their families. (As well as those with autism, PDD, Asperger's syndrome, and other related conditions.)

Attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is one of the most rapidly growing diagnoses of our generation. Often the diagnosis fails to provide real help, leaving patients, doctors, and families at a loss to know what to do next. But for the first time ever, new insights into the overwhelming number of similarities between Autism and ADHD are giving those with ADHD genuine hope.

For years, the label of Autism has carried a negative connotation. Parents were afraid to admit the diagnosis and banished the term from discussion. Finally, The ADHD-Autism Connection gives parents, educators, and doctors a reason to embrace autism with a renewed sense of hope and understanding. This book will show how these understandings can minimize the frustration, misdiagnoses, and misunderstandings ADHD sufferers and their families face.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (March 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578564980
• ISBN-13: 978-1578564989
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #238,405 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holistic Approach to ADHD Gives Insight, March 26, 2002

By	Stacye (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This book is a must read for anyone (Parents, Educators, Professionals, Individuals) seeking to better understand themselves or those around them who suffer from charactistics associated with ADHD/Autism. The ADHD Autism Connection gives ground-breaking insight into the most significant disorders of our time. Diane Kennedy steps back to look at two different labels that fail to encompass the whole. Like ships passing in the night, the medical communities of ADHD and Autism have failed to see themselves in one another. Finally individuals, parents and educators can see the whole picture. The Author's personal experience as a mother of three children with ADHD/Autistic tendancies provides encouragement and hope as well as the insight only a mother possesses. Chapter 3 focuses on the similarities between autism and ADHD highlighting the obvious connection which serves as the breeding ground for ineffective treatment and misdiagnosis in many children. Chapter 8 has some thoughtful information contributed by Travis Nay about the individual uniqueness of our brains. I have personally attended his seminar and highly recommend it. The experience transformed my parenting! His web sight is listed in the resource section of the book. I would encourage everyone seeking understanding on this topic to read The ADHD Autism Connection. Diane Kennedy's book will surely prove to be a pivotal turning point in the way we view ADHD.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, wonderful, and astounding, November 4, 2002

By	Romantic heart (Greenville, RI USA) - See all my reviews

I was so amazed at how accurate this book is on describing my 12 yr old son. When a book is written from a parent of a special needs child, it means more for they know what it is like to cope and deal with a special needs child. My son was first dz with ADHD, then it was just Aspergers. I tried telling doctors that he has both for I read so much info on both ADHD and Aspergers. It was either one or the other to them. This book was amazing for I know I'm not alone. It's not easy to raise my son, but he's my world. So easy to read and understand. I felt as though this book was written for and about my son. Must have for every parent, family member, and friends of ADHD/Asperger child. This book will give you more insight and coping skills to deal with doctors, schools, and everyone who doesn't understand what it is like to live with an Aspie child. I recommended it to his teacher and counselor. Thanks so much for this book, wish it was published years ago.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL, THANK YOU, June 20, 2003

By	Carolyn (San Ramon, CA USA) - See all my reviews

As a parent whose 8yrs child was diagnosed with alphabet soup ADHD, TS, OCD, ODD, BP, Anxiety, Dyslexia, seizures, ataxia, left hemiparesis, developmental delay, Post tramatic stress disorder from the birth of his sisters or a rough in pre-or inutero environment etc by doctors, neurologists, ot, pt from the time he was 18 months - 8yrs etc
His final dx of PDD-NOS at 8yrs 9 monthsw believe it or not made the most sense out of them all. It explains all of his behaviors at different times of his life. It explains how he is one way one day and another way another day and the range and variety of odd behaviors. Before getting the PDD-NOS dx I started looking towards the possible autistic treatments always reminding myself and others "not that he is autistic" and always found how amazing it was that he seemed to respond to the biomedical treatments of autism. Many parents could not understand why I would be interested in autism treatments when my son was dx with all the other stuff. I just told them that autism community is on to something right now in genetic research in looking at diet, biochemical treatments. It is a neurological disease and it has NOTHING to do with the way parents raise their kids.

This book automatically confirms my beliefs that 1) there is a connection between adhd, bp, autism-not just behavioral but medically and genetically 2)that children are often misdiagnosed as only adhd, or bp and not even look at the autism part(thinking) as what is causing some of the adhd, bp symptoms 3)that a child may look adhd as a preschool, change to ODD, and then when he is older and frustrated and full of anger-become dx with bp when originally he has autism.4)there are a lot variabilities in autism -autistics are not all quiet withdrawn kids who stim all day long with poor speech-many don;t have any speech problem at all and in fact has a high vocab., they can be very social but can be somewhat social awkward or not understand some social situations, some can be very active and not stim at all 5)behavior modifications may not alway work and when it doesn't it means there is something else going on rather than just adhd and odd. Sometimes behavior mod can be more harmful to the self esteem when the child has something more going on than just adhd and odd.
Basically this book provides evidence and concrete visuals and confirms many of my thoughts and theories regarding this subject.
Thank YOu Diane Kennedy!