5 comments about Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success.

1. I am a school social worker and after buying several disappointing books on the topic I was delighted to find this. The format is laid out in an easy to read manner and thank goodness for the real photographs they use. (I also cut out pictures from magazines to talk about non-verbal cues and body language...then have the kids make a collage.)

   Separating the areas of non-verbal communication into chapters allows me to focus on one area per session. The speech and language pathologist at my school is doing a group with me called "social communications" and we intend to squeeze everything we can out of this book.

   Parents-you don't need to rely on the professionals to teach your child social skills! Have fun with it, make a date with your child weekly to practice these skills. Just don't put me out of business with this book!




2. I have a now 6 year old son whom is very active. (I started with the book, The Active Alert Child by Linda Budd.) This book has wonderfully simple and overlooked ideas to a uneasy problem. I had much advancement with my son over the summer. It can be done. Ist grade is going great so far! I feel this was a key to his bettering in his social world. My son has been around adults most of his life and has a hard time relating to other children. This book made a difference.



3. We have a very active 6 year old, and we feel he is active alert, his biggest issue is social interaction, since he has been around mostly adults his life. This book has common sense ideas to help a sometimes painful problem. Our son has done better in first grade. The summer using this book has helped alot! ... I am so glad I found this book!



4. After purchasing a number of books that promised to deliver, this is the first one that I have found that actually does. As the parent of a six year-old little-man, I have to say that I really needed this book and I honestly believe that the material inside its pages, when applied consistently, will serve to seriously improve my son's life in due course. I am truly impressed with the level of insight brought to bear by these three authors; I applaud them on a fantastic work!
   
   (...)



5. This book is a practical guide for teaching the most essential skills in life: social skills. The book provides an extensive listing of 'tips' that one can use in applying these concepts to a social skills program or at home. One example: the authors recommend cutting out pictures from magazines that demonstrate specific emotions. In this way, the children can practice looking for these expressions and have the pictures as a reference throughout the program. Thank you for all of the great suggestions.

5 comments about Is It Love or Is It Addiction? - Second Edition.

1. I can't believe I am the first one to review this book! After struggling with addictions of all sorts for years (including alcohol, drugs, sex, and love addiction), I finally determined why I kept sabotaging my relationships with women. My compulsive search for something to help me feel less pain came from my childhood, and this book was the stepping stone that helped me see that there was hope to overcome this tricky addiction, seek help, and learn to love myself and others with authenticity.

   I highly recommend this book to any alcoholic, chemically dependent or sexually addicted person. There is hope for a relationship without painful addictive behaviors, and this book will help you find that hope!




2. Not only discusses the symptoms, but also walks you through some steps to stop it, and to work through it. A wonderful book. I keep it on my bedside and consult it frequently even though I have read it cover to cover.



3. I initially bought this book because I wondered if being in love was just an addiction. But I learned so much more than that. This book should be helpful for practically everyone. It talks about how our love relationships are related to unmet needs from childhood. It described my parents relationship almost exactly and I see how it affected me. It was amazing that anyone knew all this stuff.



4. simple, concise book that takes you through the subject in an interesting way.
   
   I recommend it



5. Well written, explains the reasons behind the toxic codependent dynamics, how to recognise them, and how to heal. A MUST HAVE!

5 comments about Touchpoints 3 to 6.

1. I found my child over and over again on these beautifully written pages. Not in one of the four different children that the reader watches as they grow fduring the preschoo years, but in bits and pieces of all of them. I also loved the last chapter with all the different sections on challenges children have to deal with, especially since myh mother died and i was struggling with how to help my five year old son with this. This book really helped me and my son.



2. I was eager to receive this book, since I found his first book essential to my understanding my daughter. He abandoned his style, which is detailed and explanatory, but applicable to every parent who reads. This book unfortunately follows four children to the exclusion of many other styles of child. I couldn't extrapolate any of the kids' personalities to my child, so it rendered the book useless for me.



