BOOK REVIEW: When Labels Don't Fit by Barbara Probst

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When the Labels Don't Fit: A New Approach to Raising a Challenging Child Author: Barbara Probst Publisher: Three Rivers Press (August 26, 2008) ISBN-10: 030739543X ISBN-13: 978-0307395436

This book takes on the task of raising a child that some may wish to try and label. Such as those precious children that children label as ADHD, bipolar, autistic, etc.

The author of this book dives into that oh so common labeling that so many doctors and others are bestowing upon children more and more.  She takes on the task of bringing the issue to the mat and talks about when a specific "label" does not fit your child.

She gives you, the parent or caregiver, ammunition so to speak to attack those labels.  She attacks the root of the problem while sharing insight as well as a course of action to take that gives you the best strategy to find our child's essential nature.

She says that instead of labeling a child based on his or her negative features, you need to discover his or her essential nature and give them a chance.

Every child deserves a change to do something regardless of his or her ability to do it to it's fullness.  He or she may only be able to do a part of it, but you need to give him or her the chance to do even that.

The book itself is a guide for you to use that will help you discover your child's essential nature through nurturing and then celebrating your child's special abilities.

About the Book and PRESS RELEASE:

Distinguish "Difference" from "Disorder" and resist the diagnosis explosion with when the labels don't fit: a new approach to raising a challenging child by Barbara Probst, MSW, LCSW

Many children do things that seem odd or excessive at various points in their development. Though some do need professional help, many are victims of a culture that's far too quick to attach a label such as ADHD, social anxiety, or bipolar disorder to every child who's hard to manage or doesn't fit in.  In recent years, more and more children have been receiving psychiatric labels - and at younger and younger ages, for fewer and milder symptoms.  In fact, nearly one-fifth of all American children currently meet the criteria for a mental disorder! 
Barbara Probst dares to ask: Is there really something wrong with all these children, or is there something wrong with the way they're viewed, categorized, and treated?  If so many kids are "disordered," what's happened to our concept of "normal"?

A growing number of mental health experts agree that not all difficult behavior indicates an underlying diagnosis, yet no one has offered an alternative. Enter Barbara Probst's WHEN THE LABELS DON'T FIT: A New Approach to Raising a Challenging Child (a Three Rivers Press Original; August 28, 2008), a groundbreaking book that provides a fresh, positive, and practical framework for understanding and helping children whom no label really fits and who, as a result, often end up with misleading or even multiple labels.

WHEN THE LABELS DON'T FIT proposes a radical new perspective: instead of viewing unusual or puzzling behavior as a symptom of disorder, we need to view it as exactly what it is: the extreme or out-of-context expression of a trait like perfectionism, intensity, or curiosity. Probst demonstrates that there's nothing inherently wrong with any of these traits; each can be appropriate in certain conditions and problematic in others. Before reaching for the nearest label, we need to examine the origin, setting, and significance of a child's behavior: we need to look at who the child is, not what he has. 

Much more than a critique of psychiatric labels or a quick-fix for misbehavior, WHEN THE LABELS DON'T FIT offers a brand-new framework- a guide to the specific traits the lie behind behavior-and explains how to use it with real children.  Featuring a questionnaire to profile a child's temperament, more than 60 strategies for dealing with specific kinds of difficult behavior, and exercises that teach children (and parents) how to reframe their language and reshape their habits, WHEN THE LABELS DON'T FIT provides a direct, hands-on approach tailored to a child's specific needs.

As the first comprehensive system not based on figuring out what's "wrong" with a child, but on helping parents manage, nurture, and enjoy their child's essential nature, WHEN THE LABELS DON'T FIT is a must-have resource for any parent struggling to raise a challenging or unusual child. 

 

About the Author:

BARBARA PROBST MSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker specializing in helping families whose "different" children have somehow become "difficult" children - often because their eccentricity, sensitivity, or intensity has been mistaken for a disorder.

In addition to her work with individuals and families, Barbara teaches at Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Service (where she is obtaining her doctorate), serves on the Board of Trustees of Hampshire Country School, and gives workshops and presentations throughout the country.   Barbara's extensive background includes seven years as a public school teacher, five years as the executive director of a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing public education, and more than a decade of clinical work providing therapy for children and adults ages 5 to 82.  She's also conducted adoption workshops and trained workshop leaders, published numerous professional articles, developed and conducted a writing program for college students, and given presentations at dozens of seminars and conferences.

Visit Barbara online at www.whenthelabelsdontfit.com

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