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This page will be used to present books that our members
have found useful. We have partnered with Amazon.com to raise funds for ASK. Any book purchased from the
site that is accessed by our link will give a portion of the sale to ASK.
So support ASK and please read the recommended books that are of interest
to you.
Please send your recommendations and
reviews to  .
This is a great way to share your knowledge and experience with other
parents and help support Advocates for Special Kids as well. We will
post your recommendations on this website.
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Rick
Lavoie - Rick's new book, The
Motivation Breakthrough - More info coming. Rick Lavoie is one of the country's leading special education
consultants, with more than 30 years of experience, a thriving lecture
career, and a series of PBS videos. Following on the success of It's So
Much Work to be Your Friend, Rick takes a more general approach in The
Motivation Breakthrough by exploring the various ways to motivate any
child.
Motivation is the key to learning and this book will help
parents, teachers, coaches, and caregivers increase their effectiveness by
teaching them how to motivate children on the soccer field, in the
classroom, or at home. Rick starts with a quiz designed to help adults
assess a child's motivational style and then discusses the 8 motivational
forces (Gregariousness; Autonomy; Status; Inquisitiveness; Aggression;
Power; Achievement; and Affiliation) that help children learn. From there
Rick offers 6 strategies (the 6 Ps “ Projects, People, Praise, Prizes,
Prestige, and Power) to motivate each type of child; for example, the
Autonomy Child will respond well to Project strategies whereas the
Achievement Child will respond to Praise and Prizes.
If you know what turns your child on (because children do not
come with batteries included) you will be better able to help them succeed in all facets of life.
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More
books to add!
Anne
Ford
decided to respond by writing a new book, On Their Own:
Creating an Independent Future for Your Adult Child with Learning
Disabilities and ADHD (Newmarket Press), to ease these
parents' fears.
Ford
draws from her personal experience and numerous resources to cover
special education topics such as: social skills, sibling
relationships, job hunting, finding the right college, estate
planning, and much more.
Martin
L. Kutscher, M.D. is a pediatric neurologist with more than 20
years experience of diagnosing neuropsychiatric disorders such as
ADHD, learning difficulties, Asperger's Syndrome, and tic
disorders and helping families affected by them. He is currently
Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the
New York Medical College.
Dr.
Kutscher lectures to teachers, parents, and professional groups
and his work is widely published. His lectures provide much needed
awareness and advocacy towards better understanding the various
disorders in the syndrome mix.
Dr.
Kutscher is author of the bestseller, Kids in the Syndrome Mix
of ADHD, LD, Asperger's, Tourette's, Bipolar, and More, the ADHD
Book: Living Right Now and his new book Children with
Seizures.
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Naomi
Drew's latest book. Naomi Drew is recognized around the world as
an expert of conflict resolution and peacemaking in schools and
homes. She is the author of several books, serves as consultant to school
districts, leads seminars and runs parenting courses. According to
one reviewer, "There isn't anything else on the market like
this book. This is the book Naomi Drew was born to write, and she
pours her whole life experience into it as a mother, a teacher,
and an expert on conflict resolution" The book that tells
parents how to keep peace at home, step by easy step, while also
raising compassionate kids to help make peace possible in the
world at large. Readers will learn exercises to calm sibling
battles, as well as how to teach kids to become peacemakers at
school and work through organizations to foster global peace.
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Selected
Review: If you are trying to
cope with the demands of work, taking care of your home and
countless other obligations and responsibilities while ensuring
the healthy development and well-being of your children, the
sooner you read this book, the better! Naomi Drew's book provides
practical and realistic approaches to everyday challenges faced by
parents in relating to their children. Real-life situations are
presented. You will undoubtedly say to yourself, "I know that
scenario. I've been in it and this is what I can do to handle it
more effectively and peacefully next time". The book also
provides a wonderful context for peaceful parenting. Ms. Drew
discusses the impact of raising caring and compassionate children
who have learned peaceful approaches to problem solving not only
to peace in our homes, but in our communities, our country and our
world. Peace is a goal we all need to embrace. This book clearly
demonstrates that achieving peace in the world can truly begin at
home
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This
best-selling how-to guide for teachers, counselors and parents
brings the Skills of Peacemaking to real-life situations. This
highly regarded work shows you how to promote peacemaking and
problem-solving skills across the curriculum. Chock full of
in-depth, hands-on activities, blackline masters, program
evaluation forms, scripts, role plays and more, it fosters deep
understanding in your students of win-win guidelines and skills
for keeping the peace. Also includes an effective peer mediation
program with forms, training guide, script, and group role plays.
