BOOK REVIEW - “The Energetic Brain,” by Cecil Reynolds, Kimberly Vannest and Judith Harrison

A BALANCED LOOK AT MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS

Managing ADHD
“The Energetic Brain,” by Cecil Reynolds, Kimberly Vannest and Judith Harrison
“The Energetic Brain” covers the science of attention-deficit hypertension disorder, how to get help and how to manage it from childhood through adulthood. The authors — a neuro-scientist, a clinician and a special educator — do not tell you whether to medicate your child, but if you’re considering that path, they explain how pills commonly prescribed for ADHD work in the brain. They give equal weight to nonmedicinal treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral interventions that focus on what happens before and after a child acts out. They also describe the positive effects of a controlled diet and counseling. This is an intriguing read if you are interested in the brain chemistry of ADHD, since it delves into the most recent research, but if you prefer layman’s terms, this book may be over your head.
— Whitney Fetterhoff