Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson & Richard Guare

Product Details

About the Book

There's nothing more frustrating than watching a bright, talented son or daughter struggle with everyday tasks like finishing homework, putting away toys, or following instructions at school. Many children struggle not because of a lack of intelligence or effort, but because of underdeveloped executive skills — the mental processes that allow us to organize tasks, manage our time, and regulate our behavior. In Smart but Scattered, Peg Dawson and Richard Guare identify eleven key executive skills, including organization, time management, working memory, and emotional control, and offer parents a roadmap for identifying exactly where their child excels and where they struggle.

Filled with realistic examples, self-assessment tools, and science-based strategies, the book guides parents through directly teaching executive skills, creating supportive home environments, and collaborating effectively with teachers, while also explaining when and how to seek professional help if needed. Central to the authors' approach is the reassuring message that executive skills are not fixed traits tied to intelligence, but abilities that can be developed and strengthened over time through structured practice, positive reinforcement, and breaking complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps — shifting the dynamic from parent versus child into parent and child working together against the shared problem.

Reader Reception

Smart but Scattered has become a go-to resource for parents and educators, praised for reframing children's everyday struggles not as willpower or behavior problems but as skills that can be taught and built. Readers have described it as genuinely practical and hopeful, noting how the book moves families out of a frustrating "nag-yell-regret" cycle and toward collaborative, structured solutions, with many finding it a natural companion to other influential parenting works like Ross Greene's The Explosive Child.

Why Choose This Book?

• A bestselling, trusted parenting resource: Part of the widely used Smart but Scattered series, which also includes editions for teens and adults.
• Practical and structured: Offers self-quizzes, real-life examples, and step-by-step strategies rather than abstract advice.
• Reframes the problem constructively: Helps parents see struggles as skill gaps to build, not failures of willpower.
• From leading experts in the field: Peg Dawson and Richard Guare are veteran clinical psychologists specializing in learning and attention disorders.
• Collaborative approach: Includes specific guidance for working effectively with teachers and schools.

About the Authors

Peg Dawson, EdD, is a staff psychologist at the Center for Learning and Attention Disorders at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and a past president of the National Association of School Psychologists, from whom she received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Richard Guare, PhD, BCBA-D, is a clinical psychologist specializing in neuropsychology and a board-certified behavior analyst, who spent twenty-five years as director of the same center, working with families and schools on intervention strategies. Together they have authored the bestselling Smart but Scattered series for kids, teens, and adults.

Who Should Read This Book?

• Parents of children who struggle with organization, focus, or emotional regulation
• Teachers and school counselors supporting students with executive-function challenges
• Parents seeking practical, structured alternatives to nagging or punishment-based approaches
• Readers of other parenting books on attention, behavior, and child development
• Anyone wanting to better understand how executive skills develop in children

Why Buy From Us?

✅ 100% original, high-quality print
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✅ Cash on delivery available
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✅ Easy return and exchange policy

Order now and bring home Smart but Scattered — a practical, hopeful guide to helping your child build the skills they need to thrive.