MSI Press Blog

  Released this week: Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain by Dr. Kristin Wilcox with Andrew Wilcox. Available from the MSI Press webstore at 25% discount. Use code FF25. Change what you think you know about ADHD.  In this two-part book, Andrew, a child with inattentive-type ADHD, and his mom, Kristin Wilcox, Ph.D., each tell their story about living with the inattentive subtype of ADHD.  How do you survive life and middle school with an ADHD elephant in your brain? Kids with ADHD will relate to Andrew’s reactions to everyday and school-related situations, like remembering to turn in homework, staying organized, and making friends.  Using practical strategies Andrew learns to manage his ADHD even when his brain sometimes feels “like and overstuffed garbage can, the lid won’t stay on and garbage is falling out all over the floor”.  He even realizes there is a positive side to having ADHD like creativity, fearlessness and hyperfocus.  Dr. Wilcox’s unique perspective as bo

Released this week: hard cover edition of the popular and award-winning, Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain Kristin Wilcox and Andrew Wilcox. Book description: Change what you think you know about ADHD in boys. In this two-part book Andrew and his neuroscientist mom each tell their story about living with the inattentive subtype of ADHD. How do you survive life and middle school with an ADHD elephant in your brain? Kids with ADHD will relate to Andrew's reactions to everyday and school-related situations, like remembering to turn in homework, staying organized, and making friends. Using practical strategies Andrew learns to manage his ADHD even when his brain sometimes feels "like and overstuffed garbage can, the lid won't stay on and garbage is falling out all over the floor". He even realizes there is a positive side to having ADHD like creativity, fearlessness and hyperfocus.   Dr. Wilcox discusses the science behind ADHD, parent-to-parent, from s

“My brain is an overstuffed garbage can — the lid doesn’t stay on, and stuff is falling out all over the floor.” This is how my son describes what it’s like to have ADHD.   When he was initially diagnosed, I thought I understood ADHD: it was found mostly in boys who were hyperactive, impulsive, fidgeting, blurting out in the classroom. My son, who had been diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of ADHD, had none of these behaviors.   Unfortunately, the stereotypical view of a boy with ADHD has changed little over the past several decades.   This was the motivation for my son and I to share our experiences with his ADHD in our book Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain   (MSI Press, 2022).   I continue my mission of spreading awareness of inattentive-type ADHD, particularly in boys, through my blog on Psychology Today , and by writing for various ADHD groups.   October is ADHD Awareness Month, and you can read more about my journey with my ADHD son in this article

  Excerpt from Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain Sometimes My ADHD Brain Needs a Reminder on a Neon-Colored Sticky Note. Dismissal time! My ADHD brain doesn’t have to pay attention in school anymore today. Now, if I could only remember what I have for homework. I rummage through the miscellaneous papers shoved into my backpack, looking for my planner. “Found it!” It’s blank because I forgot to write down my homework assignments. Again. I stare at the books in my locker hoping to remember. Nope. “Darn!” I hear my bus number being called. Slamming the locker shut, I run down the hall with the nagging feeling I am forgetting something. I weave in and out of the sea of kids making their way to the front door of the school. My feet are moving faster now as I make the final sprint to the bus. Made it with only a minute to spare! I flop down onto the seat. “My trumpet! That’s what I forgot!” Mom reminded me before I left for school this morning to bring my trumpet home. Oh w

  from the author -  My son was diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of ADHD when he was eight years old. At the time, I didn’t realize how fortunate we were to have his teachers recognize his inattentive ADHD symptoms, since diagnosis of this subtype is typically delayed until adolescence. My son doesn’t fit the stereotypical profile of a hyperactive/impulsive boy with ADHD, and I saw the struggles he was facing due to his ADHD symptoms which were often mistaken for laziness or a lack of interest by teachers, coaches, and other adults. I realized my 20-year research career, which included studying ADHD medications, would not prepare me to handle the challenges of being a mom to a son who was diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of ADHD. When searching for books to help me as a parent, I came to discover the current literature falls short of discussing inattentive-type ADHD in boys. My son and I knew it was important to share our story, to provide practical strategies to manage ADH

  Excerpt from Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain Some Days I Need to Seek Shelter from the Tornado   I wouldn’t characterize myself as a “neat freak” although my husband and children would say otherwise. Having a child with ADHD whose idea of organization is a big pile on the floor has been a bit of a challenge for me. Andrew loves to go to flea markets and shop for antiques, and his “treasures” always seem to end up thrown on a miscellaneous pile shoved into a corner on the floor of his bedroom. One weekend I mentioned to Andrew we were going to clean out his room, which was getting too cluttered with all his collections. Andrew’s response to me was “Mom, why are we bothering to clean up my room? It’s going to stay organized for all of ten minutes. You know me; I’m not organized.” Although this made me chuckle, Andrew’s statement was true. The struggle with organization for children with ADHD stems from their executive function deficits. Creating and maintaining an o

  Excerpt from Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain - My ADHD Brain Is a Master of Disaster.   My mom is on a constant mission to tame my tornadic ADHD brain. “Andrew, how can you possibly work at your desk with papers piled everywhere, Legos strewn about, and a stack of empty plates and cups?”   I look up from the computer, survey the desk, and shrug my shoulders. “It’s not so bad.” I shove a pile of papers to the side. They teeter on the edge of the desk, fall to the floor, and scatter in every direction covering my carpet in a snow-white blanket. Oh, there’s the instructions for my science project! I haven’t started it yet, and it’s due the day after tomorrow. I pick the page of instructions up off the floor and put it on top of another pile of papers on my desk. I misplace important papers for school all the time. I turn back to the computer and start playing my game again. “Mom, why do I have to bother with cleaning off my desk? It’s going to stay organized for all

  Dr. Wilcox has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS and has spent over 20 years as a researcher studying the pharmacological and behavioral effects of drugs at Emory University in Atlanta, GA and then at John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.  She has authored several manuscripts published in peer reviewed scientific journals and presented her research at international scientific meetings.  Dr. Wilcox’s research career has always combined her interests in pharmacology, psychology and neuroscience. Initially studying potential therapeutics to treat drug abuse behavior, the scope of her research changed to focused on studying the neurobiology of ADHD and treatment medications. Around this time Dr. Wilcox’s son was diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of ADHD.  When searching for books to help her as a parent, Dr. Wilcox realized there was a lack of information on the inattentive subtype of ADHD in boys.  Along

  San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Dr. Kristin Wilcox. Dr. Kristin Wilcox has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS and has spent over 20 years as a researcher studying the pharmacological and behavioral effects of drugs at Emory University in Atlanta, GA and then at John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.  She has authore