Grief Dancers - a journey into the depths of the soul'
By Susan Zimmermann
"The story of her experiences with her daughter (birth to
14) who was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome age about 6 or 7. Has 3
younger children too, and talks mainly about her feelings and
experiences throughout the journey, first for a cure, then for a
diagnosis, then towards some kind of acceptance"
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Nobody's Perfect : Living and Growing with Children Who Have Special Needs
By Nancy Miller
Best Special Interest Parenting Book Award Winner, Child Magazine Nobody's
Perfect. "First one I read after Charlie and still one of the best. It
tells of several families all with children with different special needs and how
they got through those early years and where they are now. It is very down to
earth, very encouraging and honest...I recommend it!! It was the book that made
me realise my own grief and depression and sheer resentment in the early days
was not only normal, but ok! I'd give the book to every new Special Needs
parent....!" |
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'Expecting Adam'
by M Beck
"Awesome! As a Harvard super brain finds she is expecting a son with
Downs. Her struggle is very emotional and the spiritual (not Christian)
experience that accompanies her pregnancy is mind boggling and is seriously
worth a read.!!! I have passed this to non special needs people to read too and
they all come back with a 'wow what a story' response!" |
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'Does she know she's there?'
by Nicola Shaeffer
"The daughter is my age but her story is from birth to adulthood
of coping with a child with profound disabilities. It is very moving and very
funny" |
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The Child with Special Needs: Encouraging Intellectual and Emotional
Growth' (A Merloyd Lawrence Book)
By Stanley I. Greenspan, Serena Wieder, Robin Simons
Covering all types of disabilities, this work offers specific ways to help all
children reach their full intellectual and emotional potential. The book shows
how to move beyond the label and observe the strengths and problems of the
particular child and the key milestones that must be reached. |
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'Small Steps Forward: Using Games and Activities to help your
pre-school child with Special Needs'
By Sarah Newman
This book is written by a parent for other parents or carers
When I found out that my son was severely developmentally delayed at one (later
diagnosed as autistic), I looked round desperately for a book which would help
me understand very early child development and give me ideas for games I could
play and things I could do which would help him. I could not find such a book. A
few years later I decided to write it myself. This book is
written without jargon and in an accessible style. It is written by a parent for
other parents and carers of pre-school children with special needs. It breaks
down child development into the areas of language, physical, cognitive, sensory,
social and emotional skills and describes normal development in the early years.
It then gives lots of examples of games to play to encourage development in each
case. I also describe behaviour management techniques, sleep and toilet training
as these are common problems. I give guidelines on playing with children
generally, strategies for coping with the stresses of being a parent of a child
with special needs, information on financial support and the statutory
assessment, a bibliography and a list of useful addresses. As a mother of 3
children under 5 years old I know how limited time and resources are, so this
book is designed to be instantly appealing and accessible and the games require
no special preparation and can be played with the toys and things we all have to
hand. |
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The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Integration
Dysfunction
Carol Stock Kranowitz
Excellent introduction to sensory integration dysfunction, which is common
to many children with hypotonia. |
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The Child With Special Needs: Encouraging Intellectual and Emotional
Growth
Stanley I. Greenspan M.D. and Serena Wieder, Ph.D with
RobinSimons 1998.
Weightier than the previous book but also addresses sensory integration
issues as well as giving lots of ideas for developing play and communication. |
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Cortical Visual Impairment, presentation, assessment
and management
"A very practical guide on CVI, what it is, causes, assessment,
improvement, management and case studies. I found it a big help in understanding
the condition and how to improve it" |
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Cerebral Palsy - A practical guide
By Marion Stanton. Published by OPTIMA 1992
"My bible when J was young. Covers all aspects of CP - symptoms and
diagnosis, formal treatment and support, alternative treatments, social factors,
day to day care, education and employment" |
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Skallagrigg
by William Horwood
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| For a review on this go to |
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Cerebral palsy: A complete guide for caregiving
Miller MD and Steven J. Bachrach MD
"Has sections on the different types of cp (hemiplegia, diplegia and quadriplegia) and the different problems that 'sufferers' are likely to have at different ages and its effects in adulthood.
It also has sections on choosing appropriate equipment and home modifications etc" |
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Handling the young child with cerebral palsy at home.
Nancie R Finnie
"This book has practical suggestions to help maintain good postural management during the normal daily routine.
" |
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When a baby dies: The experience of late miscarriage, stillbirth and neonaatal death
Nancy Kohner and Alix Henley
"I found this book very helpful when my baby died" Based on the experiences of many hundreds of bereaved parents, When A Baby Dies describes the tragic and bewildering experience of losing a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. |
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'The Hypotonic Child'
Regi Boehme 1990
Skill Builders, a division of Communication Skill Builders 3830 E. Bellevue, PO
Box 42050 Tucson Arizona 85733
Aimed at physiotherapists, has basic background on how hypotonia affects
the young child and exercises for pre-walkers. |
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Show me what my friends can see
by Patricia Sonksen and Blanche Stiff, from the Wolfson Centre, Mecklenburgh Square
London NC1N 2AP. A cost may apply.
"This is a development guide for parents of babies with severely
impaired sight and their professional advisors. A really useful guide to
helping your visually impaired child to develop and understand their
environment" |
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Special Children, Special Needs
by Mary McCormack. Published by Thorsons 1992.
"This book is different families experiences of caring for a mentally
handicapped child and different stages in their lives. Very emotional and
heart wrenching writing" |
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'Mummy Why Have I Got Down's Syndrome'
by Caroline Philps
The continuation of the story of Lizzie, this book helps to capture the joys
and dilemmas of having a Down's child as well as giving practical advice. Her
mother writes of Lizzie at church and school, and of her relationship with her
brother and sister. The first book is called "Elizabeth Joy". |
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Let our Children Be Parents With Attitude.
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| "Stories of inclusion,exclusion, general life, written by parents,
siblings and the kids themselves. I particularly like one short piece of writing
where a mother compares her two children, writing from their point of view.
The older one is not disabled, and is labelled by all around him as
"sociable, active, busy, friendly enjoys a cuddle" whereas similar
behaviour from the younger one is called "indiscriminately affectionate,
hyperactive, cannot sustain concentration, clingy"." |
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Positions for Play
Booklet. Published by Play Matters, 68 Churchway, London NW1 1LT.
This booklet shows parents how to help their disabled child and get the most out of play times. Very useful. |
