Haber, Julian Stuart

PERSONAL:

Male. Education: Attended University of Miami School of Medicine.

ADDRESSES:

Office—1300 W. Lancaster Ave., Ft. Worth, TX 76102.

CAREER:

Pediatrician.

WRITINGS:

ADHD:

The Great Misdiagnosis, Taylor Publishing (Dallas, TX), 2000, revised edition, 2003.

Blood Avenger (novel), Longhorn Creek Press (Irving, TX), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Julian Stuart Haber is a developmental and behavioral pediatrician whose work with troubled children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has led him to conclude that "there is a group of children who do indeed suffer from ADHD but that this group is much smaller than other experts estimate," related Library Journal reviewer Mary Ann Hughes. In ADHD: The Great Misdiagnosis, Haber discusses his conclusions in detail, and offers suggestions for parents of children diagnosed with ADHD, as well as scathing criticism of members of the medical profession who have contributed to an epidemic of misdiagnosed ADHD. Haber points out that several other disorders manifest themselves with symptoms similar to those of ADHD, including Tourette's syndrome, epilepsy, hearing loss, and general psychological distress. He stresses that it is unfair, and potentially harmful, for a child to be wrongly treated for ADHD. He is also highly critical of teachers and school administrators who demand that parents medicate their troublesome children without regard to the true underlying causes of the child's classroom disruptiveness.

Haber explores the medical basis behind ADHD, the accepted clinical reasons for medical treatment of the disorder, the type and course of traditional medical treatments, and a variety of alternative therapies that have proven successful in treating ADHD. He suggests that realistic attention to facts and the application of carefully considered differential diagnoses will help ensure that children diagnosed with ADHD will receive proper treatment for it, and that those wrongly diagnosed will not be improperly treated for a disorder they do not have. Haber, noted Booklist contributor William Beatty, "explodes myths, relays much scientific information, and makes many practical suggestions." A reviewer for the Consumer Health Information Source Book called Haber's volume "a provocative and challenging book."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2000, William Beatty, review of ADHD: The Great Misdiagnosis, p. 2092.

Consumer Health Information Source Book, 2003, review of ADHD.

Library Journal, October 15, 2000, Mary Ann Hughes, review of ADHD, p. 86.