Additional information on parent involvement and leading parent
workshops. Rich resource! Grades K-6
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Grade
6-10–Drew presents effective tools for improving
conflict-resolution skills. Survey responses from more than 1000
middle school students provide the basis for her analyses of
conflict issues. Scenarios are presented with tips on how to keep
calm and become a problem solver. The author encourages readers to
identify personal-conflict triggers and practice anger-management
techniques that will result in the reduction of stress and a
growth in confidence. Common problems, such as misunderstandings
and teasing, are addressed, as are the more serious issues of
bullying and sexual harassment. Tools such as visualization,
relaxation, exercise, and repeating empowering statements build a
framework for improving self-control. Boxed facts from cited works
and quotes from the survey support the text. An annotated list of
print and Web resources, a reproducible "Conflict Solver's
Action Plan," and a comprehensive index are helpful features.
Cartoon sketches appear throughout. This book would be useful for
libraries and for peer-mediation programs. It will help youngsters
to develop more mature coping skills and refines the concepts
introduced in Gershen Kaufman's Stick Up for Yourself! Every
Kid's Guide to Personal Power and Positive Self-Esteem (1999)
and Trevor Romain's Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain (1997,
both Free Spirit)
A Leaders Guide is
also available.
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The Edison Trait
- Lucy Jo Palladino defines the Edison Trait (named after Thomas
Edison) as divergent vs. convergent thinking. Edison Trait
kids--one in five children--have the qualities that make
innovative leaders, inventors, explorers, yet they often have a
hard time in school where their personality traits may be seen as
weak or negative. Palladino recasts these children in a positive
light and gives specifics on understanding and becoming an ally
for your Edison Trait child. The book is convincing, reassuring,
and accessible. Perhaps it will help parents of nonconforming kids
resist the pressure to make their kids "just fit in."
Book Description:
"My daughter lives in her own world, sitting in the back of
the classroom, doodling unicorns. She's a bright kid who's getting
lost. How do we reach her?"
"My son can program my laptop, but I have to hound him
constantly to do the simplest things. How can I motivate
him?"
"My kid has to get his own way. And he's always racing
around, always on the go. How can such a smart kid be so hard to
live with?"
Millions of children--one in five--have what psychologist Lucy Jo
Palladino, Ph.D., calls the Edison trait: dazzling intelligence,
an active imagination, a free-spirited approach to life, and the
ability to drive everyone around them crazy. They have the raw
talent to succeed in our fast-paced, information-rich,
techno-magic world. But, unbridled, their talent also brings
conflict into their lives. Edison-trait kids excel at thinking divergently,
brimming over with one idea after the other. However, schools,
organized activities, and routines of daily living reward convergent
thinking, which seeks to focus on one idea at a time. Parents and
teachers get frustrated by the Edison-trait child's apparent
intractability and lack of focus. A mismatch between school and
child can mask the child's considerable gifts for creativity and
independent thinking.
Drawing on examples from over two decades of private practice, Dr.
Palladino helps parents, teachers and others appreciate this
challenging aspect of their child's intellect and personality. She
distinguishes and describes the three main styles of the Edison
trait. Dreamers live in their own world, following no one's
schedule but their own. Discoverers insist on learning
about and experiencing the world firsthand. Dynamos are
full of energy, with a flair for surprises, power, and speed.
A small percentage of Edison-trait kids also have Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD), which puts them at even greater risk for
problems in school. To address parents' concerns, The Edison
Trait includes chapters on defining, diagnosing, and treating
ADD.
Thomas Edison, who flunked out of school was able to harness his
talents to give the world some of its finest inventions. Today
this same ability to brainstorm thrives in creative geniuses such
as Maya Angelou, Bill Gates, and Ted Turner.
Dr. Palladino offers eight guidelines for parents to understand
and help Edison-trait kids:
1 Believe in your child.
2 Watch what you say.
3 Build a parent-and-child team.
4 Encourage your child's interests.
5 Teach your child self-control.
6 Coach your child to learn how to achieve.
7 Take care of yourself.
8 Take care of your family.
The Edison trait is on the rise in our younger generation, who are
growing up in a world of accelerated change. Dr. Palladino reveals
the link between Edisonian thinking and Information Age success.
She explains how Edison-trait children are born leaders of the
twenty-first century. Her inspiring and reassuring book will light
the way.
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Front of the Class -
Brad Cohen
Tourette's syndrome is a
neurological disorder of the brain which causes involuntary
movements and vocalizations known as tics. (For more information
visit www.tourettes.org.
But the story in this book is not about the disease, it's about
one young man and his struggles to live a normal life while living
with the syndrome. Because the tics occur in public, people with
the syndrome are faced with the attitudes of other people. This
might vary from ignoring the tic to thoughts in his early life
that he might have been possessed by the devil. His treatment by
teachers and fellow students in the public schools was as horrible
as you might guess. Children can be very cruel to one another, and
anyone standing out is fair game. Overcoming not the syndrome but the attitude of
other people is the core of this story.
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A Real Boy - Christina
Adams
Review from Booklist
- When Adams' son, Jonah, at just over two-and-a-half, was
diagnosed with autism, she was told that time was of the essence.
Early, aggressive intervention would provide his only chance at
realizing any semblance of a normal life. Luckily, she and husband
Jack had the energy, time, and resources to spring into action.
Thus, before his third birthday Jonah had a posse attending his
every need. The family had consulted a battery of doctors,
therapists, teachers, psychologists, and counselors. They had
connected with other parents of children diagnosed with ASD
(autism spectrum disorder), radically changed Jonah's diet, and
set up a 40-hours-per-week learning regimen; and they were
devoting nearly every waking, nonworking hour to Jonah's
development. The Herculean effort resulted in Jonah's
recovery--though, Adams notes, the line demarcating recovery from
autism wavers like smoke--and proved that if it takes a village to
raise a child, it can take an army to raise a child with autism.
Adams' openness about the exhaustive schedule, self-blame, and
frequent setbacks involved makes compelling reading.
Donna
Chavez, Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
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Last
Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit
Disorder - Richard Louv
Review from Publishers Weekly -
Today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world,
says child advocacy expert Louv, even as research shows that "thoughtful exposure of
youngsters to nature can... be a powerful form of therapy for
attention-deficit disorder and other maladies." Instead of
passing summer months hiking, swimming and telling stories around
the campfire, children these days are more likely to attend
computer camps or weight-loss camps: as a result, Louv says,
they've come to think of nature as more of an abstraction than a
reality. Indeed, a 2002 British study reported that
eight-year-olds could identify Pokémon characters far more easily
than they could name "otter, beetle, and oak tree."
Gathering thoughts from parents, teachers, researchers,
environmentalists and other concerned parties, Louv argues for a
return to an awareness of and appreciation for the natural world.
Not only can nature teach kids science and nurture their
creativity, he says, nature needs its children: where else will
its future stewards come from? Louv's book is a call to action,
full of warnings—but also full of ideas for change.
Agent,
James Levine. (May 20)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
“I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the
electrical outlets are,” reports a fourth grader. But it’s not
only computers, television, and video games that are keeping kids
inside. It’s also their parents’ fears of traffic, strangers,
Lyme disease, and West Nile virus; their schools’ emphasis on
more and more homework; their structured schedules; and their lack
of access to natural areas. Local governments, neighborhood
associations, and even organizations devoted to the outdoors are
placing legal and regulatory constraints on many wild spaces,
sometimes making natural play a crime.
As children’s connections to nature diminish and the social,
psychological, and spiritual implications become apparent, new
research shows that nature can offer powerful therapy for such
maladies as depression, obesity, and attentiondeficit disorder.
Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized
test scores and grade-point averages and develops skills in
problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Anecdotal
evidence strongly suggests that childhood experiences in nature
stimulate creativity.
In Last Child in the Woods, Louv talks with parents,
children, teachers, scientists, religious leaders,
child-development researchers, and environmentalists who recognize
the threat and offer solutions. Louv shows us an alternative
future, one in which parents help their kids experience the
natural world more deeply—and find the joy of family
connectedness in the process.
