The Challenging Child. Understanding, Raising, and Enjoying the Five "Difficult" Types of Children

Customer Reviews

Outstanding reference tool

2005-01-11
I went into a bookstore in search of a different book but purchased this one instead after browsing through the chapter I identified as my 2 year old daughter, a highly sensitive child. I agreed with everything the author described in regard to this character, and I even found myself in the book. As a teacher and parent, I believe this is the best book I have seen in recognizing and nurturing the five different "challenging" children. Even my husband, who is always a bit skeptical with parenting books, was amazed at how on-target this one is. I highly recommend this book for anyone not only wishing to identify with a "challenging" child but also desiring to assist that child as he/she deals with the daily struggles that face that particular temperment.

Everyone needs this book!

2001-12-31
I took this book out of the library because of my high-energy, aggressive 2 year old, and am now here to buy it because I need to have it by my bed until I memorize it!! Only half kidding...it has been enormously helpful in thinking about his behavior. But the surprise is, all of my other kids are in here too, as well as me and my husband! Anyone with a strong personality was probably a difficult child, at least in some ways (ask your mom!!), and this book gives you insight into how you got the way you are, and how your personality might intersect with your child's to cause trouble understanding each other.

My favorite thing about this book is the way Greenspan includes a section on "what it feels like" to be each of the types of challenging children, so you can understand that your child often really, truly, doesn't see the world at all the way you do. They are not just trying to drive you nuts, they genuinely sometimes see black when you see white! If you can get behind their eyes you can support them so much better when things get hairy.

I would agree with the other reviewers that there isn't much in this book about special needs per se-- if you're looking for a book on ADD or another issue of that sort you may not find what you need here in terms of specific information. But for garden-variety behavior issues, plain old intense kids, and parent-child communication troubles, this book is fantastic.

Didn't mention mental problems child may have! 2001-12-25
This book is okay if you don't have a child with severe problems. My child is ADHD and ODD but there is no mention of coping with mental illness in this book.
I bought it thinking help would be inside the pages, but was dissapointed instead; When it was read.

Superior for those dealing with special needs children 2001-08-18
This title was recommended during a teacher orientation and it is easy to see why. This book should be required reading for anyone who is mentoring, teaching or parenting a special needs child.

Feel the calm as you learn new techniques. Many of which are totally out of line as to what you may have been taught was normal or proper. Insightful, thoughtful and necessary.

Emotional intellegence has never before been so clearly addressed.

Counselor's recommendation: What to do besides feel guilty 1997-11-09
Parents are often at a loss as to how a child "acts like this when it's not how he was raised". This book describes the unique, in-born personality and behavior traits which our children have, making some of them more challenging to deal with. With more understanding of their make-up and some specific strategies to try as parents and teachers, adults can feel more in control of the situation and children's unique needs can be met more readily.

VERY HELPFUL 2008-02-13
I think this book is has the objectivity that every parent needs, it is very clear, easy to understand and really helpful if u are at the point where words are not really enough in your relation with your kid.

Better books out there. 2007-09-21
I've been reading many books like this one. I have a child with attention problems and one who is defiant. This book was hard to read and didn't really give me any good stategies that I haven't already learned in other books. Honestly, I had to skim though most of it because it was so boring. So, maybe I missed some good parts.

My favorite book so far is How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk. I highly recommend this book! This book gave me strategies to use for all four of my children and has made a big difference in how my children obey me, talk to me and talk to each other. We are all much happier. It is so wonderful that I am making my husband read it. Also, it is fun to read!

Outlined my daughter's temperment perfectly 2007-06-05
This book was recommended to me by my daughter's (she's 3 now) neurological developmental pediatrician at Children's Hospital. I only regret that I just now read it. The highly sensitive child chapter outlines my daughter's life from birth through today, as well as many of the frustrating feelings I've had as a loving, yet confused parent. The book helps show how to best parent each of the five different types of children. The book states that you (the parent) are not the cause, but you can help be part of the solution via your parenting style. I started dog-earing the pages as I read the book so I could go back to the parts most on spot for my daughter. By the end of the chapter I realized that I had dog-eared almost every page. A must have for the parent of a challenging child (mine being the highly sensitive child).

Good service 2007-05-09
Helped me to understand my child in an entirely different light. Helped me to understand the difference between what kind of child I thought she was and the type of child she really is!

Great book 2007-02-15
I think this was a very easy read. Parents who have children with special needs or who are challenging should benefit from reading this book. I think if parents want more specific information about particular diagnoses they would need to look to another source. This would be a good book to start with. I feel there was good, positive advice given.

Isabelle Zehnder
Founder and President
Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse (CAICA)
www.caica.org