Enrico Gnaulati PhD

As a parent to a special needs child I am always searching for resources that can help me with my daughter. It is both exciting and mind boggling to see the new types of material that are being made available to both parents and community. This information has been both a blessing and a burden. It seems that with the advancement of technology there has been a trend to over diagnosis children with either autism or other cognitive/emotional disorders. I have personally experienced this with my daughter who was believed to have autism and tested 4 times. Each set of intense testing methods proved that my daughter was not autistic, but instead had severe expressive and receptive language disorder that was comorbid with ADHD. However, even with her diagnosis coming from a professional and trusted setting, we still had issues with her school. They frequently argued the diagnosis and went as far as to seek a professional center’s opinion. Once again the school was told no and we are still fighting the teachers that cannot seem to accept her diagnosis of language disorder. This book is about what other parents have gone through with their children. It is an in depth look at why there seems to be an epidemic of autism, ADHD, and other developmental disorders. It attempts to provide an alternative explanation for children’s current behavior and why some behavior is deemed strange or disturbing. The author goes into great detail on subjects such as over diagnosing, early age labeling, behavioral issues, and emotional instability.

I found this book to be very unique and refreshing. I can say that I don’t fully agree with everything, but it has really made me question some of my current beliefs. I really enjoyed how the author presented the subjects in a way that both educators, parents, and medical staff can easily read. I found his interpretation of childhood behaviors fascinating. One concept that I fully agree with is the notion of over diagnosing. I have personally experienced this and believe that it is chronic in both the school setting and medical community. This book is an important addition for any parent’s library or resource list. I think it is a wonderful book that really opens parents’ eyes on alternative views of current common childhood disorders. My hope is that those in the medical community give this book a chance and see its message and realize its importance.… (mere)