Maybe You Know My Kid is a book about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). According to the author, children with ADHD are extremely active and have trouble concentrating, which makes it difficult for them to pay attention. She points out they are often forgetful, easily distracted and have difficulty completing tasks. Cahill adds that these problems result in difficulties with friends, parents and teachers. In fact, ADHD can wreak havoc in every area of a child's life.
There are many books written on this subject, but Maybe You Know My Kid is different because Mary Cahill Fowler is the mother of an ADHD child, not a medical professional. She has personally experienced ADHD and its challenges.
In the first chapter, the author uses anecdotes from her own family's experience to illustrate and describe the symptoms of ADHD while also providing a clinical view from prominent practitioners who are widely known for their work with this disorder. In chapters two through eight, the author progresses through the developmental sequence from infancy to elementary school. Throughout the book, there are case histories of children with ADHD and she describes how ADHD manifests itself at each specific stage of the child's development. She illustrates how these children interact with siblings, parents and other family members. Chapter nine describes the ADHD child in the classroom and chapter ten discusses ADHD in teenagers and adults. An important feature of this book is the appendix, which provides information about behavior management, support organizations and the mainstreaming law (Public Law 94-142).
Maybe You Know My Kid is an interesting read because it offers parents, teachers and professionals an important guide to understanding and helping children with ADHD. The author melds her experiences with the insights of nationally recognized practitioners to provide the reader with a clinical and real-world view of ADHD.
About the Author: Mary Cahill Fowler, Fairhaven, NJ, is a former teacher and founder of an ADHD parent support group. She serves as director of government affairs for the National Board of Directors of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Ms. Fowler also lectures extensively on ADHD to parents and teachers.
