ABC's of Childhood Challenges

Does your child have a friend, family member, or classmate who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Would you like your child or the children in your classroom to understand more about ADHD? Are you looking for an engaging way to start a dialogue about ADHD? I wrote this book to help solve these challenges.

A is for ADHD is a children's picture book in an ABC format. With delightful illustrations, this book teaches traits that are not uncommon in people with ADHD. A child with ADHD narrates this book from his (or her) point of view.

As with my book, C is for Cerebral Palsy, I deliberately focused on a child with more significant challenges due to ADHD. Every child with ADHD has unique strengths, talents, and challenges that are likely very different from those of the child in this book. Most children with ADHD do not present with this level of challenge. This child has hyperactivity. I could have chosen a child with the inattentive type of ADHD, which is also common but has an entirely different presentation. I wanted this book to be from the point of view of a single child. In no way do I desire to negate the experience of a child who has the inattentive type. That would simply be a different book.

I hope A is for ADHD provides an entertaining way to start a simple educational discussion about ADHD. I invite you to read this story interactively with your child. You can discuss the choices this child makes in this book. You can talk about the consequences of his or her actions and what might have been the wiser choice. Encourage discussions of how you or people you love might be like the child in this book. You might compare and contrast how the child in this book is similar or different from a person you know with ADHD. This book provides essential opportunities to discuss how to be a friend of a child with ADHD.

As a pediatric physical therapist, I work with children who have ADHD. Others often misunderstand the actions and behaviors of people with ADHD. I believe knowledge helps break down barriers and encourages kindness and patience. Assisting children to understand ADHD at a young age is powerful. Reading this book has the potential to change your child's perceptions of ADHD. I also hope that we can help people with ADHD see all the things they do well, the unique perspectives that their differences bring, and how they can use those talents to accomplish great things.