Fun with Messy Play by Tracey Beckerleg – a book review

Available from "Jessica Kingsley Publishers" and "Amazon UK."

To save you time and money I shall cut to the chase so that you can determine if this book would benefit you or someone you know. Consider the three following questions carefully:- firstly, are you now or have you ever been a parent? Secondly, do you believe that you are an average parent, one well within the bell curve rather than on either end of the extreme? Thirdly, during the period of parenthood, if you were or are one, did you ever clean your kitchen floor more than once a week?

If so, this book will definitely help your children, and may even help you as a parent, vicariously.

I love this book. It is a no nonsense down to earth approach to helping children learn and grow through play, specifically messy play. Ms. Beckerleg is an experienced mother, and teacher of special needs children. The book is divided into helpful chapters that address areas of need common to many of our children such as ‘sensory stimulation, language and communication, social development and motor skills.’

To be frank, I could have done with this book about 6 years ago. Instead I had to trundle about on my own, adapting mainstream guides to suit my own particular children. Because one of my children is a sensory ‘seeker’ and another is an ‘avoider,’ especially when the tactile defensiveness issue is dominant, I would have welcomed any additional tips and tricks. Anyone who is already familiar with sensory diets will also be familiar with many of the suggestions in Ms.Beckerleg’s book but there are lots of additional useful suggestions and ideas. I also like her chapter on ‘Things to remember.’ This in part addresses what can occur when you have a group of children with differing needs. Her students were in the classroom, mine are all at home with me. Her ‘real life’ anecdotes and examples are heartwarming and hopeful, and we can all do with a dose of that.

Don't worry, the exchange rate is laughable at the moment and if you ever need any translations, just give me a tinkle.
Cheers dears

all dogs have ADHD by Kathy Hoopmann - A Review

From "Jessica Kingsley Publishers"

Eye candy with a message:-

Whether you are fan of Anne Geddes or not, Ms. Hoopmann’s book achieves a similar result. Babies are beautiful and between "3 and 5 percent" of them are likely to be diagnosed with ADHD.

Interestingly, Ms. Hoopman provides a brief introduction to her second volume following "all cats have asperger syndrome," where she describes some common elements of the ADHA spectrum. What follows is a delightful romp, high lighting those factors in a whimsical manner through the device of a dog’s perspective. This book provides an excellent spring board to facilitate open discussion and intimacy about a difficult subject, for both parents and children alike, without threat.

Criticisms:-

1. It’s too expensive.

True but that’s because it’s a hardback. The 72 pages work out to the equivalent to 3 days of your routine Café Lattes but the effects last a lot longer and won’t give you a buzz. You can always wait for the soft back or support your local library.

2. How will it help with autism?

It won’t, it’s about ADHD, remember! Please try harder to keep all pertinent facts available in your working memory simultaneously. However, an ADHD diagnosis is often co-morbid with autism. Think of it as a selection box of chocolates. You can pick and choose your favourites, and leave the hard candy for someone else.

3. The photographs fail to meet expectations.

Well now I’m just being picky. I’m no photographer, so I shall restrain myself. I had no specific expectations so that appear to be perfectly fit for their purpose.

4. The captions and text are too generalized. They could apply to anyone and everyone.

True. I think it is essential to avoid any possibility of common ground, level playing fields and empathy. More importantly, I’m getting ahead of myself. Never flip pages or speed read. Always pay close attention to the introduction first, where Ms. Hoopmann specifically draws our attention to the spectrum nature of the disorder. Now lets try and keep focused.

5. Curiously, I do have a genuine criticism.

There are many different breeds of dog illustrated in the book. They are not labeled. My knowledge of dog breeds is basic. As a result, I have been plagued with questions about breeds and species. Strangely, there were no similar questions about cat breeds in “All Cats have Asperger’s,” but that is probably merely an indication of my children’s increasing willingness to speak. Maybe the next printing will address this omission, so that we can concentrate on the message and content rather than categories. Rest assured that only the tiniest of fonts and the briefest of descriptions would be needed, just like the codes on the papers of all test sheets for evaluations.

My second criticism would be by way of apology to all dog owners in advance. Very shortly my children will be accosting people and there dogs with the following question:- “is it a mut?” This is entirely my fault. One quick slip of the tongue and now we are stuck in the myre. I promise to put, ‘research dog breeds,’ on my ‘to do’ list.

Clearly it would be wrong to speculate about the author’s motivations. Perhaps she wants to ease the path for those newly diagnosed, their families and personal circle? Maybe, she would like to make the topic ADHA more socially acceptable for a broader audience? Possibly, other spectra may also benefit, incidentally. I can think of a great many other diagnoses in DSM IV that might also warrant a boost in the national psyche. I am of the genuine opinion, without a shred of supporting evidence, that Ms. Hoopman is out to change the world by stealth and humour. If so, she can bark up my tree any time.

Who knows what animal shall be next, but I wish Ms. Loopman luck in finding another good match.

I suspect that “all dogs have ADHD” failed to hold my attention as much as it’s
"predecessor." This might be because I am subject to a cat bias, but there again, it may also be because 72 pages can be quite a challenge for some,………….. now I’ve gotta dash as I’m sure there’s something[s] I need to do, although I’m not sure which one, or two, or three....... and I’m positive I was in the middle of something,....... although I can’t remember what it was,........ but I won’t be a "dog" in the "manger."

For future reference, please note that I shall not post negative opinions of any book. This is why my reviews are so few and far between.

Could also be that 72 pages is about my limited limit.

Cheers dears