Average Customer Review:
 ( 44 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
112 of 123 found the following review helpful:
 Must-Read for parents, medical, psychological, and educationDec 22, 2004
By Carolyn K.
"Mrs. Hoagie"
Twice exceptional children, that is those who are both gifted and learning disabled, are an enigma to parents and professionals alike. And because of the overlap in characteristics, some gifted children are diagnosed as having other exceptionalities, when they are really just exhibiting characteristics of giftedness. Figuring these kids out is difficult, at best.
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults should be read by all. Parents will find great information and detailed vignettes describing many dual exceptionalities and misdiagnoses. Professionals, whether medical, psychological, or educational, will find the differential information that will enable them to stop pathologizing normal behaviors of the gifted, and to stop missing real diagnoses that were previously excused as characteristics of giftedness. And gifted adults will find confirmation of the differences they may have struggled with all their lives, that no one could ever explain before. While the book does not replace professional counseling, it does offer great first steps towards dealing with both the frustrating characteristics of giftedness, and the symptoms of dual exceptionalities.
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses is a valuable resource for parents, teachers, and professionals from both psychological and medical communities. It should be among every school's counseling resources, and every pediatrician's reading list. And parents of both gifted and twice exceptional kids should make time to read it.
Bottom line: I LOVE it! And though I wish I had it years ago, I found several very valuable sections to help with my own kids even now, plus tons of great information to recommend to both parents and professionals who come to Hoagies' Page seeking help.
Half the royalties from purchases of Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults go to support the nonprofit organization SENG - Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted [...]
52 of 56 found the following review helpful:
Thank Goodness for This BookSep 18, 2006
By Marion Gropen
"publishing consultant"
If it weren't for this book, and for James Webb, I might have believed the teachers and psychologists who told me that something was really wrong with my daughter. After reading this book, I realized that several things were really right with her, but that we weren't handling her in the ways most likely to help her adapt and succeed.
With the help of this book, some enlightened professionals, and my own observations of my girl, we have succeeded in helping her find her way within the school, with her peer group, and with adults.
If you have a child being labeled as having Aspergers, ADHD, etc. and one who is very bright, get this book. It may be that the disabilities are there, but it may not. Too many of our teachers, social workers, and psychologists are too eager to slap on a label and let themselves off the hook. Don't give up on your kid, and don't let them do it either.
This book will help you find ways to evaluate what you are seeing, and what you are being told, and it will help you find ways to respond constructively.
125 of 142 found the following review helpful:
 It would be a great book if it wasn't discriminatoryMar 15, 2006
By Ettina Female Ettin
My Mom likes this book for its information about giftedness and wishes she had read it when she was fighting with my school.
However, I don't like the attitude that giftedness is OK but no other difference is OK. I'm a gifted autistic. I value myself not only as a gifted person but also as an autistic person. Their portrayal of autistics is stereotypical and has little relationship to how I and other autistics actually think.
I first got upset about the ADHD section (which comes first) because a) they stated why gifted kids might do a behavior but only implied why ADHDers might do it, which makes it hard to actually differentiate, and b) they portray ADHDers as pathological. At one point they say "this behavior can be better understood as non-pathological..." about why gifted kids do it. Pathological means pertaining to disease. ADHD, autism and other neurological differences are not diseases. They don't kill people, and if given proper support they don't make the person any less happy or healthy. I was very unhappy in school because I was bullied for acting strangely, but now that I'm homeschooled I'm much happier, though the bullying has left emotional scars I'm trying to heal from.
24 of 26 found the following review helpful:
Misdiagnosis And Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and AdultsSep 05, 2005
By Katrina
Long overdue, excellent description of how gifted children and adults have innate traits that are too often pathologized by educators, psychologists, and others who simplistically view certain behaviors and jump to diagnoses. Contrasts diagnosis criteria from DSM-IV with other information that should be checked out which would invalidate a psychological diagnosis. In other words, gifted children have certain personality traits that can be expressed by certain behaviors, but are totally normal for this group. The authors rightly point out that DSM criteria have exceptions for those of low IQ, but no corresponding exceptions for the exceptionally gifted, who have a constellation of unique personality traits. The focus is mainly on children and on a small number of diagnoses; it would be useful to expand their work to encompass more mis-diagnoses and more about adults.
25 of 29 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful ToolMar 22, 2006
By Michelle M. Ramsey
"psychedtx"
As both a parent of a "challenging" child and a school counselor, I found this book to be a wonderful reframe of our often punitive and pathological way of looking at the behavior of children. The book does a wonderful job of separating out the symptoms that meet the DSM IV criteria for diagnosis and what to look for that might challenge that diagnosis. As a parent it gave me tools to advocate for my child. I gained a better understading of the questions that I might want to pose to those who are a part of my child's education. As an advocate for children, it gave me wonderful information to pass on to parents, teachers and school administrators. Most importantly it challenged my view of the school system in general. When are we going to learn that the STARS tests do not reflect the real world, and that children need social skills training way beyond Kindergarten? When will we be able to see our children for their unique gifts and not simply their ability to conform to the classroom setting? I got so much out of this book and I am still processing it. I highly recommend this book for parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists and anyone who works with, or loves children.
See all 44 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
based on 44 reviews
