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The ADD Answer: How to Help Your Child Now--With Questionnaires and Family-Centered Action Plans to Meet Your Child's Specific Needs
Every year, 17 million new cases of attention deficit disorder, or ADD, are diagnosed in children. But medications designed to treat the disorder don’t work for many children and often leave families frustrated and searching for more options. In The ADD Answer, Dr. Frank Lawlis draws upon his thirty-five years of experience as a clinical and research psychologist to show parents how they can reclaim their central role in healing their children with comprehensive step-by-step advice on dealing with the problems of ADD. His approach blends the latest medical, nutritional, and psychological treatments that can increase brain function with expert insight into the emotional—and spiritual—support kids need.
Including assessment tests geared to help parents understand their child’s particular needs and practical information on proven treatment options, The ADD Answer explores:
• The role of nutrition in treating the disorder
• The positive effects of counseling and goal setting
• Advances in the field of biofeedback
• The importance of sleep, and much more
An inspiring and essential guide, The ADD Answer will help every family facing the challenges of ADD create a more loving, healthy environment necessary for their child to thrive.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published August 19, 2004
9 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Frank Lawlis
27 books14 followersDr. Lawlis has focused on clinical and research methods of the mind-body relationship since 1968 when he received his Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in medical psychology and rehabilitation. He was awarded the Diplomate (A.B.P.P.) in both Counseling Psychology and Clinical Psychology. He also received the status of Fellow from the American Psychological Association for his scientific contributions to the field of clinical psychology and behavioral medicine, as well as other awards for his pioneering research in this field.
Most recently Dr. Lawlis has taken on the exciting project to update the alcohol and drug dependency treatment with applications for brain plasticity. He has been assigned this task by Origins Recovery Center in South Padre Island, Texas, as Director of Psychology and Brain Plasticity. Based on consistent research which shows that addicts get better the longer they stay in treatment, regardless of what treatment they receive, lays support that the brain healing time is critical, so his focus is on increasing the healing potential of the healing through such opportunities as hyperbaric chambers, vitamin and anti-inflammatory approaches, breathing patterns, neuron-biofeedback, imagery, exercises, and sonic stimulation with music. He has already produced several CDs of sonic rhythms consistent with his work in PTSD that are available specific to this regard, along with applications from biofeedback, specific brain stimulation and musical stimulations. These models have been discussed in his book, Retrainng the Brain.
Having served on five prestigious medical school faculties in the Departments of Psychiatry, Orthopedic Surgery, and Rehabilitation Medicine and five graduate psychology faculties, he has blazed new studies and approaches in the care of patients with chronic and acute pain, cancer and psychosomatic problems. The Medical Schools he served were New York Medical Center (1967-68), Texas Tech Medical School (1973-75), Universities of Texas Health Center (UTHC) at San Antonio (1975-76), UTHC at Dallas (1979-89) and Stanford Medical School (1991-93).
Dr. Lawlis has authored and co-authored more than 100 articles and chapters as well as four textbooks; Imagery and Disease (IPAT: Champaign, Ill., 1984), Bridges of the Bodymind (IPAT, 1980), Transpersonal Medicine (Shambhala Publ., Boston, 1996), The Mosby Textbook on Alternative Medicine (Mosby, 2001), The ADD Answer, The IQ Answer, Mending The Broken Bond, The Stress Answer, The Brain Power Cookbook, The Autism Answer and PTSD Breakthroughs.
In addition to his literature, Dr. Lawlis has published audio works available at MindBodySeries. Dr. Lawlis has developed programs for Anxiety, PTSD, Depression, Sleep, ADD/ADHD and Creativity and demonstrated them on the Dr. Phil Show.
Dr. Frank Lawlis cofounded the Lawlis and Peavey PsychoNeuroPlasticity Center in Lewisville Texas as a new innovation for psychological assessment wherein an individual would have a thorough medical-psychological-neurological-sociological-family dynamics evaluations during the same week. With the intensive focus approach, the multilayers of interactions can be addressed quickly and with less frustration and discouragement. Moreover, there would be a specific plan to redevelop brain functions and coordinate their sequencing such that even major challenges could be overcome within a quicker time frame. Through this process great steps have been taken to understand an individual's problems and to address all the issues during a finite time period.
Presently, Dr. Lawlis is serving a projectr called "Camp Better America" as an adviser and instructor. The mission of the program is to serve soldiers and their families as they reenter society from war and help in adjustment issues. The program has been supported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Department of Defense.