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Copy This! Lessons
from a Hyperactive Dyslexic who Turned a Bright Idea Into One of
America's Best Companies - Paul Orfalea
Review from Publishers Weekly - The now-retired founder of
Kinko's mixes autobiographical anecdote with large doses of
business advice in this candid, conversational account of his
entrepreneurial rise. With the help of coauthor Marsh, Orfalea
replicates much of the usual business wisdom, like customers come
first and keep your co-workers happy and motivated. More original
are his autobiographical sections, which explain how a man with
dyslexia, an uncontrollable temper and a mistrust of authority
managed to grow a tiny California copy shop into a
$2-billion-a-year company. His difficulties gave him
"learning opportunities," he explains. "They
propelled [him] to think differently," he says, and to
develop "an unorthodox, people-centered, big-picture business
model" that relied heavily on the intelligence and skill of
his franchise managers. Orfalea's exuberant and irreverent
attitude—he freely admits to cheating in school and relying on
others to get him through college—will entertain many readers,
and his sanguine acceptance of his dyslexia will inspire many
others. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a
division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
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from the Spectrum: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People with
Autism, and Professionals Share Their Wisdom"
Edited by Cindy N. Ariel and Robert A. Naseef
Description: "Voices from the Spectrum" is a compelling
collection of personal accounts from people on the autism spectrum
and those who care for them, including professionals, friends and
family members. The essays in this collection tell of both the
positive and negative effects of autism on individuals and
families, and pose the question: is a diagnosis on the autism
spectrum a puzzle to be solved, or something to be embraced and
accepted?
The broad scope of this book presents insights into the autism
spectrum from many different perspectives – from first-handaccounts
of the autistic child's school and childhood experiences to
parents' and grandparents' reactions to a diagnosis. A number of
chapters written by professionals explain their motivations for
working with autistic people and reveal what they have learned
from their work and how it has affected their lives. The
contributors describe experiences of autism from the mildest to
the most severe case, and share their methods of adapting to life
on the spectrum.
Voices from the Spectrum will appeal to a wide readership of
adults and younger people on the autism spectrum, their families
and friends, as well as practitioners.
Contents:
Introduction. PART I: Raising a Child on the Autism Spectrum. 1.
The Ride for Autism: A Community Gets in Gear to Help Solve the
Puzzle, Andrew Abere. 2. The Tree's on Fire: Voicing Experience,
Marc Biondo. 3. Perspectives, Maribel Danta. 4. Facing the Pain of
Autism-and Surviving, Nicholas Dixon. 5. Happy Days with my
Daughter, Sheryle Dixon. 6. Through the Looking Glass, Phil
Dougherty. 7. My Will, Margaret Janger Flynn. 8. Jenius, Nayma
Glenn 9. School Days, Heidi J. Graff. 10. You Never Know, Nancy
Ironside. 11. Talk to Me, My Darling, Rosemary Johann-Liang. 12.
Our Lives at the Edge of the Spectrum, Elizabeth Lipp. 13. Pulling
String, Irene Litherland. 14. Still the Same Boy, Mary Marmion.
15. Stump the Cook, Lauren Goldman Marshall. 16. Taking the Bag
Off, Shelley Milhous. 17. Truth: The Parents' Spectrum, John
Nelson. 18. Listening to Macord, Eric Peter. 19. Parallel Worlds,
Antonia Rowland. 20. The Question, Shelley Stolaroff Segal. 21.
Simply Perfect, Tanya Stanley. 22. On the Wings of Asperger's,
Carol Anne Swett. 23. Learning to Embrace the `A' Word, Elaine
Tarutis. 24. On Eating Biscuits: Life with Autism, Eileen Teyssou.
25. Katie's Question, Lauren Yaffe. PART II: The Grandparents'
Connection. 26. Barefooted Band-Aid Boy, Patricia E. Gardocki. 27.
Lap Time, Dan Gottlieb. 28. An Unexpected Gift of Love, Oscar and
Sally Olson. 29. A Grandmother's Story, Elizabeth Nedler. 30. Come
with Me, Grandma, Frances S. Rosenfield. PART III: The Sibling
Experience. 31. An Unexpected Blessing, Kimberly M. Bitner. 32.
Growing Up with Bradley, Stephanie Coyle. 33. Living Life,
Katherine Flaschen. 34. Their Sound has Gone Out, Susan Ironside.
35. Why Am I So Resentful? Lydia Liang. 36. My Brother...Ahhhhhhhh!
Zoë Naseef. PART IV: Diagnosed on the Spectrum. 37. No! You Don't
Understand, Beth Adler. 38. It Never Rains... Simon Brodie. 39.
...It Pours, Sarah Brodie. 40. Melt(d)ing Down, Rauidhri Finn. 41.
Relativity, Auriela van Hulsteyn (Finn's spouse). 42. Essay on
Autism, Heidi Kunisch. 43. The way we think, Roger N. Meyer. 44.
The Chains of Friendship: An Autistic Person's Perspective on
Interpersonal Relationships, Alex Mont. 45. Jordan's Gift, Todd
Schmidt. 46. The Importance of Parents in the Success of People
with Autism, Stephen Shore. 47. Culture, Conditions and
Personhood: A Response by Donna Williams to the Cure Autism
Debate, Donna Williams. Part V: Working on the Spectrum. 48. A
Sound from Kuwait, Samira Al-Saad. 49. Learning from Oliver,
Margaret Anderson. 50. Closet Case: Finding the Way Out, Cindy N.
Ariel. 51. The Wizard of Echolalia, Gerard Costa. 52. Two Autistic
Children – A World of Difference, Pim Donkersloot (translated by
Jill Adler-Donkersloot). 53. Life as a Cooking Pot, Anne Marie
Gallagher. 54. Moving to the Heart of the Matter, Gayle Gates. 55.
Circle of Devotion, Trish Miron. 56. Playing with Hudson, Eric R.
Mitchell. 57. The Path of Acceptance for Families, Robert Naseef.
58. The Challenges of Autism: An Introspection, Bertram Ruttenberg.
59. No Looking Back, Fiona Scott. 60. Spiderman at Mini-Camp,
Lillilan N. Stiegler.
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The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon's bitterly
funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an
autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John
Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless,
raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with
their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is
told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange
behavior of his elders and peers.
Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle,
Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him
cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After
spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the
objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has
murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker
at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the
result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own
prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time.
Haddon's novel is a startling performance. This is the sort of
book that could turn condescending, or exploitative, or overly
sentimental, or grossly tasteless very easily, but Haddon
navigates those dangers with a sureness of touch that is extremely
rare among first-time novelists. The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely
moving: this one is a must-read. --Jack
Illingworth, Amazon. |
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This book is the
talk at the water cooler. For those of you that cannot make the
many presentations offered, why not consider winding down with a
good book? Remember...ADVOCACY does not mean ADVERSARIAL.
Education & knowledge yields confidence and collaboration. The
result??? Ultimately...the best academic experience for your
child. ~Deb Charette~
SOME REVIEWS:
"Did
you promise yourself you would be better prepared for your
Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting this year? If so,
Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy will serve as your guide .
. . You will not want to skip a single page . . . This is the book
you will pull out before every meeting"
- Exceptional Parent Magazine
"The Wright's have given families a clear roadmap to
effective advocacy for their children. We award their work the
Exceptional Parent Symbol of Excellence."
"A
superb reference, From Emotions To Advocacy is very highly
recommended reading for all parents of children in need of adapted
or special education services .. . Filled with tips, tricks, and
techniques and an immense wealth of resources, from Internet sites
and advocacy organizations to worksheets, forms, and sample
letters . . . " Midwest Book Review
"If I were asked to choose just one book to help me
learn advocacy skills, this is it!" - Support for
Families of Children with Disabilities
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"The Special Educator's Book of
Lists" offers a unique information source and timesaver for
preK-12 special education teachers and any professional or parent
involved in special education. This new edition contains useful
lists to help you make important decisions about students and to
assist in every phase of the special education process. Included
are a broad range of lists conveniently organized into seven
sections and printed in a big 8 1/2" x 11" format for
easy photocopying of any list. Information
covered:
Legal Issues in Special Education 9 lists that give
an overall view of the most important legal issues from
"Landmark Court Cases in Special Education" ...
"Parents' Rights in the Special Education Process" ...
"Conditions of Public Law 504."
Foundations of the Special Education Process 29 lists of
the summarize the preventive and diagnostic measures to help
identify students with disabilities such as "How to Examine
School Records" ... "Procedures to Follow if You Suspect
Child Abuse or Neglect" ... and "Parental Participation
in the Assessment Process."
Specific Exceptionalities 82 lists offer the information,
facts, and suggestions for dealing with more than twenty
exceptionalities, including "Criteria Used to Diagnose
Autistic Disorder" ... "Approaches to Educational
Programming for Gifted Students" ... and "The Braille
Alphabet."
