Child Decoded

The lead editor of this helpful “owner’s manual” for parents serving as effective advocates for their child is Robin E McEvoy, a developmental neuropsychologist practicing in Denver, Colorado.  She is joined in this endeavor by Kim Gangwish, a specialist in a form of acupressure focusing on neurological integration (LEAP – Learning Enhancement Acupressure Program) and Marjike Jones, a freelance writer whose son, CJ, serves as the opening story and represents the enigmatic child prototypical in this book.

Child Decoded is a wonderful resource that caught my eye specifically because of the concise chapter on Vision Disorder Issues, authored by our good colleague and friend, Dr. Lynn Hellerstein.  Every time you read a new book like Child Decoded you’re bound to pick up at least a nugget or two in each chapter, and Dr. Hellerstein’s chapter is a good case in point.  She relates a pearl from another behavioral optometrist, Dr. Rebecca Hutchins that is very clever.  At a conference for teachers Dr. Hutchins and a colleague distributed prism glasses to the audience that simulated convergence insufficiency, asking them to read for several minutes.  Even after this short interval of time, attendees began to experience dramatic effects including headaches, fatigue, and difficulty in remembering what they were reading!

The book begins with a very useful checklist that helps families create a roadmap in navigating different potential interventions.  I found the five tiered Diagram of Developmental Progression a unique and useful way of organizing the material.

A strength of the book is that each subject is addressed by a practitioner well versed in the topic.  In fact, one of the messages inherent in the book is that practitioners vary in their expertise and it’s important to be able to gauge how prepared a particularly practitioner is to address the need or your child and your family.  Chapters include but are not limited to the following topics: ADHD, Speech & Language, Auditory Processing, Reading Disabilities including Dyslexia, Sensory Processing Disorder, Vision Disorder Issues, Equine-Assisted Therapy, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Concussions, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, NLD, Twice Exceptional, Executive Function Disorders, Emotions & Behavior, Social Skills, Functional Medicine Psychiatry, Biomedical Approaches, Nutrition Approaches, Naturopathy, Neurofeedback/Biofeeback, LEAP, Chriopractic Neurology, Craniosacral Therapy, and Advocacy.

If you have the time, here’s a nice parenting podcast about the book featuring Robin McEvoy.  Robin makes the point that many parents do the traditional “standard of care” diligently, but they are still not in a good place.  The chapters in this book help parents deal with the overwhelming amount of information in navigating paths that can be daunting at times.  Robin provides additional insights into and background about the book that you can watch in this Skype episode of “Unexceptional Moms”.