3. I highly recommend this book to every parent of children ages 3 to 6, and their teachers too. It is so much more respectful -of parents and children- then all those books that just tell parents what to do and talk about children as if they were simply meant to be programmed or controlled. I have found that with the help of this book, the new understanding I have of my four-year-old has led me to new ways of responding to her difficult behaviors. As a result, she is thriving, maturing before our eyes, and we're all happier for it.



4. Between Brazelton & Sears...I have all the child development advice a parent needs. I like the way Brazelton speaks to PARENTS and not child development experts...it's a very easy to read book with LOADS of great info!!! Very practical and yet has a loving approach.



5. I am a retired nurse educator; maternal/child nursing was my masters-level major, neonatal intensive care was my clinical specialty. Brazelton is my decades-long idol for helping me to read infant behavioral cues and to respond to them, as well as to transmit same to parents. I bought Brazelton's original "Touchpoints: The Essential Reference" as soon as it was published in 1992; I still treasure that well-worn copy. I give to new parent and grandparent friends the revised version, which I believe now has a title that indicates it is for newborns to age three. I have not read it, but it seems to fit the "essential reference" theme. For "Touchpoints 3 to 6", Brazelton uses a case study approach that builds on the premises established in the reference. I like case studies, so I would give this book five stars if I didn't know that not all readers can use case studies. Readers who have internalized the premises established in the first book may find it more useful than those who have not.

3 comments about Sex Begins in the Kitchen: Creating Intimacy to Make Your Marriage Sizzle.

1. 
   I didn't care for this book. I have read much better material than this. I was disappointed. Way too much time on birth order and other things.



2. Kevin Lehman presents us with a challenge. Good book to pick up and read every now and then



3. I love this book! I think every married couple or couple thinking of getting married, should read this book. It really helps you to have realistic expectations. This book is wonderfully informative but also very entertaining and fun to read. Having seen Kevin Leman deliver this message in person, the book is a wonderful reference to go back and read from time to time. BUY IT!

1 comments about Living Ethics.

1. I use this text for my class and it is phenomenal. There are diverse philosophical, literary, and historical sources. This text provides an excellent introduction to the discipline of Ethics.

5 comments about The Crystal Children.

1. I have an autistic 6 year old grandchild who was diagnosed PDD 4 years ago. After reading this book, I recognized certain behaviors similar to my grandchild (boy). He's very telepathic, not agressive at all, most remarkable large blue eyes. Everyone is attracted to him in a special way even though he does not talk very well. He's a very loving child and he loves to cuddle. He does not have the chateristics of an autistic child. Therefore, after reading the Crystal Children by Doreen Virtue, it gave my daughter and her family a lot of hope. We seem to understand him more since.
   
   I'm reading several other books by Doreen Virtue that I find very interesting to read. She helped somewhat in coping and understanding better our beautiful grandson. Thank you!



2. What a loving book for such amazing children. Doreen Virtue never ceases to
   amaze me with her books. Not only is the cover photo perfect, but also the
   inner pages filled with the most delicious descriptions of my 3 grandbabies,
   now 4, 4, and almost 2. The faces and eyes and what they say and do and how
   they hear something and can recite it...... all this and more is shared by
   the author. They stare at you as if to see deep into your soul and know you.
   You can see the "light" in their eyes. My first-born granddaughter had her
   eyes wide open minutes after she was born and she looked at each one
   of us as we spoke to her. Crystal Children are magnificent and magnetic,
   intuitive and sensitive, and incredibly focused. They are about love and
   light. Buy this book and learn so much more. It proves to be a loving and
   rewarding read that you will not want to put down.



3. This is a very basic informative book. It explains the background and characteristics of Crystal Children nicely. Enjoyed this book.



4. This book did not live up to it's title. It didn't tell me anything about helping my children develop their psychic and intuitive skills. Sure, it told me not to repress them or make fun of them....but I don't do that anyway and didn't need a book to tell me that. It's also more about children that already show evidence of abilities....not how to develop those abilities in every child. It's very general talk ...I really didn't get anything out of it.
   
   I was surprised b/c I've had friends rave about Doreen Virtue.



