Alphabet kids, from ADD to Zellweger syndrome - Robbie Woliver

From ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to ZS (Zellweger Syndrome)-there seems to be an alphabet disorder for almost every behavior, from those caused by serious, rare genetic diseases to more common learning disabilities that hinder children's academic and social progress.

Alphabet Kids have disorders that are often concurrent, interconnected or mistaken for one another: for example, the frequent combination of ASD, OCD, SID and ADHD. If a doctor only diagnoses one condition, he or she may have missed others. As the rates of these disorders dramatically rise, Alphabet Kids explains it all. Robbie Woliver covers 70 childhood disorders, providing information on causes, cures, treatments and prognoses. Chapters include a comprehensive list of signs and symptoms, and the disorders are illustrated with often heartbreaking, but always inspirational true-life stories of a child with the particular disorder.

This comprehensive, easy-to-read go-to guide will help parents to sort through all the interconnected childhood developmental, neurobiological and psychological disorders and serve as a roadmap to help start the families' journey for correct diagnoses, effective treatment and better understanding of their Alphabet Kids.

Robbie Woliver is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning journalist and editor who was a columnist for Newsday, senior editor at Village Voice's suburban edition, writer for The New York Times and editor-in-chief of the Long Island Press, where he also helmed the newspaper's award-winning series "Our Children's Brains." He is the author of several books: Wyoming & March, Bringing It All Back Home, Hoot!, Creation and If I Knew Then, which won the 2005 Independent Publisher Book Awards for "Outstanding Book of the Year" and "Most Inspirational to Youth." In 2009, he was the recipient of the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, and Alphabet Kids garnered him another Independent Publisher Book Award. He lives in New York with his wife, Marilyn, son, Cory, and daughter, Emma.

This book is a wonderful tome of knowledge on neurobiological , developmental and genetic diseases which any parent or professional dealing with atypical children or indeed adults, should have at their fingertips... This book enables parents to make sense of a range of symptoms and signposts them to a likely diagnosis... It is a book that should be on the bookshelf's of parents with children of difference, of all educators and clinicians... In reading it you cannot forget that we are all unique and that most problems have a cause and many can be cured, treated and if not treated, at least understood and accepted with knowledge, compassion and patience.
ASTeens

This book does what it sets out to do - provide an easy reference guide for parents and professionals... Alphabet Kids will be useful for anyone needing an overview of common, and indeed less common, diagnosable disorders. Its strength lies in its accessibility and the ease with which disorders are explained and illustrated and the potential benefits this can bring to children and families.
British Psychological Society, Debate

What a valuable resource to help parents find their way through the bewildering vocabulary of psychiatric labels. Books like Alphabet Kids are essential if we are to bridge the gap between professionals and families.
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University

I wish I'd had Robbie Woliver's book to guide me in the early days of my journey with my daughter ... Alphabet Kids should be in every household; it is an essential guide for all parents and should be required reading for all teachers.
Cathy Moriarty-Gentile, Academy award-nominated actress, child's health advocate, and parent of a daughter with special needs

Medical diagnosis and treatment is complex and overwhelming for many families... Alphabet Kids does an excellent job of translating complex medical conditions and terminology into language that parents can understand.
Matthew Cohen, Adjunct Professor of Mental Health Law at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, and author of A Guide to Special Education Advocacy

Weaving extensive research with personal empathy, Robbie Woliver provides parents and practitioners with an extremely useful resource, as we work to identify and improve the life of children with special needs.
Martin L. Kutscher, M.D., pediatric neurologist and author of Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Asperger's, Tourette's, Bipolar and More!

As a school nurse team leader, Alphabet Kids is certainly an easily accessible rescource to dip in and out of during the course of a busy day.
The contents offer a succinct synopsis of each disorder, presented in an easily readable format, I shall certainly recommend it to the rest of the team, colleagues and parents alike.
British Journal of School Nursing

Alphabet Kids; From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome offers a fine guide to developmental and psychological disorders of kids, covering disorders in an A-Z "alphabet" encyclopedia which includes extensive details for each disorder. Alphabet Kids often have disorders that are interconnected or mistaken for each other: if a doctor only diagnoses one condition, he's missing others. This guide will help professionals and parents alike understand these connections and their differences.
The Midwest Book Review

The book sets out 75 disorders commonly first diagnosed in childhood and describes the symptoms, treatment and prognosis of each one in clear and accessible terms.
Case studies for each disorder are provided, helping to bring lists of complex symptoms to life.
The Psychologist

Robbie Woliver's book states that 1 in 6 youth have an 'alphabet' diagnosis - disorders that are often concurrent, interconnected or mistaken for one another; that makes for many youth and families attempting to navigate unfamiliar and confusing territory. 'Alphabet Kids' can help illuminate the way. As a reader-friendly, clearly written guidebook to the maze of childhood disorders and their interconnectedness, Mr. Woliver's book reassures parents that they are not alone. Compelling and emotional case stories are included at the start of the description of each disorder, providing real life snapshots of how challenging the childhood conditions can be to detect, how they often intersect and overlap, and how cascading effects across all areas of development can result over time. 'Alphabet Kids' is a unique, easy to understand resource that is organized first alphabetically by disorder and then by sub-sections including 'did you know?', 'signs and symptoms', 'diagnosis' and 'treatment.' The section on Sources and Resources is particularly helpful as it provides readers with steps for where to find more information.
On the Spectrum