Dr. Frank Lawlis has been Chief Content and Oversite Adviser as well as Chairman of the Dr. Phil
Most recently Dr. Lawlis has taken on the exciting project to update the alcohol and drug dependency treatment with applications for brain plasticity. He has been assigned this task by Origins Recovery Center in South Padre Island, Texas, as Director of Psychology and Brain Plasticity. Based on consistent research which shows that addicts get better the longer they stay in treatment, regardless of what treatment they receive, lays support that the brain healing time is critical, so his focus is on increasing the healing potential of the healing through such opportunities as hyperbaric chambers, vitamin and anti-inflammatory approaches, breathing patterns, neuron-biofeedback, imagery, exercises, and sonic stimulation with music. He has already produced several CDs of sonic rhythms consistent with his work in PTSD that are available specific to this regard, along with applications from biofeedback, specific brain stimulation and musical stimulations. These models have been discussed in his book, Retrainng the Brain.
Having served on five prestigious medical school faculties in the Departments of Psychiatry, Orthopedic Surgery, and Rehabilitation Medicine and five graduate psychology faculties, he has blazed new studies and approaches in the care of patients with chronic and acute pain, cancer and psychosomatic problems. The Medical Schools he served were New York Medical Center (1967-68), Texas Tech Medical School (1973-75), Universities of Texas Health Center (UTHC) at San Antonio (1975-76), UTHC at Dallas (1979-89) and Stanford Medical School (1991-93).
Dr. Lawlis has authored and co-authored more than 100 articles and chapters as well as four textbooks; Imagery and Disease (IPAT: Champaign, Ill., 1984), Bridges of the Bodymind (IPAT, 1980), Transpersonal Medicine (Shambhala Publ., Boston, 1996), The Mosby Textbook on Alternative Medicine (Mosby, 2001), The ADD Answer, The IQ Answer, Mending The Broken Bond, The Stress Answer, The Brain Power Cookbook, The Autism Answer and PTSD Breakthroughs.
In addition to his literature, Dr. Lawlis has published audio works available at MindBodySeries. Dr. Lawlis has developed programs for Anxiety, PTSD, Depression, Sleep, ADD/ADHD and Creativity and demonstrated them on the Dr. Phil Show.
Dr. Frank Lawlis cofounded the Lawlis and Peavey PsychoNeuroPlasticity Center in Lewisville Texas as a new innovation for psychological assessment wherein an individual would have a thorough medical-psychological-neurological-sociological-family dynamics evaluations during the same week. With the intensive focus approach, the multilayers of interactions can be addressed quickly and with less frustration and discouragement. Moreover, there would be a specific plan to redevelop brain functions and coordinate their sequencing such that even major challenges could be overcome within a quicker time frame. Through this process great steps have been taken to understand an individual's problems and to address all the issues during a finite time period.
Presently, Dr. Lawlis is serving a projectr called "Camp Better America" as an adviser and instructor. The mission of the program is to serve soldiers and their families as they reenter society from war and help in adjustment issues. The program has been supported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Department of Defense.
Dr. Frank Lawlis has been Chief Content and Oversite Adviser as well as Chairman of the Dr. Phil
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 17, 2011
A wonderful, honest and direct approach work by someone who really understands, respects and cares about families who deal with the daily challenge of raising a child with ADD. Dr. Lawlis book is truly useful, inspirational, realistic but non dramatic (thank you!): 'It's a disorder not a disaster'.
What I liked most is the holistic, integral, multi-disciplinarian approach, that is both rooted in scientific evidence and clinical experience, and at the same time places family as the main expert on the child and the center of the healing process. Families are given a wide array of tools of many kinds that can work in combined, integrated ways... nutrition, medication, home environment, education, attitudes, biofeedback, body electricity, sound, etc. All that has proved to work for families, is considered and presented with openness and wisdom. Some of the tools didn't catch much of my attention, others grabbed me completely... and that is because each case is a case, and each family will find what it needs here, to follow their own steps in the right direction.
There are no dogmas or inflexible theories here. This book recognizes value in all possible approaches and sources of knowledge, from the most technical/medical to the most transpersonal/spiritual extreme of the philosophy spectrum. Being myself a biologist, a doula and a life coach, that is, having an academical scientific background as well as a spiritual, integrative approach to life, I found this specially assuring and highly intelligent. When it comes to ADD very often the world seems to be divided in the pro-ritalin/anti-ritalin debate but reality is not black or white. Why would you stick to black or white instead of seeing the whole rainbow before you? Medication is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a very reductionist, risky approach and should not be considered a solution alone. Then again, totally rejecting it and consuming yourself in purely behavioral approaches or some drops of florals, can drive you to exhaustion with little results for the child. ADD is a multidimensional, complex situation of which we still have a lot to learn. It affects the individual, the family, the community, the whole society today, and must be approached in a human ecology perspective. It is not a crisis of a sick child, it is the crisis of a whole society.
