After many years trying to figure out our son, many thousands of dollars in testing and evaluations, and countless frustrations finding professionals who had an accurate integrated knowledge of the learning challenges facing our highly gifted child, there is finally a book that not only ties together the numerous domains of abilities and disabilities that describes our son, but also gives explicit examples of things we can do to help him thrive academically, social, and emotionally. For parents without the financial resources for comprehensive testing, or if lacking local testing facilities, this book also gives specific behaviors and adaptations to look for in children struggling with specific learning challenges, such as dyslexia and dysgraphia, memory weaknesses, visual and auditory problems, attention challenges, and sensory processing disorders. It also gives specific evaluations that can be done at home by parents.
The Eide team (Drs. Brock and Fernette) are, in my mind, among the nations' most knowledgeable in the combined areas of neuroscience, learning disabilities, and giftedness. Together, they run the Eide Neurolearning Clinic outside Seattle, publish and present at conferences around the country and this year presented at the President's Council on Bioethics on The Fundamental Needs of Children. The transcript is worth reading and there's a link from their website. They are also board members of SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted).
Collectively, the Eide team is a powerhouse of insight and inspiration, not just because of their outstanding credentials and experience working with hundreds of children in their clinic, but perhaps most importantly, because of their obvious deep love for children, and desire to see each and every one of them live a happy and fulfilled life. While their book is brimming with great information and resources, it's their hearts that bind it together to create an enjoyable, and entirely approachable resource for parents and grandparents, educators, and any professionals who work with children.
If you're looking for the "ultimate resource" to help your child, or maybe someone else's child, this might be as good as it gets.