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A Bird's-Eye View of Life with ADD and ADHD: Advice from Young Survivors
See information for first edition.
- GenresAdhdNonfictionPsychology
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 23, 2014
This book was written in 2003, so some of the information is dated (nobody uses a palm pilot anymore, but you can easily replace "PDA" or "palm" with any newer electronic device). Aside from that, this book had some very good information and was extremely helpful in both understanding ADHD and giving some ideas on how to manage symptoms.
The fact that it is written from the point of view from someone with the condition was also helpful since, as a parent, I struggle to understand what my child is going through. This allowed me to see (somewhat) through his eyes how ADHD impacts his life.
The fact that it is written from the point of view from someone with the condition was also helpful since, as a parent, I struggle to understand what my child is going through. This allowed me to see (somewhat) through his eyes how ADHD impacts his life.
February 7, 2021
This is pretty dated, but I would be interested in getting my hands on the newer edition to see if the updates make it more useful for 2020. I can see this being beneficial for my oldest or any MS or HS age kid working to get a handle on their AD(H)D, IF the suggestions were current and relatable to now (i.e. most kids won't even know what a Palm Pilot IS, and smartphones take the place of A LOT of the suggestions, especially those tech related.
January 11, 2017
A Bird's-Eye View of Life with ADD and ADHD: Advice from Young Survivors is, unfortunately, a seemingly waste of time for anyone wishing to learn more about ADD and ADHD and how to cope with it above the age of primary school. The book has gone through multiple revisions over the years, giving advice from a group of people as they grew up. I chose this book as it was a recommendation, being advertised as an in depth insight into exactly how these two disorders work, and how to cope with them. I was presented a mess of terrible formatting and repetitive information that can be figured out online quickly, and for free. The advice given was repeated multiple times, often being incomplete or vague. An example of the flow of this book would be as follows:
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Kid 1: "I found it easier for me to type my notes, as it allowed me to keep up!"
Kid 2: "Computers can make your life a lot easier!"
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Kid 3: "I got my mother to help me keep my room clean and organized, it made me happy."
Kid 2: "Computers made me so much more organized, you should try the same!"
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These aren't exact quotes, but the formatting and general ideas discussed can give you a pretty good idea of the entire book. These "tips" were rarely organized, often having others in between instead of taking all of them and putting the best points into one section.
I can not recommend this book. Not only was I disappointed in the fact that it didn't go into the psychological aspect as expected, but upon attempting to look at it from a different angle, i.e. an advice book, I was still extremely disappointed. I feel as if all of the advice could be applied to anyone's life, and even at that it was displayed in an unorganized manor, providing zero specifics and being overall too vague to make a difference.
In summary; it felt as if the book was telling me "Breathing is the optimal way to survive" where any rational person would know this, but the reasoning for picking up a book about breathing was to learn potentially more optimal ways to do so and explanations why, instead of "Breath in, then out, it helps!".
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Kid 1: "I found it easier for me to type my notes, as it allowed me to keep up!"
Kid 2: "Computers can make your life a lot easier!"
-------------------------------
Kid 3: "I got my mother to help me keep my room clean and organized, it made me happy."
Kid 2: "Computers made me so much more organized, you should try the same!"
-------------------------------
These aren't exact quotes, but the formatting and general ideas discussed can give you a pretty good idea of the entire book. These "tips" were rarely organized, often having others in between instead of taking all of them and putting the best points into one section.
I can not recommend this book. Not only was I disappointed in the fact that it didn't go into the psychological aspect as expected, but upon attempting to look at it from a different angle, i.e. an advice book, I was still extremely disappointed. I feel as if all of the advice could be applied to anyone's life, and even at that it was displayed in an unorganized manor, providing zero specifics and being overall too vague to make a difference.
In summary; it felt as if the book was telling me "Breathing is the optimal way to survive" where any rational person would know this, but the reasoning for picking up a book about breathing was to learn potentially more optimal ways to do so and explanations why, instead of "Breath in, then out, it helps!".
August 13, 2016
Significantly dated, but good for its time. Well designed to be read by someone with ADHD and contained many good suggestions (even the ones that involved out-of-date tech; again, they were still good for the time period). One major weakness, I thought, was a bit of an over-focus on medication. Medication shows up as a solution for about half of the problems addressed in the book, it gets its own special, very long chapter, and it's again talked about in at least two of the appendices. Personally, I think that's a little overkill, and I would have liked to see more time given to comorbid conditions and potential interactions between comorbids and ADHD, as well as potential solutions. Oh well. You can't have everything in life.
January 15, 2013
Book contains sections that categorize symptoms of ADD and ADHD. Polls from different teens impacted by ADHD then share their best methods on managing the symptoms/ issues. Medications are discussed as well as some medical/ diagnostic details on how the brain works differently in those diagnosed with ADHD.
Very comprehensive short book that defines ADHD criteria and shares solutions. It is a bit dated as it references palm pilots, but most other techniques are applicable for students today. Very insightful read for both my child and I as we work through his diagnosis.
Very comprehensive short book that defines ADHD criteria and shares solutions. It is a bit dated as it references palm pilots, but most other techniques are applicable for students today. Very insightful read for both my child and I as we work through his diagnosis.
February 6, 2017
This was very very helpful. I will be sure to use it when I need help in school
August 22, 2012
Advice from teens with ADHD to teens with ADHD. Lots of practical tips, but a bit dated (i.e. refers to Palm Pilots instead of iPhones).
December 1, 2013
Worthwhile to take a look at this. Format is good for reluctant readers.
January 7, 2014
Clear, concise, informative. I wish I had read it a few years ago, I think it could have been very helpful for us as parents and for my son.
May 10, 2015
I used this book to educate myself about ADHD to better understand what my grandson is going through. Very informative.
December 27, 2016
My 15 year old daughter said that it was good but didn't want to give it five stars because it was recommended by her mother.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews