Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential

by Peg Dawson

Other authorsRichard Guare (Author)

Paperback, 2009

Status

Available

Call number

649.1526

Genres

Collections

Education, Parenting, ADHD

Publication

Guilford Press (2009), Edition: 1st, 314 pages

Description

There's nothing more frustrating than watching your bright, talented son or daughter struggle with everyday tasks like finishing homework, putting away toys, or following instructions at school. Your "smart but scattered" child might also have trouble coping with disappointment or managing anger. Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Guare have great news: there's a lot you can do to help.The latest research in child development shows that many kids who have the brain and heart to succeed lack or lag behind in crucial "executive skills"-the fundamental habits of mind required for getting organized, staying focused, and controlling impulses and emotions. Learn easy-to-follow steps to identify your child's strengths and weaknesses, use activities and techniques proven to boost specific skills, and problem-solve daily routines. Small changes can add up to big improvements-this empowering book shows how.… (more)

Media reviews

Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

...The writing is clear overall and it is fun to read... Parents who may also have executive skills deficits may find [the first chapter] heavy to read and may have a hard time staying focused on the meaning... This book would be strongly recommended for any parent who wishes to help their children

maximize their potential, even if they do not have identified academic or behavioural struggles.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member Kbernard

This book was required by another course I'm taking. Many of the topics discussed seemed almost too obvious, but the way the text described things in depth made the information much easier to comprehend. I appreciated the many checklists the text included. I actually plan to use some of the

checklists in my classroom this upcoming school year. Many of the lists I enjoyed are for students organizing their homework and classwork assignments.

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LibraryThing member Scarchin

The new buzzword/term in special education is "executive function." This book does a good job explaining it and how to deal with it with kids ages 0-12 years old.

LibraryThing member KMClark

I was surprised by the amount of charts/checklists throughout the text, as this is not what I was expecting. I had never thought of “thinking” and “doing” as two separate dimensions of executive skills, but I think the text did a nice job in helping me decipher the difference between the

two. As a child, I’m sure I thought proper time management, for example, was an overwhelming cognition skill; however, as a parent and a teacher, it has become a necessity for my success. Parents (and teachers) forget we were once children and get too caught up in the now, which seriously puts our children at an immediate disadvantage. I like that the text forced me to step away from my role as mom and put myself in my child’s world.
I think the text did a nice job of pointing out many areas that I feel my own children and my students could use: guidance, strengthening, and motivation. As a parent, I found myself tabbing a few pages that I would like to discuss or try with my children; but as a high school teacher, I was often a little disappointed. I would get into a target area, completely relate to the text, but then not find much advice that I felt could really work in a highschool classroom of all boys. I do, however, certainly believe there are many skills mentioned throughout Dawson’s text, such as verbal scaffolding, incentives, goals, and personal interaction, that are extremely important both in school and at home.

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LibraryThing member Starla_Aurora

seems like this would be very helpful to some people.

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