Special Education Assessment 125 lists take you through the
tools and procedures used in diagnosing and identifying special
education students for example, "The Wechlser Scales of
Intelligence" ... "Analysis for Interpreting Oral
Reading" ... and "Overview of Bilingual
Assessment."
IEP Information 10 lists provide up-to-date information on
how to develop an Individualized Education Program, such as a
"Related Services Available on the IEP" ... "Sample
IEP Form" . . . and . . . "Student Eligibility and
Criteria for Testing Modifications"
Eligibility Committee 13 lists such as
"Responsibilities of the Eligibility Committee" ...
"Agreement to Withdraw an Eligibility Committee
Referral" ... and "Procedures for Changing a Students
Classification or Placement."
Classroom Instruction Techniques for Children with Disabilities
7 lists that cover practical tips and materials including
"Alternate Learning Activities" . . . "Key Concepts
in Behavior Modification" . . . and "Subject Areas and
Related Goals."
Transition Services — 45 lists the provide a complete
overview of the transition for a child from school to the adult
world, such as "Prevocational Skills". . . "The
Importance of Travel Training" . . . "Checklist for
Assessing Colleges for Accessibility."
Parent Education — offers practical parenting suggestions
including "How to Communicate with Your Children" . . .
"How to Improve a Child's Self-Esteem" . . . and . . .
"What Parents Need to Know About Retention."
Appendices - features special education, psychological, and
medical terminology and definitions as well as a list of key
abbreviations in the field of special education.
In short, The Special Educator's Book of Lists is an
unparalleled reference packed with valuable information and
materials that might otherwise take years and much effort to
acquire |
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This follow-up to the
authors' 1994 manual, Driven to Distraction, has the
advantage of personal testimony regarding adult Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD)—the authors themselves have ADD—as well a very
readable presentation of the latest research in the field.
Defining ADD as a collection of traits, some positive, some
negative, the authors intend to encourage those who have this
condition or are raising children with it and advise on how to
maximize their abilities and minimize characteristics, such as
procrastination, that may hinder them at school or work. In a
comprehensive overview, Hallowell and Ratey provide a new
screening questionnaire for adults and list methods that
physicians, parents and educators can use to diagnose and treat
the ADD child. Of primary importance to readers are the
recommended steps for living a satisfying life with ADD; these
include developing personal relationships and engaging in creative
activities that will foster self-esteem. The authors also separate
nutrition fads from what is known about how diet can affect brain
functioning and discuss whether to take medication. Overall, this
is an excellent resource. |
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Quirky Kids - Boston
pediatricians Perry Klass and Eileen Costello address a growing
parenting issue: when to worry and when not, how far to push for
diagnosis and/or treatment when a child's "quirkiness"
becomes concerning. The toddler whose tantrums scare all the other
kids on the playground . . . The three-year-old who ignores all
his toys but seems passionately attached to the vacuum cleaner . .
. The fourth-grade girl who never gets invited to a birthday party
because classmates think she’s “weird” . . . The geek who is
terrific at math, but is failing every other subject. Quirky
children are different from other kids in ways that they–and
their parents and teachers–have a hard time understanding or
explaining. Straddling the line between eccentric and
developmentally impaired, quirky children present challenges that
standard parenting books fail to address. This book provides expert
guidance and in-depth research that families with quirky children
so desperately need. Klass and Costello illuminate the confusing
list of terms applied to quirky children these days–nonverbal
learning disability, sensory integration disorder,
obsessive-compulsive behavior, autistic spectrum disorder,
pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger’s syndrome–and
explain how to assess what exactly each diagnosis means and how to
use it to help a child most effectively.
Quirky Kids takes you through the stages of a child’s
life, helping to smooth the way at home, at school, even on the
playground. How do you make it through mealtime, when emotions
often erupt? How do you help the child’s siblings understand
what’s going on? Is it better to “mainstream” the child or
seek a special education program? How can you make a school more
welcoming and flexible for a quirky child? How do you help your
child deal with social exclusion, name-calling, and bullying?
Drs. Klass and Costello firmly believe that the ideal way to help
our quirky kids is to understand and embrace the qualities that
make them exceptionally interesting and lovable. Written with
upbeat clarity and informed insight, their book is a comprehensive
guide to loving, living with, and enjoying these wonderful if
challenging children. It is
an excellent overview for parents of children who are different
from normally developing children, and it explains how they can be
helped. |
More Books and Reviews to follow. Be sure
to send in your own!
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