Calm Your Hyperactive Child: coping with ADHD and other behavioural problems.

By Dr Sabina Dosani, 2008.

This is a great book for anyone coping with ADHD. It’s a lovely easy read and full of real life ideas, from ways to improve short term memory, to food additives to avoid. From letting acceptable ways to let out anger and frustration, to rewarding good behaviour.

Children with ADHD need to hear things and get feedback on their behaviour far more often than kids without ADHD. Timetables, predictable schedules and consistency in the face of misbehaviour are key to living happily with ADHD. The book recommends aiming for forty minutes’ exercise for your child per day, because studies show that exercise has a positive effect for children with ADHD. These are just some of the topics covered in the book along with how to spot the warning signs and stop disruptive behaviour in its tracks, and ideas for staying calm in the face of wild behaviour.

It has been written to be easy to dip into, so you won’t have to read it from cover to cover to find the useful information. There are tips and ideas on every page.

Ready, Set, Potty: toilet training for children with Autism and other developmental disorders.

By Brenda Batts, 2010.

Potty training can be difficult enough, but for the parents of some children with developmental disabilities there can be all kinds of extra problems. The author has a son with autism herself and is a behaviour consultant. She has written this book as an aid to other parents to help them through this often tricky process.

The book takes you through the steps of potty training and for each stage gives examples of how it has worked for individual children. One example I particularly liked was the idea of celebrating the night before that potty training is going to start. The author explains that it “lets the child know that a special day is ahead, it awakens the child’s expectations, creates excitement, therefore decreasing his or her anxiety”.

A good book to read if you are about to start a potty training programme and full of tips and ideas if you feel you have tried everything and failed.

You and Your Disabled Child: a practical guide for parents.

By Margaret Barrett, 2009

The style of this book is very encouraging and supportive offering lots of practical advice. The author has many years’ experience of working with disabled children and has written this book for parents who have been told their child has, or is likely to have, some form of disability.

This book would be particularly useful for parents with a new baby with a disability as there is a lot of information on early development and how a parent can help their child to experience new sensations and acquire new skills.

There is also a very good section on coping strategies, aimed at helping parents deal with issues, with advice ranging from not blaming themselves to trusting their own instincts.

Central to the theme of the book is the idea that disabled children should be treated, as far as possible, in exactly the same way as able-bodied children and it offers practical suggestions on how this can be achieved.

The Explosive Child: a new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, chronically inflexible children.

By Ross W. Greene, 2010

In this book Ross Greene tackles ways of helping children who have temper problems – who seem to explode over nothing with serious noncompliance, temper outbursts and verbal or physical aggression. He provides help for parents by giving the knowledge, skills and confidence to handle such episodes effectively.

He begins by outlining the stages we all go through when we get into a rage, from the beginnings, when children begin to get angry and unreasonable through to meltdown, when the child freaks out and may not be able to think straight. He discusses assumptions made by adults about such children’s behaviour – for example, that the badly behaved child is being manipulative or naughty, and would benefit from a firmer hand - but points out that this low tolerance for frustration is often the result of not understanding things. Drawing on neuroscience research, he suggests why the usual parenting techniques do not necessarily work with these children, and how to help the child to acquire the skills they need.

Dr. Greene’s approach is a gentle one, and it makes sense. It may not work for everyone. But - if your child is easily frustrated and / or prone to violent or obscene outbursts then this book could prove to be a great help.

Disabled Children: a legal handbook.

By Steve Broach et al, 2010

A few months ago I attended a course; Understanding Community Care Law for Children & Families. The solicitor leading the course advised us that this was the book to have. It is published by the Legal Action Group (LAG) and at £40 for a copy, is expensive for a family to purchase.

Even though written by a barrister and two professors, a layman can read and understand it. Saying that, it is not easy reading. As you would expect, it goes into great legal detail, quoting from the relevant legislation. It covers children’s services, education, health, housing, welfare benefits, carers, equality and discrimination and finally transition.

LAG hopes the book will “empower disabled children and their families through a greater understanding of their rights and entitlements”.