As part of our community, we hope you'll share with us books you've found helpful. Please email us at books@bluedominoes.com
ADHD
1. No More ADHD by Dr. Mary Ann Block
Outlines reasons and solutions for children exhibiting ADHD symptoms such as heavy metal toxicity, food sensitivities, leaky gut, allergies, and more. Dr. Block offers nutritional suggestions, osteopathic manipulation treatment, elimination diets, and offers an overview of supplements that typically help with ADHD symptoms.
2. Ritalin Free Kids by Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman and Robert Ullman
Provides a basic overview of homeopathy and case studies of children treated by the Ullmans. If you are unfamiliar with homeopathy and are looking for a natural way to treat your child, this book is a good way to familiarize yourself with these principals and the amazing progress some of their clients make with homeopathy.
3. Is This Your Child? by Doris Rapp, MD
Dr. Rapp discusses how chemicals, allergies, and some foods can affect behavior. She provides valuable insight on how to recognize if your child is being affected and provides easy to implement solutions. The information is provided in an easy to understand, non-alarming fashion, and really makes you think about what your child is eating and being exposed to.
4. Our Toxic World by Doris Rapp, MD
Provides information for parents on chemicals, genetically modified foods, pesticides, and other environmental factors that are affecting the general population and most evidently our children. This is a great book that helps you identify potential problems and offers alternatives for parents.
5. Is This Your Child's World? How You Can Fix the Schools and Homes That Are Making Your Children Sick by Doris Rapp, MD
Written by Dr. Rapp, a board-certified environmental medical specialist and pediatric allergist for children. Dr. Rapp provides examples and illustrations of how children are affected by chemicals, pesticides, and foods in their school environment. She provides solutions to issues faced by schools. This would be a great book to provide to a teacher, principal, or superintendent of your school.
6. Turning Lead into Gold: How Heavy Metal Poisoning Can Affect Your Child and How to Prevent and Treat It by Nancy Hallaway and Zigurts Strauts
This book takes you on a journey of a mom who is also a nurse and discovers her twin boys have lead poisoning. They exhibit autistic and ADHD symptoms, and after having her children properly diagnosed, she was able to begin chelation therapy and her boys showed steady improvement. A great book that takes you through the hazards of lead, the symptoms, and how they correlate closely with some psychological diagnosis.
7. Why Your Child Is Hyperactive by Ben Feingold
Dr. Feingold pioneered the link between food coloring and hyperactivity. He outlines protocols he used with different patients and their improvement. Even though this book was written years ago, it is still pertinent today as we realize nutrition really does impact our brains, how we think, and how we react. His organization, The Feingold Group is still active today and has been instrumental in helping children and parents eat better and recover from their previous diagnosis.
Autism
1. Impossible Cure by Amy Lanskyk
This book is a great introduction to the world of homeopathy. Amy Lansky worked at NASA with her husband, but once her younger son began to exhibit signs of autism, Amy investigated programs and therapies that would benefit her son. She discovered homeopathy, explains wonderfully how homeopathy works, and recovered her son by using homeopathy, changing her son's diet, and prayer.
2. Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Development Disorder by Karyn Seroussi
When Karen's son was diagnosed with autism, her goal was recovery for her son. She participated in traditional therapies, but couldn't ignore the connection between diet and her child's behavior. She eventually discovered the effects of gluten and casein were dramatically influencing her son's behavior and her implementation of the GFCF (gluten-free, casein free) diet was instrumental in recovering her son from his symptoms. This book provides insight to the diet, nystatin (anti-fungal that helps with yeast), and phenol intolerances in some children. It provides an inspirational story of recovery.
3. Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals by Catherine Maurice, Gina Green, and Stephen C. Luce
This workbook outlines developmental milestones for children and provides activities for parents or behavior therapists to do with their children. Behavior therapy is quite expensive and with this workbook it allows parents to incorporate the therapy into play with their children. Most people whose children are exhibiting autistic symptoms due to heavy metal toxicity do well with chelation and then use the workbook to help them understand the child development levels and work with their children themselves. Often once chelation is completed, the need for ABA (behavior therapy for children with autism and related disorders) is drastically reduced or eliminated since the child begins to learn naturally.
4. Let Me Hear Your Voice by Catherine Maurice
Provides an overview of Applied Behavioral Analysis and how it aided in the recovery of two of Catherine's (pseudonym) children. She discusses some of the research behind the therapy and provides an outline of the particular exercises that helped heal her children.
5. Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions by Karen L. Defelice
Focuses on digestive enzymes, food sensitivities, and rebuilding the digestive tract. This is a great book to understand how food can be affecting your child and offers a wonderful overview of how enzymes work, how to pick the right enzyme for your child, and documents progress of her sons as well as other children utilizing enzymes.
6. A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism: Homeopathic Care for Exceptional Kids by Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, Robert Ullman, and Ian Luepker
Wonderful alternatives to traditional prescription medications. They review homeopathy as well as take you through cases of children they have treated. You will read about the improvement and in some cases complete healing of children on the spectrum. They reference the symptoms and the remedies used in each of their cases.
