The Way of Boys: Raising Healthy Boys in a Challenging and Complex World - Hardcover

Rao PhD, Anthony; Seaton, Michelle D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061707821 ISBN 13: 9780061707827

Publisher: William Morrow, 2009

Synopsis

The Way of Boys by renowned psychologist Dr. Anthony Rao is an important wake-up call to the dangers of over-medicating our male children and our current tendency to treat their active boyhood as an illness. Dr. Rao raises a much-needed alarm in this essential volume that belongs in every parent’s collection alongside Raising Cain by Michael Thompson. In these time when many parents, concerned about ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, and bipolar disorder, may be dangerously misinterpreting their young sons’ healthy, normal development process, The Way of Boys is must reading. 

About this title

About the Authors

Anthony Rao, Ph.D., has more than twenty years of experience working with young boys from all over the country, both at Harvard Medical School and in his own practice, Behavioral Solutions. He holds a doctorate in psychology from Vanderbilt University and has trained medical residents and interns at Children's Hospital in Boston.

Michelle D. Seaton is an award-winning journalist, NPR reporter, and the coauthor of several fitness and health  books. Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, daughter, and happily active young son.

From the Back Cover

The problem isn't with boys, it's with our expectations of them

In a book that's part advice and part exposé, psy­chologist and expert on boyhood development Dr. Anthony Rao challenges some of the potentially harmful assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors we've developed toward young boyhood over the last few decades. This is not an indictment of medication therapies—in some important instances, Dr. Rao argues that medication is appropriate and necessary. Rather, The Way of Boys is a celebration of natural, constructive boyhood development and an expert, definitive handbook on what to look for and expect in normal growth. Ask yourself these questions:

Is his behavior serious enough to interfere with functioning? Does it keep him from sleeping, eating, attending school, or staying safe?

Does it persist over a few weeks or more? Does it show itself more than a few isolated times per day?

Does it happen in different settings? Has it been reported by different people?

If your answer is yes to any of these, your son may have symptoms that need further assessment by a pediatrician or other qualified developmental specialist. But a yes answer doesn't mean your son has a lifelong disorder or that the first line of defense is medication.

Boys are being bombarded with a slew of diagnoses—ADHD, Asperger's, bipolar disorder—at an alarming rate and at younger ages. The Way of Boys urges parents, educators, pediatricians, psychologists, and other developmental experts to reevaluate and significantly change how we deal with our youngest boys.

It's time we stopped trying to "fix" young boys. When parents understand the wide spectrum for normal boy development, they can successfully communicate with their son—and everyone in their son's life—and help him grow into a healthy, smart, strong man.

Reviews

Rao, a psychologist who has worked with young boys for two decades at Harvard Medical School as well as in private practice, claims that very young boys are being misdiagnosed with disorders such as ADHD and Asperger's and are often unnecessarily treated with medications that, he believes, should be a last resort (some boys, he notes, have even been thrown out of preschool for unruly behavior). With writer Seaton, Rao argues that many young boys who grab, kick, fidget, act out in school or refuse to make eye contact are simply being true to their brain development and hardwiring; in the vast majority of cases, Rao claims, these behaviors are healthy and normal, and shouldn't require medical intervention. The authors explain that boys do best with tactile, hands-on learning and more physical movement than most schools provide. Rather than rush to label and diagnose, Rao recommends a wait-and-see approach, noting that most behavior problems are temporary developmental glitches (with the exception of autism, which benefits from early intervention). Rao offers strategies parents can employ to help their youngsters learn to communicate, socialize and deal with anger and other issues. Though a bit heavy on the case studies, Rao's text is a valuable resource for readers determining whether to seek a medical diagnosis and a prescription or opt for a behavioral plan and a strong dose of patience. (Sept.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061707821
• ISBN 13: 9780061707827
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304