Why Will No One Play with Me?: The Play Better Plan to Help Children of All Ages Make Friends and Thrive

This thoughtful, compassionate primer to helping children overcome social challenges from Maguire, a coach for children with ADHD and their families, puts a full roster of tools, along with some encouragement, into the hands of parents. Taking the attitude “If they could, they would,” Maguire tasks readers with running scheduled, structured coaching sessions and practice playdates for their kids, complete with specific goals and debriefing discussions. She also includes general directions for parents on reflective listening, open-ended questioning, and praise and prompting; diagnostic tests to assess a child’s executive function skills and other areas; and beginner and advanced lessons directed toward particular challenge areas. Though Maguire claims the system will work for all ages, the language used and style of parent/child interaction assumed make it most appropriate for elementary school learners. It does not explicitly address family dynamics, except for Maguire’s admonishment to parents to keep their own emotions out of the process. Definitely labor intensive, Maguire’s primer nonetheless breaks down an issue that can seem overwhelming into practical, bite-size chunks, and parents willing to prioritize her solutions should find this guidebook comprehensive and usable. Agents: Steve Troha and Dado Derviskadic, Folio Literary. (Sept.)