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And the Winner Is . . . ADHD & THE FOCUSED MIND!

Posted: 2017/06/26 Garden City Park, New York: Square One is proud to announce that it has won another Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) announced at their annual awards ceremony during their Publishing University event (held this year in Portland, Oregon).

ADHD & The Focused Mind (Square One, $17.95 USD) is the book that brought home the gold for Square One in the “Best Parenting & Family Issues” category; no coincidence, given the book’s central emphasis on the same focus and self-discipline that Olympic medal-winning legend Michael Phelps was taught by his mother, Deborah, when he was diagnosed with ADHD as a young boy. Twenty-two Olympic medals and thirty-nine broken world records in swimming later, it seems safe to say that Phelps’ life and incredible level of achievement to date has been served wonderfully well by this important and child-specific approach.

Written by husband-and-wife MDs (Sarah Cheyette, MD and Ben Cheyette, MD, PhD) who joined forces with martial arts master instructor Peter Johnson, ADHD & The Focused Mind is designed specifically to help explain for readers the core basics of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), including its common signs and what researchers have discovered about it. The book’s remaining chapters detail the components of the authors’ own program for dealing with ADHD, including its principles, its goals, and the practical ways in which these goals can be achieved. The authors recognize that all children are different, so the program has the flexibility to work within a child’s own particular comfort level while still attaining the necessary level of focus. The book then concludes with a discussion of medications for ADHD, and how to decide what’s right for your child.

Publishers Weekly
03/28/2016
This fresh and practical approach to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from neurologist Sarah Cheyette, karate teacher Johnson, and psychiatrist Ben Cheyette offers an alternative to medication (though meds can be used in tandem with it) and emphasizes sports analogies and practices such as teamwork and “playing to win.” The authors suggest viewing ADHD less as a disorder and more as a different way of processing information: kids with ADHD have trouble focusing on topics that aren’t of great interest to them, and often have difficulty with organization, productivity, and concentration. The book contains a plan to help children improve focus and set S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-defined) goals. The authors also point to the Japanese concept of kaizen, meaning “continuous improvement.” A section on mind, body, and spirit reveals how keeping all three in balance can enhance goal achievement. The authors offer strategies that can be implemented at home and at school (for example, exercising before settling down to a stationary task). A section on finding “ADHD coaches” is also included. Parents and kids will find plenty of useful ideas in this innovative, “athletic mindset” approach to tackling ADHD. (Feb.)

Library Journal (April 1, 2016 issue)

Cheyette, Sarah others. ADHD & the Focused Mind: A Guide to Giving Your ADHD Child Focus, Discipline & Self-Confidence.
Square One. 2016. 260p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780757004148. pap. $17.95. PSYCH

Pediatric neurologist Cheyette, martial arts teacher Peter Johnson, and Ben Cheyette (psychiatry, Univ. of California, San Francisco) share what they have learned about helping children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focus and become disciplined in achieving their goals. They do this by applying the mind-set and training regimen of successful athletes and their coaches, which combine concentration, goal setting, and planning behavior and strategies, aiming to meet the long-term goals by attaining smaller ones along the way. The authors begin by looking at common signs of ADHD and the ADHD brain. Following are chapters outlining the program, as well as how to work with your child to establish and reach meaningful objectives. The schedule is flexible, recognizing that every child is different. The option to use or not use and effectiveness of various medications are discussed as well. The authors note that the recommended course requires practice, repetition, and consistency as well as celebration when goals are met. VERDICT Filled with resources and further reading to assist parents, teachers, and coaches, this manual will aid those with ADHD to learn to hone their attention skills in ways that will be familiar to those who enjoy and participate in sports.— Lisa Jordan, Johnson Cty. Lib., Overland Park, KS

New book uses coaching techniques behind top-tier athletes to help children with ADHD

August 17, 2016 – 11:54am

By Nicholas Roznovsky

As millions of schoolchildren head back to the classroom in the coming weeks, many of them will return having been inspired by the performances of top Olympians such as Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, and Michael Phelps. These world-class athletes are proof that anyone can reach the pinnacle of their field with the right combination of skill, determination, and a laser-like focus during training and competition.

For Phelps, that intense focus always came naturally in the swimming pool. It didn’t, however, come as easily in other aspects of his life. Diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a child, Phelps faced a Herculean challenge before capturing 28 medals and becoming the most decorated Olympian in history—staying focused in school.

His mother, observing how his single-minded determination in the pool helped him excel at swimming, channeled that concentration and effort into his schoolwork. By setting goals and allowing him to visualize his future accomplishments, Deborah Phelps was able to keep her son focused on his schoolwork and other facets of his life throughout adolescence.

The ability of Phelps and other world-class athletes to stay focused on the task in front of them is a trait that can be developed and harnessed to promote success by anyone—even those with ADHD—according to the authors of the new book “ADHD & The Focused Mind: A Guide to Giving Your ADHD Child Focus, Discipline & Self-Confidence.”

Written by neurologist Sarah Cheyette, MD; martial arts instructor Peter Johnson; and UCSF Associate Professor of Psychiatry Benjamin Cheyette, MD, PhD., the book aims to provide parents with an easy-to-understand approach to changing their children’s mindset and behavior by introducing simple, powerful concepts to keep their child motivated.

“Just as athletes improve their athletic skills through proper coaching and training, ADHDers have mental skills that they can improve through proper coaching and training,” the trio explains. “Both ADHDers and athletes need to identify challenges, set goals, and train hard with a coach. A person with ADHD who does this can break away from a cycle of underachievement or outright failure to become a world-class success story.”

Although “ADHD & The Focused Mind” uses athletic training as a framework for introducing important concepts, the book is not intended to just be a resource for helping athletes with ADHD. Children with no interest in sports whatsoever can improve their ability to focus, reduce their tendency to procrastinate, and cultivate their planning skills by developing the same mindset as competitive athletes, the authors state. Through narrative examples and short exercises, the work lays out the components of the athletic training mindset that can be applied to help anyone minimize distractions and increase attention spans through mindfulness and mental coaching.

In addition to providing strategies that can be used at home and school, the book also offers an explanation of the basics of ADHD—its common behavioral symptoms, the biology behind it, and what research has revealed about it. The authors also examine the issues many parents consider regarding prescription treatments, as well as the potential benefits and side effects of many common ADHD medications.

“ADHD & The Focused Mind” is now available from Square One Publishers online at Amazon.com and at local bookstores nationwide.