As it must be, families are encouraged to gain awareness, self-knowledge, and take responsibility for making informed choices and taking self confident, educated action, and very importantly, Dr. Lawlis emphasizes it well, always grounded on love. Love is the main healing force that makes it possible for every strategy to work, and among so much precious, practical information, this book is above all a very realistic call for the essence of what it is to be a parent. My gratefulness to Dr. Lawlis for his powerful, wisely integrated work of heart and mind, which makes of him the kind of 'medicine man' the world could use some more, a true healer.
What I liked most is the holistic, integral, multi-disciplinarian approach, that is both rooted in scientific evidence and clinical experience, and at the same time places family as the main expert on the child and the center of the healing process. Families are given a wide array of tools of many kinds that can work in combined, integrated ways... nutrition, medication, home environment, education, attitudes, biofeedback, body electricity, sound, etc. All that has proved to work for families, is considered and presented with openness and wisdom. Some of the tools didn't catch much of my attention, others grabbed me completely... and that is because each case is a case, and each family will find what it needs here, to follow their own steps in the right direction.
There are no dogmas or inflexible theories here. This book recognizes value in all possible approaches and sources of knowledge, from the most technical/medical to the most transpersonal/spiritual extreme of the philosophy spectrum. Being myself a biologist, a doula and a life coach, that is, having an academical scientific background as well as a spiritual, integrative approach to life, I found this specially assuring and highly intelligent. When it comes to ADD very often the world seems to be divided in the pro-ritalin/anti-ritalin debate but reality is not black or white. Why would you stick to black or white instead of seeing the whole rainbow before you? Medication is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a very reductionist, risky approach and should not be considered a solution alone. Then again, totally rejecting it and consuming yourself in purely behavioral approaches or some drops of florals, can drive you to exhaustion with little results for the child. ADD is a multidimensional, complex situation of which we still have a lot to learn. It affects the individual, the family, the community, the whole society today, and must be approached in a human ecology perspective. It is not a crisis of a sick child, it is the crisis of a whole society.
As it must be, families are encouraged to gain awareness, self-knowledge, and take responsibility for making informed choices and taking self confident, educated action, and very importantly, Dr. Lawlis emphasizes it well, always grounded on love. Love is the main healing force that makes it possible for every strategy to work, and among so much precious, practical information, this book is above all a very realistic call for the essence of what it is to be a parent. My gratefulness to Dr. Lawlis for his powerful, wisely integrated work of heart and mind, which makes of him the kind of 'medicine man' the world could use some more, a true healer.
October 3, 2012
Better than the majority of books on this subject.
May 16, 2022
This book gave some great strategies for helping children with ADD but also for helping families of those with ADD build stronger support. These are all strategies outside of prescriptions as patients can develop tolerance or side effects from medication. I'm looking forward to trying out some of these strategies with my family.
March 10, 2008
I've also been reading this book for about a year. I really like Dr. Lawless's approach. He writes about success stories and about very practical approaches to dealing with ADHD. He comes from a viewpoint that ADHD can be a gift to bring you closer to God if you work with it correctly -- It's not necessarily a Christian book, but HE is a Christian and I think his theories are influenced by his beliefs as well as his medical expertise. He very thoroughly explains programs that the entire familiy needs to implement to make life work and be succesful when a member has ADHD. Not only is this book a great resource, it's very educational and interesting!
August 5, 2015
I was hoping for more answers and help with my ADD child. He isn't out of control, but I want to help him learn self control and focusing when it comes to school work. I didn't get the specific answers that I was looking for. I am already doing many of the other things the book suggested.
It is a good book for simplifying what ADD is doing to my kid. How is brain is never fully "on" is helpful. Knowing that I think I can learn ways to help him with his focus. I also took the suggestion of using magnets. I am hoping that it helps my kid.
It is a good book for simplifying what ADD is doing to my kid. How is brain is never fully "on" is helpful. Knowing that I think I can learn ways to help him with his focus. I also took the suggestion of using magnets. I am hoping that it helps my kid.
March 3, 2008
If you have, or think you have, a child who's suffering from ADD, you should read this book. I'm not saying it's the be all and end all on this subject, but it's got great information that will help you and your child.
March 25, 2015
This is a very compassionate book. Dr. Lawlis really knows about the struggles of people with ADD and understands the different types of ADD. It really helped to see how ADD affects people lives and self-esteem and find out what to do about it.
March 28, 2015
I am doubtful about any book that bills itself as "The" answer, especially for a disorder as complex as ADD, but Lawlis does have some good suggestions for navigating the system and keeping family stress to a minimum.
December 10, 2010
This book really helped me understand how the brain of an ADD child works. I also like some of the alternative therapies he suggests, as he is very anti medication.
July 27, 2012
Foreword by Dr. Phil, but wacky. Recommends cleanses to get lead out of system, does not like medication at all.
March 30, 2017
Dr. Lawlis is an expert in this field. I strongly recommend this book to any parent with a child diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews