The Edison Trait: Saving the Spirit of Your Free-Thinking Child in a Conforming World

Palladino, a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD), offers advice for parents struggling to raise kids who are clearly bright but who are also maddeningly unfocused. She calls such children ""Edison-trait"" kids--after Thomas Edison, who, Palladino writes, exhibited ""divergent thinking"" (focusing on many ideas simultaneously) rather than ""convergent thinking"" (focusing on one idea at a time). While not all Edison-trait kids have ADD, most ADD kids have the Edison trait, she claims. Palladino outlines three Edison-trait personality types--the Dreamer, the Dynamo and the Discoverer--and talks parents through ways to deal with them. Although Edison-trait kids are bright and creative (having the tendency to multitask and visualize), they often end up with school problems. Palladino outlines an eight-step process for coping, and includes a thorough chapter on the ins and outs of ADD. Suggesting that divergent thinking is on the rise in society, Palladino argues that educators must stop favoring convergent thinking and conformity. Though one wishes for more nuts-and-bolts data to back up her claims about society's trends, Palladino makes a convincing case as she urges parents to see as strengths what others might consider deficits. Parents and educators alike will find this compelling reading. Clearly, the author is a divergent thinker. Author tour. (May)