ReviewsByTeachers

There is a sense, even among those of us trained in therapeutic and educational professions, that children with behavior disorders are “bad kids” who need adults to “straighten out.” Dr. McIntyre’s book defies this prejudicial mythology by teaching and supporting the child in helping to assess, manage, and shape his or her own behavior. In doing so, Dr. Mac not only provides children with tools to help themselves, he also changes the nature of the relationship between children and those who work them by encouraging both child and adult to work as partners in looking at inappropriate behavior as something to be examined, worked on and, hopefully, changed.

In addition to being a great source of comfort and information to a child dealing with behavioral issues, Dr. Mac’s “Survival Guide” provides great exercises for children to undertake, and offers children workable suggestions for specific situations. As a teacher, I often tell my students anticipating stressful situations to formulate a “ready reply (pg 51)” for comments they are afraid of receiving, or discuss with them how to form a command into a question (pg 91) when dealing with authority figures. Many of the exercises and reproducible forms work well with groups; in particular, my students like the “Shaping Plan” (pg 86). Furthermore, some of the information presented, such as the chapter on how to make friends (pg 103) are things children often want to know about, but feel shy about discussing. This book is a valuable tool in helping reclaim students with behavior challenges.

Chris Teacher of incarcerated boys

I feel the writing level/vocabulary difficulty level is good, and well-targeted for the intended audience. The author does a good job of explaining a number of (what can be) difficult concepts using words and structures that kids can understand. The author is able to put complex ideas in language kids can understand. There is a positive tone to this book. There is a nice, thematic 'ring' to it. It is positive, and emphasizes patience and long-term change.

I ordered your survival guide and I love what I have read so far. Thanks for the great info.
Monica Phillips, School Psychologist

I've used many of the techniques described in The Behavior Survival Guide for Kids with my high school classes of BD students. I teach math, but I was able to adapt the chapters into short lessons that I incorporated into the curriculum. My students really got into the book and identified with a lot of the real life examples. I highly recommend The Behavior Survival Guide for Kids to any teachers looking to improve their students' behavior.
Andrew Romanelli, Teacher of Students with Behavior Disorders

I introduced the book to Robert, a student with a long history of disciplinary problems. He connected to the book immediately and has even requested to read the book on "difficult days". It has also been helpful in identifying some of the feelings that Robert is experiencing. His journal entries after reading have helped him to make great progress in his attempts to behave better.
M.B. Williams, Dean of Students

I have found this book to be very helpful in my third grade class which contains two students who have trouble behaving appropriately. I have used some of the strategies in this book and found them to be very useful.

I have this very naughty student in my class who creates chaos for much of the day. He happens to be one of my favorite students though because I can see him trying to control himself (sometimes), until he just can't take it anymore. Today in the after-school program I showed him your book and we began reading it together. He showed a lot of interest while I was reading and kept saying, "That's exactly how I feel." I'm very excited to continue reading and discussing it with him and thought you should know that there's a sixth grader out there who feels a little less frustrated and hopeless.