, MD Archer, Dale

This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.


As a reviewer of multiple ADHD books, I was eager to see what this author had to say.
Unfortunately, I was not impressed. The book seems to be padded with lots of stories about those “lucky” enough to have ADHD and had the ability to spend time traveling around the world and failing at multiple jobs before finding the “right” place for them. Not everyone has the money or the support to do this. That is not how the average person with ADHD lives. Moreover, that solution could have been illustrated with a few stories, not over and over again in each chapter. At some point, it goes from inspiring to overkill.
Archer is a big proponent of no drugs for ADHD’ers. I agree that children should be evaluated carefully and not just have pills thrown at them, but the idea of everyone not needing medication is absurd. The author has a series of questions that determine where you are on the ADHD scale, and claims that anyone that is an 8 or lower (out of 10) does not need medication. I feel that would make for a lot of frustrated people.
He also postulates that ADHD’ers are resilient and can deal with failure well, because their constant failure makes them stronger. I can also tell you that is patently untrue, as I live with an ADHD’er and his failures just make him depressed.
If you are a person with lots of money and a personal assistant to take care of the minutiae of daily living, then you will agree with what Archer has to say.
Otherwise–pass this one up, take your meds, and get on with your life.… (mere)

As the mother of a grown son who was diagnosed with ADHD, I have read quite a few books and articles over the years on the subject. I do not by any means consider myself an expert or even highly knowledgeable about ADHD other than my own experience. That said, I found this book to be a good encouragement for both those who are diagnosed or suspect they have ADHD as well as those of us who share their lives, whether parent, teacher, friend, or spouse.
Many books on ADHD focus on data and symptoms along with treatment options. Dr. Archer touches on some of that and also does the frequent current lament about the over diagnosis and treatment of children as well as the inability of schools to find adequate ways to adapt to different styles of learning. However, a large part of the book focuses on showing how the individual and those wishing to help them can turn the traits of ADHD from a disadvantage into an advantage. The author tells the stories of many people, including himself, who have learned to parlay these challenges into real success, often achieving high levels of recognition or satisfaction in their lives and careers. There are some specific tools that he identifies to help in different areas. I found many of these to be spot on with my experiences with my son. Thankfully, my son discovered some of these on his own, and through teachers and mentors along the way who encouraged some of his best qualities. One of his skills is the resilience that Dr. Archer describes as a frequent trait in the ADHD individual that comes from their recurring "failures" and can be transposed into a powerful strength. My son also shows a high degree of compassion which is another of the traits on which the author focuses.
Because Dr. Archer covers a broad range of current information, it is a great overview of what is known about ADHD. It is written particularly for the young adult or adult who is dealing with it, but is very helpful as well for parents and others who want to better understand. I recommend it for both. It brings a positive and uplifting outlook to something that is all too often incorrectly looked at as a disadvantage.
I thank the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. FYI: Although I share the last name of the author, I have no relation to him.… (mere)

The ADHD advantage is both frustrating and admirable, which would be the case for an ADHD educational/ self-help book! I thoroughly appreciated the positivity of the book, which focuses on the advantageous attributes of ADHD and nonlinear thinking such as the ability to be the 'Calm in Chaos' while at times hyper-focusing, multi-tasking with boundless energy and possessing the traits of Resilience, Sense of Humor and Charisma. When conversing about ADHD, it seems the negative is always the focus, such as restlessness, easy boredom, forgetfulness, etc., so this was a refreshing change. The toolkit at end of each section is fabulous, especially for those of us with ADHD relationships, and those of us with ADHD ourselves! Real life, personal stories & examples throughout the book lend to a flow, and keeps it interesting.

As a daughter of, and mother of, a 10+ ADHDer, I have seen the miraculous transformation of their psyche with medication. I would have liked to have seen something more on the positivity of an appropriately dosed medication regimen. As a country are we over-medicating? Absolutely, but that 's not in every case, and in those who are 10+ers, their lives are dramatically, and advantageously changed when they are able to focus long enough to employ strategies that help them live with their ADHD to their upmost ability. There is a time and place for medication, as many of your examples have stated, but a less judgmental view would have been nice for those of us who have experienced the torment of those who cannot function without it.

The strategies and mechanisms for functioning with ADHD that many use are imperative in order to survive and thrive in daily life, and have lent many successful situations, as I have personally witnessed along with the examples in the book. Bravo! If teachers and parents would employ some of these strategies with their students and children, many of the inferior feelings would disappear and a greater understanding of the advantages of this condition would shine through.

Finally, I agree with Dr. Archer that much more needs to be done in the realm of females and ADHD. Having experienced it, on a dramatic 10+ level with my mother and daughter, I can tell you there is a whole lot more to it than your textbook ADHD tale. I would implore anyone who works with ADHDers to delve more thoroughly into this topic, as it would save many in this half of our population.

In all, a worthy book, touting the positivity and advantages of ADHD which will lead to a greater understanding of the condition for those who read it.… (mere)