It’s IEP (Individualized Education Program) time of the year again. We’ll be meeting with our daughter’s educators and therapists to develop IEP goals for the next school year. If you have to develop an IEP in the future, I have a book recommendation. The title is “The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child” written by Larence M. Siegel. This is a great book to help you understand the whole process of developing IEP goals for your child. If you don’t read this book and your child will need special educational services, I urge you to inform yourself before you go to that first IEP meeting. I made the mistake of walking into our first meeting without any previous knowledge and felt like I was wasting my time being there. The educators and special ed director already had the plans written and they just had us sign something, pat us on our heads, and sent us home. The day after I must have read every book on the subject at my local library, please do the same.
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-ADHD Dad
“Problem Solver Guide for Students with ADHD” is written by Harvey C. Parker, Ph.D. Dr. Parker is a clinical psychologist, author, and consultant to schools and educational agencies. He is also co-founder and former Executive Director of CHADD, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
The book covers a variety of topics, but for the most part focuses on steps that parents and teachers can take to insure academic success for the child with ADHD. Being only 163 pages in length, this small trade paperback format book covers all this material with a good overview. The chapters have plenty of bullet points that make it an easy read, but at times it left me with a desire for more information. For instance chapter 11 explains the process of creating an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for your child. There are entire books written on this subject, the one I recommend is “The Complete IEP Guide“.
One chapter that was placed in a rather odd position in the sequences of chapters is titled, “Seven Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD”. The three chapters leading up to this one and the chapter after that deal specifically with strategies to be implemented by teachers. The seven principles are as follows:
1. Provide unconditional love and positive regard.
2. Spend enjoyable time with your child.
3. Become an ADHD expert.
4. Model good values.
5. Provide structure at home with clear, consistent rules.
6. Monitor compliance with rules and check behavior regularly.
7. Inspire confidence as a parent-coach.
Bottom Line: The book would be a helpful companion to a more comprehensive book about creating an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
ADHD Dad’s Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
See more books about Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder in the new ADHD Bookstore.
ADHD Dad | July 8, 2008
