Why Child Decoded?

With thousands of books available on learning and behavior disorders, why did we write another one?

Because this is the one we couldn’t find.

Kim Gangwish and Dr. Robin McEvoy had worked with hundreds of children, with a wide range of symptoms. Over the years, they had started to see patterns in the dejected children and frustrated parents they saw, such as:

  • More and more complex kids’ learning issues, with multiple diagnoses
  • Increased resistance to “standard” therapies
  • Misdiagnoses or incomplete diagnoses
  • Higher rates of behavioral problems in children
  • Lack of looking deeper than the symptoms, at health concerns that might be worsening issues and preventing therapies from getting traction
  • Trying to address everything at once, without understanding the priorities

Gangwish and McEvoy knew that parents needed guidance through this confusing territory. There are many excellent books that address one particular area of concern, like ‘sensory processing difficulties’ or ‘defiant child.’ What parents need before they turn to that, however, is a complete map of their child’s issues and a plan for how to move forward through those issues.

They looked high and low for a book that parents could use as a resource for:

  • Sorting out what they were really seeing in their child, so that they might find the appropriate practitioners and resources
  • Understanding the difference between a foundational issue and a symptom (for example, many behavioral problems in children are symptoms of deeper-level dysfunctions)
  • Figuring out what should be addressed first, and
  • Finding out which practitioners address what and how to find a good one

Gangwish and McEvoy couldn’t find such a book.

So they wrote it themselves.

They found an editor who had had her own saga and jumped at the chance to help others in the same boat (Marijke Jones, whose story you can read here.) They enlisted over twenty experts to write chapters on their areas of expertise. Six years, seemingly millions of chapter drafts and countless late nights later, Child Decoded was born.

You’ll find more information about the contents of the book here. It has one goal: to make your journey easier, clearer and more successful.

There are answers for your child, and ways for you to find them without going broke or stark raving mad. Let us help you find them.

“If you’re a family member or friend who knows a child that needs to be decoded, or if the professionals have given up at untangling the web of your complex child, please read this book. It will change your perspective and lead you to the resources you’ve been seeking.”

Melissa B.

Piton Foundation

The Piton Foundation

Thanks to our generous supporters at the Piton Foundation, an organization committed to helping low-income families in Colorado by increasing access to early childhood and youth development opportunities.