5. IF YOU ARE AN INDIGO/CHRYSTAL/RAINBOW THIS BOOK WILL EXPLAIN YOU WHY YOU ARE THE WAY YOU ARE. IT MAKES IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND YOURSELF. IT WILL TAKE YOUR SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. NICE BOOK.

4 comments about Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy And Successful Children.

1. Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips For Raising Happy And Successful Children by James R. Delisle (Professor of Gifted Education at Kent State University) is an informative and "parent friendly" reference for enabling a truly gifted child to expressively and productively achieve their life goals, develop sound character, and general enjoy their life. Examining overly excitable children, the type of gift granted to each child, working with the school system, dealing with perfectionist children, being a positive role model, building a child's character, and helping kids achieve their set goals and dreams, Parenting Gifted Kids is very highly recommended reading, especially to all new parents of a gifted child.



2. Not really the book that I have expected, but it ended up being better than I expected.
   The author analyzes different types of giftedness, gives many real life examples and quotes, talks about gifted adults - something that I haven't encountered yet in this type of literature - and in general helps to change your general attitude towards giftedness. For me, the attitude change (not "ten tips..."!) is the factor that makes easier to deal with many related to giftedness issues (academic, social, emotional). Just two examples of what turned out to be really helpful for me:
   - list of phrases that most of us use all the time with gifted kids, but that should be avoided ("You are so smart, I expected better from you" - this is my favourite - unfortunately!)
   - reference to couple of books "Philosophy for kids" and advice how to deal with questions of this type (again, how do YOU answer the question "Why does God allow murder?" from 6-years old?)
   Highly recommended for all parents of gifted kids - and even more, for parents who are not sure whether their kids are gifted.



3. This completely explained my child. Thank you for helping me to understand her and how her mind works. This is the beginning to parenting my child the way she needs.



4. How happy I was to get a new perspective on the gifted parenting issue. Instead of a book merely listing the characteristics of gifted kids and the problems they face, this offered some new points. The included "Gifted Children Speak Out" section at the end of every chapter was very insightful and put everything I was reading in perspective; all the advice in the world can't substitute for honest feelings given directly from the children themselves. I also really enjoyed the chapter on giftedness in adults. It was helpful both as a way for the reader to reflect on and remember his or her own gifted childhood, and as a reminder that our children are going to grow up, with characteristics that continue to affect them in adult life. Finally, the resource section at the back was full of schools, journals, web sites and other places to find additional information and support. Overall, a very thourough and insightful book.

5 comments about Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level.

1. This book had been recommended reading for me and now I am recommending it to parents of my students.
   After dealing with the products of whole language teaching, parents of dyslexic students are desperate for an approach to teaching reading that is more in line with the needs of students.
   This book outlines such an approach - and gives reasons/ supporting evidence for why this approach to programming, works.



2. I ordered this book after attending a seminar on Dyslexia. My child has not been officially diagnosed, but this book is fantastic. It explains what dyslexia is and also gives information about other reading disabilities, differences and difficulties. It gives you many activities you can do with your child to help improve reading skills and is very practical for addressing the problems your child may be having. I highly recommend this book for anyone who may suspect that your child has a reading disability.



3. Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level
   
   This was recommended to me by several local and state experts as the best single source on the subject, and I have not been disappointed. Parts I and II provide a clear, suscinct overview of the condition, Parts III and IV deal with teaching reading to dyslexics. The Epilogue describes the experience of several very well known and very successful dyslexics. It is not a curse, just a somewhat different operating system.
   
   I did not spend much time with Parts III & IV because my personal point of view has been shaped by Susan Barton's Orton-Gillingham derivitive the one that's available here, and while some of the specific techniques vary the overall thrust is right on. In fairness, the author also recommends using one of the preprepared programs rather than inventing your own, because all of them produce satisfactory results. Obviously she has looked at more progrtams than I have.
   
   Very much worthwhile for anyone in education or for anyone with an exceptionally bright family member or friend who has trouble reading and spelling. It will open your eyes. They may be a lot smarter than you are.
   
