""My child is having trouble in school.
What should I do?"
"When parents are told that their child is having difficulty in school, they often don't know where to turn for reliable information and advice. They may be confused by conflicting claims of "cures" or may mistakenly think that, because some learning problems are genetically based, they can do nothing to help. Even the terminology of learning disorders is confusing: dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADD, ADHD, autism, Asperger's syndrome, NVLD, executive function disorder--what are all these conditions, how do they differ from one another and, most important, what practical steps should parents and teachers take to remedy the situation?
This comprehensive, practical guide to children's learning problems should be the first resource parents and teachers reach for when a child shows signs of difficulty in academic, social, or behavioral learning. Drawing on her decades of experience, educator Jane Healy offers understandable explanations of the various types of learning disorders. She distills the latest scientific research on brains, genes, and learning as she explains how to identify problems--even before they are diagnosed--and how to take appropriate remedial action at home, at school, and in the community.
Today's fast-paced, stressed-out culture is hazardous to growing minds, says Healy, and a growing "epidemic" of children's disorders is the result. "Different Learners "offers a complete program not only for treating the child, but also for making more beneficial lifestyle choices at home and improving teaching techniques at school. It shows parents and caregivers how to prevent some learning difficulties from ever happening in the first place. It explains how to have your child evaluated if necessary, and, if a problem is found, how to evaluate various treatments. "Different Learners "explains how medications for attention and learning work in the brain and why they should not be the first step in most treatment programs. It shows how schools can actually worsen a child's learning difficulties and how to make sure this doesn't happen to your child. It even offers a program for "brain-cleaning" that will help any child perform better in school.
Jane Healy draws on stories of real children to offer sympathetic as well as practical advice for children--and parents--who are struggling in an overstressed environment. She provides reassurance that parents and teachers can have dramatically positive effects on every child's ability to learn.

Over the past 15 years, there has been a 300 percent increase in the use of psychotropic medications with girls and boys under the age of 20, and prescriptions for preschoolers have skyrocketed. A stellar group of authors from across disciplines explains this increase, questions the causes, and presents disturbing thoughts regarding this phenomenon as they describe the risks it creates for children. While there are certainly extreme cases where drugs are the only option, medication rather than psychotherapy and counseling has become the first choice for treatment rather than a last resort. The experts who joined forces for this book take an in-depth look at the conditions that have led to "drugging our children," and stress how emotional, social, cultural, and physical environments can both damage and heal young minds. The so-called medical model, one maintaining that psychological disturbance is genetic and thus requires medication, is challenged in this volume. Contributors range from a pediatrician who has testified before Congress and been featured in a Time magazine cover story, to a top child psychiatrist who is an official for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, along with a well-known child psychiatrist, psychologists, environmentalists, and a public policy consultant. This is riveting reading for all who care about the youngest members of society. Among other issues, this work looks at controversy over whether psychiatric medications are safe or effective for children--and what little we know about their effect on still-developing brains--as well as the role of corporate interests in the increased use of psychotropics for children. Chapters address the roleof environment in both causing and curing disorders more and more often diagnosed in our youngsters: from ADHD, depression, and anxiety to eating disorders. The core questions addressed by this sage group of contributors are these: Why are so many children being diagnosed with "psychiatric" disturbances and given drugs? Why have drugs become the first treatment of choice to deal with those disorders?

* When should children start using computers?
* How should schools incorporate computer use into their curriculum?
* Which types of computer software programs should be avoided?
* Are children who don't have computers in class and at home doomed to fall behind their peers?

Few parents and educators stop to consider that computers, used incorrectly, may do far more harm than good to a child's growing brain and social/emotional development. In this comprehensive and practical guide to kids and computers, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., author of the groundbreaking bestseller Endangered Minds, examines the advantages and drawbacks of computer use for kids at home and school, exploring its effects on their health, mental development, and creativity.

In addition, this timely and ey-opening book presents:

* Concrete examples of how to develop a technology plan and use computers successfully with children of different age groups as supplements to classroom curricula, as research tools, or in family projects
* Resources for reliable reviews of child-oriented software
* Questions parents should ask when their children are using computers in school
* Advice on how to manage computer use at home