A busy brain already has a lot on its mind and doesn’t find it easy to add any more. With an overloaded
mind it’s hard to think straight or pay attention. You find yourself getting tired and angry easily, which
stops you explaining clearly what you want to say. As a result working or playing together becomes
more difficult. Some minds are naturally like this and fill up quickly. This book refers to them as “easily
overloaded minds”.
The book is intended, and especially written for children aged 8 and over that have to deal with an
easily overloaded mind. It also looks to provide advice to the adults who support them.
It aims to
explain information processing issues in the brain on a level that is understandable and accessible
for children as well as the impact of this on their social-emotional development and self-image. ‘Short
fuses’, inflexibility, inattention, distractibility, forgetfulness, impulsiveness and a slow responsiveness
in a child’s behaviour can become major sources of irritation and annoyance within their environment.
This behaviour will cause a mutual lack of understanding in both communication and discussion
between the child, other children and/or adults.
For this reason, the book focuses on psycho-education: ‘How do I take care of myself now I know my
mind works like this, and how can others help and support me with that’. The book provides plenty
of practical examples and metaphors for both children and adults. Thanks to the explanations being
paired with illustrations, tips, (fill-in) exercises and tests, this book is a playful invitation to link the
content to your own experiences. The easily accessible and practical aspect of the book will be a
source of inspiration, encouragement and recognition for both experience experts and professionals in
education and care.
LINDE KRAIJENHOFF is a play therapist/trainer at Royal Dutch Kentalis, an organization for people to whom hearing and communicating is not always so straightforward.
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