Special Kids Need Special Parents: A Resource for Parents of Children with Special Needs
The labelspecial needsapplies to a tremendous range of  children, from those with physical issues like spina bifida or deafness to  mental or emotional differences like ADD or Down syndrome. While each of these  difficulties comes with its own specific set of frustrations and delights,  families with special needs children face many similar challenges: finding  qualified child-care and therapy; dealing with the daily realities of teasing,  pain, and hospitalizations; and the impact that these special needs can have on  relationships between parents, siblings, and extended family.Special Kids  Need Special Parentsis designed to cover these non-area-specific realities,  and author Judith Loseff Lavin writes from a point of view many parents are sure  to appreciate: her daughter was born with a cleft lip and palate, and Lavin  knows exactly what she's talking about when issuing statements like "the  severity of the disability is not necessarily correlated to the amount of  stress." Various chapters attempt to cover the perspective of parent, child, and  other siblings, and each chapter ends with a short list of important points.  Behavioral and emotional topics are discussed first, including depression,  grief, teasing, guilt, and techniques for encouraging appropriate behavior from  your child, regardless of his special needs. Using video to teach body language  and social skills is one practical suggestion; comments like "just because  someone has a birth defect or is disabled doesn't mean she is automatically  sensitive" are welcome reminders that each child is to be treated as an  individual. Physical issues like chronic pain, hospitalization, and prosthetics  are covered in later chapters, and with the understanding of emotional issues  gained from the earlier parts of the book, readers will feel totally prepared to  act as their child's advocate with teachers and doctors alike. The age of your  children is irrelevant to the usefulness of this book--even if your child is  already a teen, you'll find plenty of great advice in navigating the continual  issues of those with special needs.--Jill Lightner