ADHD and Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table

I'm reviewing this for the individual actually living with add or adhd. I can't and won't speak to what a person who does not have this "disorder" might take from it.This is a short and brilliant little book, in which a young man who has yet to be jaded by the adult world and has been incredibly well-supported by his family explains, honestly and with a good degree of insight, how his life experiences have been impacted by having adhd. This book was more or less what I was looking for and something I simply haven't been able to find in the clinical literature. If you look up a definition of adhd, you get a list of symptoms that you are somehow supposed to match your or another's behavior to. Over time I've realized that not only are those lists not terribly useful but they frequently are completely useless and leave a great deal of uncertainty about what is adhd and what is behavior that is separate from that and it's really sort of impossible to diagnose from these lists (or by visiting so-called "professionals" - but that is a different issue). In order to understand a disorder, you really have to hear stories from people who have lived with it. Those are the symptoms you have to look for.The other problem with books by and assistance from people who are not intimately familiar with a disorder is that they generally contain absolutely useless advice. An example would be orderliness. It's good and well to say, you need to organize yourself. But when you present something in a vacuum like that, it induces stress and intimates a negative trait on the listener's part - as though being "organized" in a very traditional way is the only correct way to do things and anything other than that is incorrect. And a number of people (maybe most? I don't honestly know) actually believe this to be true. Those of us who operate with a lack of obvious organization (from the perspective of an external party) know that our systems generally work well, oftentimes much better than what appear to us to be pathologically "organized" systems. But the point is that you know what works best for you. When someone else has already dealt with your underlying issues, the advice they give based on their experience is actually useful. The author offers examples of how he adapted his world to certain types of organization, rejected others, all the time knowing that he would have to see for himself what worked. Throughout the book he does this. The end is particularly insightful, speaking to the positive and unique abilities of those with adhd in the form of a short list. And what's nice about that is that it underlines that while adhd may represent a different way of being or processing information or interacting with the world, it doesn't mean that it is an incorrect way or really represents a disorder. It just means that to do what you want to in this world, you may need to adapt your behavior to those who have less creativity and insight.And yes, he does say medication helped him immensely. I don't know of anyone with adhd it has not helped and I see no reason for people not to do things that help them and do not hurt others and so I think it's a very responsible and appropriate statement for the author to repeat. he's explaining what works for him.

The author brings a positive spin to ADHD and shows kids real stories with real ideas to help daily at school, at home and amongst friends. Our son loved this book and still flips through it 3 years after first reading it. To have a book written by someone YOUNG who has made a huge difference in our son embracing his ADHD super powers!

Decades ago, ADHD was not understood, and kids with the disorder were treated as "bad kids". In recent years, kids with ADHD have received more "reasonable accommodations". When such a boy/girl does something wrong, there's a debate on whether or not to penalize the child. But whether you take away the TV, take away the Nintendo, or make the kid clean up the mess, one question remains; what happens to the kid when he/she is 20 years old? Your boss at work will not care if you have ADHD, nor will a Judge and Jury. There's no such thing as the ADHD defense.Blake's story shows how kids with ADHD may have no choice but to learn the hard way. Take for instance the part where he's at a sailing club and breaks a safety rule. He ends up needing to be rescued, and gets banned from the premises. He can't use ADHD as an excuse now, because unlike a teacher in a classroom, the owner doesn't have to make any accommodations for ADHD.Blake ends up learning the hard way, when he starts a fire on the kitchen table and his parents refuse to let him learn to drive.

I loved this book from start to finish. As a mom of a recently diagnosed ADHD child, a diagnosis that took years, I struggle daily to do the right thing for my beloved middle schooler. This book helped me because, even though the author's type of ADHD is different from what my family is working with, some of the traits are the same. I learned new coping techniques that I can help my child with. I took many notes and have new ideas of how to help my child. When my middle schooler is ready, this book is waiting to be read. An overall excellent resource. Thank you for sharing your story, the past two years of trying to determine what was hindering my child have been horrible, a diagnosis and resources bring such refreshment to my worried mind. Thank you to Mr. Taylor for your candor. You will bring hope to thousands who want only the best for their child.

My son has ADHD and I have been searching for books to read so that I may do everything that I can to help him become a sucessful adult. I have not read a book so inspirational and moving in years! I smiled, laughed and even cried throughout this book as it is almost a mirror of my son. Blake could have not written a better book that made me able to see things from my son's perspective. Not only does the author give his personal stories, but ways of how he tried to make the different issues he faced and symptoms better. I now have some great suggestions to give my son for some the struggles. When he is a little older and needs some extra inspiration, I will be giving this book to him to read. To know that Blake went on to college and was cabable of writing such an wonderful book, makes me now realize more than ever that my son is going to be okay.

I read this book in about two hours because I couldn't stop reading it!! I have a seven year old son who has ADHD. Blake E.S. Taylor gave me a window into my son's life, my son's emotions, and my son's struggles with ADHD. This is a book that everyone who has ADHD and anyone who knows anyone with ADHD should read. It is an easy read -- the words of a boy who really is aware of his emotions. The only thing that I would have liked to learned more about from Mr. Taylor were his experiences with the medications in relation to his appetite, emotional ups and downs, and other side effects that he might have experienced. The information about the tics was great as my son has been "clearing his throat" (a typical tic seen in ADHDers) for months now and I didn't know it was likely a tic until I read Mr. Taylor's book. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. Thank you, Kim (California)

Blake.E.S.Taylor is such a sophisticated young man, isn't he? I wasn't smart enough to tell you my ADHD logically based on my experiences when I was his age, and I am still not! And most of the symptoms written in his book are quite similar to my childhood. I could have clearly shown you the strategies not only on ADHD but also developmental disabilities like him if I had been diagnosed with ADHD and PDD(=Pervasive Developmental Disorder) earlier. I didn't know anything about developmental disabilities when I was younger. Besides, even in my college days, I couldn't eliminate my impulsiveness and hyperactivity, which often stood out in my English classes given by English-speaking teachers. One day I mumbled,“Jesus.”during my class so nobody noticed it, because I was very cranky and stressed. However, the teacher recognized and blew up,“If you swear, please leave! I have to be strict on that and I'm pretty serious.” I got so stunned that I had no choice but to apologize to him. How embarrassed! He implicitly told me how to learn from such a big mistake, though...Anyway, Blake couldn't have written ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table, if he was less mature. Even though his ADHD still remains, I'm sure his experiences will reinforce the strategies to tackle ADHD!

Great little book for seeing the world through the child's eyes. Helpful for parents, older teenagers with ADHD and those working in education- I have lent it to several people. I do wish there was a more uk-friendly version since the Americanisms pop up a lot.

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