SMART BUT SCATTERED The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential

In a culture in which active but disorganized children are often given psychiatric labels and medication, the authors show how parents can help kids improve the mental skills necessary for good functioning. These skills include organizing, task initiation, persistence, impulse control, emotional regulation, and adaptability. The authors provide a satisfying framework for creating environmental supports in areas needed and supplying the hands-on direction necessary for children to function well and build confidence. While Susan Ericksen's distinct and assertive enunciation promotes respect for these ideas, her warmth also makes them sound inviting. Her steady engagement with both her listeners and this well-written guide is a comforting support for the authors' message Poor performance is not a disease but the result of substandard mental habits that any child can improve with sensitive, targeted interventions. T.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2012]