ADHD Books to Read

Understanding Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, its definition, etiology, course, and complications is an important strategy for the healthcare providers as well as the family. It will enable and guide them in dealing with the child and managing the diagnosis. ADHD is the most common behavioral disorder in North America occurring in 3% to 8% among school children. Children with this behavioral problem are manifested by excessive distractibility, impulsivity, restlessness and overactivity. They may also tend to have age-inappropriate inattention. Studies have also shown that it occur more frequently in males than in females.

Clinicians play a vital role in helping the family identify and understand the nature of the disease, its possible complications and comorbidity, pathogenesis, prevention, treatment and palliation. For any disorder it is important to have a thorough understanding especially if it considered as a controversial issue. Over the past years, the diagnosis of ADHD has been constantly argued and questioned by medical and lay critics; others also criticize the effectiveness of the most common and best-documented treatment and the use of stimulants and other behavioral therapies.

Studies and researches have been compiled and published over the years in order to provide a guide and a practical reference for parents and teachers and other interested individuals gain insight into a better understanding of the behavioral disorder. The ADD/ADHD Checklist by Sandra Rief is an example. It aims to aid parents and teachers in understanding children and teenagers with ADHD. The book focuses on specific strategies, supports and interventions that have been proven to be effective in managing common problems associated with ADHD.  It is structured in a brief, simple and user-friendly way that discusses a variety of topics.

Another book that discusses this behavioral problem is Paul Wender’s ADHD in Children and in Adults. Wender is one of the first advocates of stimulant medications in the treatment of ADHD. In this book, he emphasized the benefits of using stimulants especially in the treatment of this life-long behavioral disorder. ADHD in Adults: What the Science Say by Russell Barkley is a book dedicated for the adults who are self-referred to clinics. One major topic discussed in the book is a comparison between adults who are self-referred to clinics and those children with ADHD followed to adulthood. This is the first and only book to discuss the said study. It gives a unique glimpse at the similarities as well as the differences between the two populations diagnosed with ADHD.

Barkley also published another book entitled Taking Charge of ADHD. It aims to empower parents by providing them with the recent, up-to-date knowledge and expert guidance that they need to ensure the adequacy of the care they give to their children. He saw the need to teach parents to have a scientific approach in obtaining information concerning the diagnosis of their children. The information Barkley offers in his book are based on his clinical experiences with thousands of families with children diagnosed with ADHD. The recommendations he made in this book have been drawn from extensive scientific research although he admits that everything one should know about ADHD cannot be found in this book. Its goal is provide the parents with knowledge on executive parenthood, skills on scientific inquiry and principle-centered action.

Silvia DeRuvo’s Strategies for Teaching Adolescents with ADHD also offers significant information that highlights working with ADHD students. This book will help the teachers in guiding their adolescent students with ADHD succeed in their studies. Succeeding in school is one of the most therapeutic things that can happen to a student with ADHD as claimed in the book. It is an important tool and can be of great help in managing classes and lectures with ADHD students.

A lot of ADHD books to read are made available nowadays especially with the rise in the incidence of ADHD worldwide. These books may have contradicting information; one may be against the use of treatments such as stimulant medications while others may strongly advocate the use of such. Whichever treatment or book is chosen to be read, all of them have one thing in common, they offer to provide significant and relevant information that can help families, teachers, and other concerned individuals deal and cope with ADHD.