Wilc Child (Wild Child - Gail Miller)

Member Name: abcdef

Product:	Wild Child - Gail Miller
Date:	29/07/00 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shocking, humourous, expose of inadequacy of provision for these families

Disadvantages: None

I can very much identify with this book "Wild Child - A Mother, A Son & ADHD", by Gail Miller (ISBN number 1 872229 24 7). After all, the author is my wife and I too, like her, have lived through the hell of bringing up a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The book basically chronicles the a period of 12 years and tells of how Gail consulted with many many psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians not to mention educational professionals over the years, only to have her son 'slip through the net' year in, year out.

After being told on numerous occasions that our son would 'grow out of it' that it was 'because he's a boy' or that Gail was a neurotic mother, it turned out that Joey, the Wild Child in the title, had legitimate diagnosable childhood conditions; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder and Asperger syndrome (high functioning autism).

Although the book outlines what living with a child like this, with a whole plethora of behavioural difficulties is like, the point of the book really is to expose the inadequacy of the health servie, the lack of knowledge by the so called professionals in whose hands we lay our children's lives and how despite going back for help year in, year out how virtually no help is there for these children (and their parents).

THis book is compulsive reading for any parent of a child with any sort of special needs, not just ADHD. A large number of UK parents will recognise the criminal lack of provision for children with 'mental' disorders.

EVERY professional in child health or education should be MADE to read this book!

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