Unlike her first book, Maybe You Know My Kid,
which described her personal experience in rearing a son with ADHD and sold more than 75,000 copies, here Fowler distills the most up-to-date information from researchers worldwide and testimony from parents of teens with ADHD in a comprehensive resource. In part one of her book, Fowler reminds readers that ADHD is a result of neurobiological events that affect a teen's actions, "rather than deliberate choice or stupidity," and provides an overview of the disorder and the available medical treatments. In part two, she skillfully guides parents through various ADHD-related issues—how to decide which medical treatment to pursue and what to do if the teen is uncooperative; sexuality; money management; schoolwork; college searches; jobs; legal issues—stressing that while there is still no cure, parents can help their teenage sons and daughters measurably improve the quality of their lives. A former secondary-school teacher and tireless advocate for children with ADHD, their parents and their teachers, Fowler is not the smoothest writer, but her personal voice offers a welcome respite from the parade of experts quoted. Providing a wealth of realistic, compassionate strategies and tactics for caring for an adolescent with ADHD, Fowler has created an all-encompassing yet easy-to-use guide. Parents would be wise to read this book from cover to cover first and then refer to the "information links" or special highlighted sections that lead to more in-depth information as necessary. (On-sale date: Aug. 21)
