Thom Hartmann's Complete Guide to ADHD: Help for Your Family at Home, School and Work

by Thom Hartmann

Book Overview

A pioneering expert in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder draws on the latest scientific and medical research to explain why America's school systems have failed to help children diagnosed with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887424520
• ISBN13: 9781887424523
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Underwood Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Buy this Hartmann ADD book - it is his BEST

.There are lots of reviews detailing the major points and I think they do a pretty fair job. So I won't repeat them.The major point I would like to make is that Thom Hartmann has written several books - I think it's confusing trying to figure out which one(s) to read. His "A Different Perspective" was fantastic. But his "Complete Guid" is the best. If you are into NLP, his "Healing" book is useful. [My take on NLP is: Neuro Linguistic Programming - learn how people's eyes literally look in a particular direction when they are thinking certain types of thoughts {and succeed in poker) - control your involuntary physiological responses to transform your behavior - e.g., train your mind to be tranzuil (instead of fearful) when you see a black cat.] Thom Hartmann's approach is effective [in my opinion and in direct contrast to the newest review I saw] because it helps me get get a handle on the various problems AND it offers effective advice on how to leverage ADD strengths. I hope this proves useful.

He understands ADD...

Thom Hartmann is somebody who seems to really understand what ADD is all about. This is a great book that brings up some very interesting points. The section about education and learning is outstanding.I think all people who have ADD themselves or care about a person with ADD should read this book. This is a great book somebody who us just begining to learn about ADD. It's also a great book for somebody who is looking for a different view of ADD than doctors and other my be giving. I think anybody who has an interest in ADD should read at least one of Thom Hartmann's books.

Best Book on ADD Attention Deficit Disorder

This is a wonderful book.As an adult ADD'er, and a parent of a child with ADD, it was great to discover Thom Hartmann's writings. He, unlike most authors of books on ADD, takes a much more positive perspective, so you don't feel like you have a brain disease. Some of the other authors' aproaches can really lead to low self esteem. My daughter, now finishing her sophomore year in college, with a 3.5 average, found Hartmann's ideas liberating, compared to the brain disease model. This book pulls together Thom Hartmanns latest and classic thoughts on ADD, using his Hunter in a Farmer's World point perspective on people with ADD. It offers views on school and work-- how to succeed, how to make them better. In a world where diversity is diminishing and uniformity is being ramrodded down our throats, Thom Hartmann's books make us take another look at some mainstream assumptions. My daughter and I are happy withour ADD-ness. We wouldn't want it any other way, and there are plenty of other people out there who have adapted successfully to being ADD-- entrepreneurs, researchers, surgeons, reporters, programmers, detectives, salesmen, mechanics-- a lot of the people who are at the cutting edge of making a difference in this world. Thom Hartmann's book helps parents and adults understand what's going on with ADDD and offers strategies to cope so ADDers can be successful and happy. Before you take or put a child on Ritalin or some other drug, read this book. You may still choose to use the medication, but you'll understand the biology, anthropology and politics better and also become aware of other, non-drug options. Others who give a reasonable picture on ADD include Lynn Weiss, Joel Sears and Lynda Thompson, John Ratey, and Ed Hallowell.Check out his website at thom hartmann dot com to find out more about him.

Thom Hartmann's Complete Guide to ADHD:Help for Your Family

I have thoroughly enjoyed Thom Hartmann's newest book the"Complete Guide to ADHD". It has been several years since I last read some of Thom Hartmann's work. Although some themes have been reiterated from earlier books in this new book, there are good new insights into old concepts and new issues which I find interesting and helpful. Hartmann always comes across as a thoughtful coach and teacher rather than as a Doctor or a victim telling their story of ADD misery. As I read the "Guide" I realize how lucky I am to have stumbled into his writing and how far I have come utilizing many of his suggestions from earlier books.Five years ago I became aware that there was a name for my chronic disorganization that had created years of negativity and apprehension. I am in my 50's and was considered a goof-off in school.There was no concept for ADD at the time.It was more or less considered weak character or low horsepower. A lousy self image and poor organization skills followed me into business .Though I have managed to do well by by having great coworkers, I had alway lived in ADD terror that I could not manage my business as it got bigger. Once aware of the nature of ADD ;I looked for possible solutions, I tried prescription medications but found I could not tolerate them well.I sought alternatives and I stumbled into Hartmann's books at the library. I was ideally seeking an instant fix .Instead I discovered combination of medium and many small fixes over time and practice.I discovered most of the fixes in Hartmann's books and on his Compuserve ADD Forum . I adopted many of his tips ;one of the best was a mindfulness technique called "original awareness" which is reviewed in "Guide". I also discovered the magic of EEG Neurofeedback which proved to be a godsend for me and my teenage daughter who also had attention problems. Hartmann was one of the first ADD writers to conservatively endorse Neurofeedback for attention training.This gave me the confidence to try it and fortunately it was effective.I was initially skeptical of some of Hartmann's concepts from earlier books especially the concept that ADD has many plusses. As I read the "Guide" I realize how on target he was and is ;once you get some control over your impulses you have often the energy and craziness to go out of the box and try new things.This with discipline can give you a competitive advantage.. The Hunter gene may account for some of our prowess as an innovative nation.Hard-core ADD is considered is small percent of the population but many more of the population have some occasional traits of ADD, so Hartmann's self management tips have common sense value for many more people, especially in business .I found most interesting Hartmann's theories on poor listening skills, reading, and too much passive visual stimulation from TV and computers. This theory plus the theory of how the brain is sculpted by our environments at earlier ages is also fascinating; these theories should interest p

OLD content worth the price of the book alone

I can't give the content of this book ENOUGH stars! The "Guide" is divided into three parts: Home, School, and Work. The "at Work" section is a complete reprint of one of Hartmann's prior books, "Focus Your Energy: Hunting for Success in Business with Attention Deficit Disorder," with a few updates and corrections and additions (nothing taken out). I am the founder & CEO of The Optimal Functioning Institute™, which trains ADD Coaches in a comprehensive 2-year training; "Focus" has been one of five ADD books that are REQUIRED reading for my students since 1994. I mourned the fact that it was taken out of print. Even though my students could still get it through a special agreement with the author, I rejoice that it is back so that everyone can read it. The "Guide" has now replaced "Focus" on our required reading list.Hartmann is knowledgeable, imminently readable, and never pathologizes ADD. His use of the "hunter/farmer" metaphor to differentiate the ADD brain wiring from non-ADD, allows those of us with that kind of brain to focus on what is GOOD about us rather than trying to "fix" what's "bad."I have always recommended FOCUS as a "first read" for certain individuals, and will now recommend the Guide in its stead. In my experience with thousands of ADDers, entrepreneurs, people who are fearful of "labels" yet searching for help, those who have been prescribed medication but no practical help to support them, and those who have read the sensationalist press primarily and are looking at ADD with a jaundiced eye as a result, have all responded positively to FOCUS. Because Hartmann writes so clearly and economically, it has always been my choice for ADDers who have trouble reading because they just can't concentrate long enough to get through a paragraph, much less a book. This is a "feel good" book -- buy it and read it for the afterglow as much as the information.Sincerely, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, A.C.T., MCC The Optimal Functioning Institute™ founder & CEO