   REWFM



4. I really needed a good explanation of dyslexia after my daughter was diagnosed with it. I was told of this book by the school reading specialist. Every chapter of the book was eye-opening and helped bring my child's plight into better focus. I now feel so much more informed and better prepared to help my little girl.
   
   I feel empowered to help her and have the insight to know why she reads the way she does. Her reading has improved simply because the quality of my home instruction has improved. I had been hindering her with my improper teaching methods!
   Thank you Dr Shaywitz for your brilliant insight and your pioneering research.



5. Creates a profile of the dyslexic person...and provides instructional interventions that work.....feels like a handbook....I have two copies, one for home and one for school...

5 comments about Safe Baby Handling Tips.

1. A co-worker brought this book into work one day and we all had a good laugh. I ordered it shortly after reading it. Everybody I have showed it to has laughed hard and really enjoy it. Several people asked where I got it and plan to order their own copies.



2. I gave this gift at a baby shower and it was big hit...everyone passed it around and was laughing at it and wanted to know where I got it.



3. OMG--this book is sooooo funny! My niece recently had a baby, my sister purchased it for her, and I recently visited them & was able to read it. I laughed so hard; I was crying & my ribs hurt!! :)



4. Brilliantly written with a sense of humor that goes beyond the normal chuckle! Purchased both books by the author as a gift for a pregnant friend. Can't wait to hear the erupted laughter from everyone that comes in contact with these books!!



5. your friends will think you are serious until they read this. the "chicken leg" illustration is the best...

5 comments about When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along.

1. This is an incredibly insightful and sensitively written analysis of a difficult subject --and one, I might add, that is unfortunately not at all uncommon. As a practicing psychologist, I have recommended it to many of my clients who are struggling with their relationship to their adult children, and have consistently received rave reviews from them. Most people are quick to judge and blame the parents for all problematic parent-child interactions, but Dr. Coleman opens up the topic and reveals its more subtle dimensions. He offers comforting and practical strategies for healing both the relationship and oneself. I highly recommend it to all parents who hurt.



2. I am an adult and child psychiatrist who works a lot with families. This is the third book by Dr. Coleman (Imperfect Harmony, The Lazy Husband) which I have read and loved. The first two I have already recommended to patients and friends, and this one will soon be among them. Why?
   
   Dr. Coleman takes a non-traditional approach to age-old problems that occur in families and marriages. In this desperately needed book he addresses the issue of estrangement, difficulties, and pain between parents and their teen and grown children. We all know of it. We all hear our friends talking about it. But for a therapist to write from the parents' point of view . . . groundbreaking.
   
   I love the way Dr. Coleman uses humor and personal experiences to make his books friendly and not preachy or judgmental. I love the research he does, his curiosity and rigor. I love the basic optimism and humanity which comes across on every page. Dr. Coleman writes in such a user-friendly manner, the depth of thought and the integrity of his work can appear almost too simple. Do not be lulled into this point of view: his books hold up over time. They have the power to transform seemingly insurmoutable problems.
   
   This is a book for, maybe, everyone with children. If your children are still young, it is a chance to be proactive in terms of staving off future problems. If you are in the midst of difficulties, it is timely and comforting and full of great suggestions for how to take care of your own peace of mind, and perhaps make some positive changes with your children. AND even if your relationship with your children seems great, it is worthwhile to think more deeply about why that is, and whether there might be some hidden problems which, if thought about, could make things even better.
   
   In short, it is a truly great book for parents, and a great book for therapists who work with families.
   
   I give if 5 stars! Do yourself a favor, get it!
   Heather Folsom, MD.
   Adult and Child Psychiatrist



3. Excellent source of information. Recommend to any parent that has or is having problems relating to their children of any age.



4. Simply put- the best parenting book ever. Every parent should read this at least once during their journey as a parent. Different chapters apply to different challenges we face with our children. I wish I had found this book sooner.



5. I only gave 3 stars because I have not completed the book. What I have read so far has been good. If the book was available in audio I would have finished it by now.