General/Miscellaneous

Extraordinary Kids by Cheri Fuller, Louise Tucker Jones; Focus on the Family Publishers,1997. It is very practical, encouraging, and informative.

Dyslexia My Life One Man's Story of His Life with a Learning Disability, An Autobiography by Girard Sagmiller, 1995. From the shadows of being told that he was mentally incapable of functioning in school to finishing his Masters in Business Administration, Girard shares his techniques in overcoming his learning disability.

Precious Time : Children Living With Muscular Dystrophy (Don't Turn Away) by Thomas Bergman; Gareth Stevens, 1996. Describes the life, including medical attention and various daily activities, of a nine-year-old boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Muscular Dystrophy (A Venture Book) by James A. Corrick; Franklin Watts, Incorporated,1992. Discusses the cause, symptoms, and treatment of muscular dystrophy and examines research into treatment and a possible cure.

The Out-Of-Sync Child : Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction by Carol Stock Kranowitz, Larry B. Silver; Perigee, 1998. This book expands on the concepts presented in "Sensory Integration and the Child" by Dr. Ayres, summarizing the neurologic basis for children's difficult behavior. With excellent checklists, the book then helps determine which areas are problematic for your child and moves on to a section on practical suggestions. As a family physician and mother of a 2 year old with SID, I find this book to be a great guide and plan to recommend as first line reading to others. Comment by a parent.

Medical Futility : And the Evaluation of Life-Sustaining Interventions by Marjorie B. Zucker, Howard David Zucker (Editor), Alexander Capron; Cambridge Univ Press, 1997. Here's a brief excerpt: <<Increasingly, patients and families seem to be demanding life-sustaining treatment that health care professionals consider purposeless. The new question is whether health care professionals are obliged to provide such treatment. This issue, called "medical futility," is the subject of this new book.>>

Childhood Leukemia by Nancy Keene; O'Reilly & Associates, 1997.This most complete parent guide available covers not only detailed and precise medical information about leukemia and the various treatment options, but also day-to-day practical advice on how to cope with procedures, hospitalization, family and friends, school, social and financial issues, communication, feelings and, if therapy is not successful, the difficult issues of death and bereavement. Woven among the medical details and the practical advice are the voices of parents and children who have lived with leukemia and its treatments.

When You Worry About the Child You Love by Edward Hallowell; Fireside Publications, 1997. From the coauthor of the national bestseller Driven to Distraction comes the first parent's guide that explains the biological basis for a wide range of childhood behavioral problems--including sadness, inattentiveness, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder--and offers appropriate treatments for them.

Grief Dancers : A Journey into the Depts of the Soul by Susan Zimmermann; Nemo Press, 1996. This is a beautifully written, yet brutally honest story of raising a daughter with Rett Syndrome.

It Isn't Fair! : Siblings of Children With Disabilities by Stanley D. Klein, Maxwell J. Schleifer (Editor); Bergin & Garvey, 1993. Parenting is always a vital and challenging task. Even more vital and challenging is the task of parenting a child with a disability. When there is more than one child in the family, all parents want to share their time, energy, and love with all their children - and all siblings sometimes wonder if they are being treated fairly.

After the Tears, Parents Talk about Raising a Child with a Disability by Robin Simons, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1987. In this deeply sensitive book, parents of disabled children describe with affecting candor how they first confronted their shattering experience--and then recovered to emerge stronger, healthier, and abler to cope and help their children.

Children with Disabilities: a Medical Primer by Mark A. Batshaw,M.D., Paul Brooks Publishers, 1992. The revised edition of Children with handicaps (1986) presents thorough, authoritative chapters on the basics of chromosomes, heredity, prenatal diagnosis and fetal therapy, growth before birth, and the first weeks of life, and continues with in-depth, yet accessible coverage of all types of disabilities and their management. Useful to a wide audience of professionals and parents, and impressive in its scope and conciseness.

Ordinary Families, Special Children : A Systems Approach to Childhood Disability by Milton Seligman, Rosalyn Benjamin Darling, Guilford Press, 1997. Examines the many intertwined family, child, and social system variables that contribute to the response of families to childhood disability and describes relevant strategies for these families.

Raising a Child Who Has a Physical Disability by Donna G. Albrecht, John Wiley & Sons Publishers, 1995. The author draws upon her personal experience with her own daughters to cover everything from dealing with medications, diet, and hygiene to developing positive self-esteem and choosing clothing, in this encouraging book that offers practical advice on every aspect of loving and living with a special-needs child.

Strategies for Working With Familites of Young Children With Disabilities by Paula J. Beckman (Editor), Paul H. Brooks Publishers, 1996. The authors demonstrate ways to develop positive relationships with families, coordinate multiple services, support siblings, help families cope with the death of a child, work with families in team meetings and develop support groups.

Little Children, Big Needs : Parents Discuss Raising Children With Exceptional Needs by Don Weinhouse, Marilyn Morse Weinhouse, UIniversity Press of Colorado, 1994. Geared primarily for parents, presents stories and quotations drawn from interviews that the authors (both educators) conducted with the parents of 50 children representing a wide range of disabilities.

That's My Child : Strategies for Parents of Children With Disabilities by Lizanne Capper, Lizanne Copper, Child Welfare League of America, 1996.

Residential Treatment : A Tapestry of Many Therapies by Vera Fahlberg (Editor) Perspectives Press, 1990.

Special Parent, Special Child: Parents of Children with Disabilities Share Their Trials, Triumphs by Tom Sullivan, J.P.Tarcher Publishers,1995. Parents of children with disabilities share their trials and discoveries with others, revealing their special struggles, their methods for overcoming problems, and their advice to others. Six families were chosen for presentation in order that their experiences could be presented in-depth: children's disabilities include blindness, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, and the parents' point of view is probed in depth.

Uncommon Voyage : Parenting a Special Needs Child in the World of Alternative Medicine by Laura Shapiro Kramer; Faber & Faber, 1996. Comment by author: All parents - in fact all people - experience difficulties - with their children, spouses, with the challenges life continually presents. And when we do, we need strategies to help our kids and ourselves overcome. I know. I became an expert in overcoming adversity. Once I got frustrated enough I sought alternatives. My book blends practical information with a personal account of how I educated myself and my family.

Uncommon Fathers : Reflections on Raising a Child With a Disability by Donald J. Meyer (Editor); Woodbine House, 1995. A collection of essays written by fathers of children with disabilities.

Nobody's Perfect : Living and Growing With Children Who Have Special Needs by Nancy B. Miller, J.C. Dieterle (Illustrator), Nancy B. Miller Ph. D. M.S.W., Paul H. Brooks Publishing, 1994.

From the Heart : On Being the Mother of a Child With Special Needs by Patricia Bowman, Martha Grady, Jayne D. B. Marsh, Woodbine House, 1995. Nine mothers explore the intense, sometimes painful, emotional terrain of raising children with special needs in eye-opening narratives developed from their parent support group meetings. The children who shape these women's lives have disabilities that include autism, Down syndrome, Tourette syndrome, ADD, and multiple disabilities.

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updated September 13, 1998