High Risk: Children Without A Conscience

by Ken Magid and Carole A. McKelvey

Book Overview

The authors explore the reasons why children without a conscience are growing in number. They are at risk of becoming "trust bandits", con-men, liars, dance-away lovers, backstabbers of the business... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553346679
• Release Date: March 1989
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.1" x 0.8" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

It was as if a weight was lifted off us!

Thank you so much for putting into easy to understand words so that regular people will know what 'unattached' and 'unbonded' mean. We were dealing with many of those issues with a child we became guardians of. We knew something wasn't right but did not know what. We looked on the internet, talked with friends and family, asked at our local library for help. After reading 20 books on the subjects of adoption and foster parenting we finally came up with 'High Risk' and everthing came together. We were in shock at first until we read that not all psychopaths exhibit all the symptoms outlined in the book. Our child had many of them and we felt better because we became empowered by this knowledge and were able to move ahead and try to help him and our situation. I recomend this book to anyone who can read. It should be a must for anyone contemplating becoming a parent. Please help these children by not creating them first. Please help them by reading this book and taking the next steps. The doctor tells us it will be years of therapy before he may bond again. Until then we will do whatever it takes to help him. Good luck to those who suffer with this problem.

Can't recommend this book enough!

After years of trying to deal with and straighten out my stepdaughter's ADHD, I discovered this book while searching for more written material on discipline techniques, and more books on ADHD. I read a lot of books on ADHD, and tried to work through her problems.When I discovered this book and took it home, I felt my adrenaline begin pumping as I read further. After I was done with this book, I realized that although my stepdaughter did not have fascination with blood and gore, she fitted into all of the other catagories. She didn't physically hurt people, she mentally and emotionally hurt those who she had a beef with. For the first time, I felt like I KNEW what was really happening.Keep in mind that this book is not stating that everyone is going to become a serial killer. Just like with any syndrome, there can be anything from mild to severe symptoms. I feel that anyone who feels "sorry" for children going through holding therapy have no clue as to how serious it is. I have one suggestion: try borrowing an unattached child for a couple of weeks and see what you think then. Actually, try it for a few years. Then you'll REALLY know what it's like. It is pure ignorance to turn these children into "victims". They may be children, but they are the future perpetrators. Wake UP!

Manditory reading for dealing with adopted kids or divorce

I want to start out by saying that I feel the review from August 1997 did an extreme injustice to this book. They said that it was a partial review. Their statements made 2 things very obvious. The first is that they did not really know or understand or know what they were talking about with regard to the holding therapy. The second is that they have never dealt with a child that has significant attachment problems. This is an excellent book, and should be required reading for all divorce attorneys, all parents going through a divorce, and all judges who deal with divorce cases involving children.The book discusses what attachment is, and what can happen when attachment (bonding) to people does not occur. It helped my wife and I to understand what was happening with a foster daughter we had that we later adopted. We received her at 10 months old, and she had never been with a person long enough to bond. Picking her up was like picking up and cuddling a large board. The little girl did not want to be with anybody that she knew. She would reach out and ask any stranger to take her.This little girl's problems were severe enough that if she had been older, she would have been very likely to kill. It has taken years of work and patience to help her to develop a deep attachment with people. One of the problems that this book addresses and helps people to understand is the typical length of time that a child can be apart from their primary caretaker without significant attachment difficulties being likely to occur. This is very important for parents and judges to understand.

Anyone remotely connected to children must read this book.

Unlike the above reviewer (who didn't finish the book) I feel this was an extraordinary book that should be required reading to anyone who has any connection to children. I mean, if you ever were a kid, had a kid, taught a kid, or adopted a kid you must read this book. I adopted an 8 year old with an attachment disorder, and let me tell you, it ain't pretty.

Attachment disorders in early childhood can create criminals

I am a child therapist with expertise in the area of attachment disorders. This book has been exceptionally useful to many parents of the children who I treat. The implications for a society that does not value high quality parenting on a national basis are shocking. If you ever wondered why so many "gangster types" can terribly harm other people without remorse, wondered how 6 year olds can molest babies, wondered what the implications are when young teens with poor parents become poor parents...then this is your book. Clear and concise. I have met the auther and attended one of his workshops and he is a heck of a nice guy who really cares about kids