The Organized Child: An Effective Program to Maximize Your Kid’s Potential—in School and in Life

Parents of children with ADHD or other executive dysfunction conditions will find this evidence-based program instantly usable, extremely clear, and sensitive to both the child’s self-esteem and the adult’s likely frustration. The authors, all psychologists, who developed their methods at the Child Study Center at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, aim to remove blame or accusations of laziness by having the child imagine a superhero-like “Mastermind” in the brain who’s plagued by mischievous “Glitches”: Go-Ahead-Forget-It Glitch, Go-Ahead-Lose-It Glitch, and so on. Thus, the child can externalize the problematic behavior and internalize the solutions. The method’s central, practical tenet is to work on one skill at a time with a sensible progression, using charting, practice, encouragement, and short-term rewards. The authors build trust in what might seem like an inflexible step-by-step process by bringing real-world experience to their suggestions, such as the observation that accordion folders are better than three-ring binders for disorganized students because papers can be filed more simply. Though the main focus is on the 7–13 age range, the authors also suggest modifications to make their program work for teens. With this excellent workbook, Gallagher, Spira, and Rosenblatt will provide hope and motivation for the burnt-out caregivers of “hopeless” disorganized kids. (Jan.)