7. Children with Starving Brains: A Medical Treatment Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorder by Jaquelyn McCandless, MD
This book was written out of love by a physician whose granddaughter was diagnosed with autism. She outlines her learning process, supplementation, and bio-medical intervention that have helped countless children. She discusses diagnostic testing and treatment of yeast, heavy metal toxicity, immune system and so much more.
Auditory Processing
1. When the Brain Can't Hear by Teri James Bellis
Written by an audiologist who has worked with children and adults for years on strengthening their auditory processing skills. Teri herself was affected by auditory processing problems after she was involved in a car accident and after therapy; she was able to recover from her auditory processing issues. She has helped many people and outlines the therapies she uses at her clinic. She also covers therapies and strategies that can be implemented at school or at home.
2. Like Sound through Water by Karen J. Foli and Edward M. Hallowell
A mother's journey in getting a correct diagnosis for her son who was not making eye contact and not speaking at age three. She was given several different diagnoses, but her instinct kept her going until she found that one that seemed to fit. Karen discusses therapies that helped her son including: Fast ForWord, Step 4Word, Fokes Sentence Builder, and the Lindamood-Bell LiPS programs
3. Dancing in the Rain: Stories of Exceptional Progress by Annabel Stehli
This book provides stories by parents of individuals who have had success with Auditory Integration Therapy (AIT). Each chapter focuses on a different child, their symptoms, their improvements, and their experiences with AIT. It's a wonderful book, full of hope and practical suggestions for parents.
Sensory Integration Dysfunction
1. Out of Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder by Carol Stock Kranowitz
An overview of Sensory Integration Dysfunction (the inability to process information received through the senses) is provided and further broken down into the various systems - vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile. Examples of how these subcategories affect everyday skills are discussed as well as comparisons between children with proper SI integration and those with SI dysfunction. Detailed suggested activities are included.
Speech Delays
1. Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know by Patricia McAleer Hamaquchi
Provides an overview of a wide variety of speech, language, and auditory issues. The author does recommend seeing a speech and language pathologist for an evaluation. This book does provide descriptions of the disorders and helps parents navigate through all the jargon. Some parents felt the book was too narrow in terms of reasons for speech delays
2. The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late by Thomas Sowell
This book discusses the subset of children who speak late and are sometimes misdiagnosed as having autism or mental retardation. The author discusses family characteristics and other distinctions that differentiate these children from children with autism, apraxia, and other syndromes. The author provides case studies including his own son. There is a yahoo group called late talking children (the title of Mr. Sowell's first book) that unites parents whose children are late-talkers with other parents
Visual Processing/Dyslexia
1. Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level by Sally Shaywitz MD
Dr. Shaywitz provides an excellent overview on reading, the brain, and clues to dyslexia. She states that one out of every five children in America has dyslexia and provides insight as how to diagnose �at risk� children. She believes that all children can be taught how to read. She provides a list of books that play with the sounds of language and provides strategies the parent can implement to help their child become a more proficient reader.
Nutrition/Diet Books
1. The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin N.M.D., Ph.D.
Jordan Rubin recovered from Crohn's disease using a diet plan that has it's origins in the bible. This book documents his amazing recovery and provides anecdotes from family and friends who marvel at Jordan's miraculous recovery. He is essentially advocating gluten-free, casein free diet where goat's milk and goat milk cheeses are acceptable as well as certain grains and sprouted breads. He does a wonderful job of outlining reasons people get sick, how to stay healthy, and how to recover if you are ill. Recipes and places to source the products he recommends are included.
2. The Truth about Children's Health by Robert Bernardini, M.S.
A discussion of nutrition beginning with the pregnant mother to breast feeding to the eating habits of our children. He also discusses health issues such as cancer, asthma, behavior problems, diabetes, obesity, autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. This is a must read with suggestions that are easy to implement. This is truly a great reference book for parents.
Vaccination Books
1. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave MD and Deborah Mitchell
Dr. Cave and Deborah Mitchell discuss what they believe to be the obvious links between developmental delays, autoimmune disease, and other issues with vaccinations. They provide information on mercury and other additives as well as provide guidelines for parents who want to implement vaccines but perhaps not at the schedule outlined by the CDC. They discuss the effectiveness of vaccinations, who should not get particular vaccinations, and allergenic ingredients in shots. There is also a section on how to reduce reactions to vaccinations.
2. Evidence of Harm by David Kirby
David Kirby is a journalist who did not have any ties to the autism movement prior to him writing the book. He noticed parents were suggesting a link to thimerasol in vaccines and set out to investigate the possible connection. He follows families through their journey as they work to get their children well, challenge the CDC, and provides insight as to how some of the most influential voices on thimerosal acquired their knowledge. David Kirby is not suggesting parents abstain from vaccinating their children, he's suggesting being sure that your vaccines are thimerasol free.
3. Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? by Neil Z. Miller
This book provides information on both childhood and some adult vaccinations. The author does a wonderful job of providing factual information along with graphs to illustrate the effectiveness and safety of vaccinations. Interspersed in this book are parent and patient stories regarding their experiences with vaccinations. There are some concerns that this book is �slanted� towards not immunizing. Our recommendation is to read the book and discuss the statistics with your physician.