ENRICO GNAULATI - Continued...

”To the extent that a kid believes a diagnostic label applies to him or her, he or she is less likely to take personal ownership of and responsibility for his or her actions and his or her potential to actively and purposively strive to change.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. p. 55.

”This may explain the unfavorable reactions teachers sometimes have toward ADHD kids. Believing an ADHD kid suffers from a brain disease can engender compassion. By the same token, it can lead to a sense of futility that nothing fundamental can be done on the teacher's or the kid's part to bring about lasting change. There may be the sense that the kid's hyperactive behavior must be simply tolerated, managed, or controlled (whether through medication or behavioral methods)--not changed. This can lead to negative reactions, whether openly expressed or just ruminated on.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. p. 56.

”The medications most frequently prescribed for bipolar and autism spectrum disordered kids and teens are called atypical antipsychotics and include Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquel, Zypreza, and Geodon. The name "antipsychotic" can be misleading, since even though they are utilized to treat schizophrenia-related psychotic experiences, when it comes to children and adolescents they are mainly prescribed to quell the agitation, aggressiveness, and moodiness that frequently accompany a bipolar or autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. p. 63.

”When you talk to parents whose child has been started on an atypical antipsychotic like Risperdal or Seroquel, they usually cite reductions in the frequency and intensity of the child's rage attacks and agitation. When this medication is working well it can make family life much more tolerable with a highly disruptive child.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. p. 63.

”With the push to screen for and detect autism spectrum disorder at progressively younger ages, the risk is greater that late-talking, picky-eating, tantrum-throwing, transition-resistant toddlers will be misperceived as potentially autistic--especially if an evaluation is conducted in which the child is not sensitively engaged and put at ease. The risk is more acute, as I will soon illustrate, if this toddler is likely to develop into an introverted, cognitively gifted boy who tends to be single-minded and willful in his approach to life learning. Even more basic than that, if we don't have a firm grasp of gender differences in how young children communicate and socialize, we can mistake traditional masculine behavior for high-functioning autism.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. pp. 162-163.

”Appearing attentive, asking probing questions, and reflecting back what someone is saying may be the empathic glue that cements a friendship for the average female. However, for the average male, following along with and responding to the lieral cdontent of what they are sying is what's deemed valuable. A friend is someone who shares your ionterssts and with whom you can have detailed discussions about these interests.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. p. 164.

”Watch boys at a sleepover and you'll quickly realize that they need a joint activity to buttress social interaction and verbal dialogue.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. p. 164.

”Without a joint activity that taps into their preexisting knowledge about that activity, boys are often at a loss for discussion. There are long silences. Eye contact is avoided. Bodies become more wiggly.”
Gnaulati, Enrico (2013) Back to normal. Beacon Press: Boston, Massachusetts. p. 164.

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