Reasond & Remedies

Anyone wanting to increase their understanding of children will find Reasons and Remedies a fascinating book to read. Patricia Sims is a Speech and Language Therapist who uses her experience to help others look deeper into the reasons why some children show specific difficulties.

Sims wrote the book for both professionals and parents, and we are all urged to take a wider view of social and learning difficulties and related syndromes. She emphasises the part that anxiety and tension contribute to the way a child develops. We are urged to take into consideration the whole child, and to understand different personality traits and the effect they have on general behaviour and symptoms. Being in tune with the personality traits of a child enables the adult to gauge the amount and type of pressure the child can cope with

Looking at her case histories, Sims believes that most of the children she has seen at her clinic have come as a result of difficulties which stem from traits associated with tension and anxiety. The book contains chapters on Dyslexia, Hyperactivity/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Asperger, Autism, Mental Illness, and more. However, the author reminds us all that each child is highly individual and we should beware labels - although she acknowledges that we think that we understand what the problem is by giving a disorder a name.

There are specific tips and strategies to use when trying to help a child with a range of difficulties - whether or not they are learning difficulties - re-phrasing questions so they do not seem like challenging commands, and helping a child who withdraws to maintain contact. Certainly all parents will welcome her discussion on how to avoid reinforcement of negative behaviour.

The book concludes with a personality checklist and useful list of references.

published by Mortimore Books

    paperback  £12.95    ISBN 0953620921

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