Overview

This is a savvy book for parents, grandparents, teachers, and anyone who shares life with a person with Down syndrome! It's full of uplifting advice and best practices gleaned from the author's personal and professional experiences raising a son, now an adult, and teaching educators and parents how to teach children with Down syndrome to read. The book offers inspired takes on a host of important issues, from learning to recognise and celebrate your child's personality and gifts to finding a great teacher for him, and from insisting your child pull his own weight to giving your child his space as an adult. The author -- equal parts mentor, humorist, enthusiast, and realist -- takes readers by the hand and walks them through the various life stages, experiences, and people they will encounter with their child including: getting to know and fall in love with your child, interacting with medical professionals, literacy, discipline, school, transitioning, and independence. Chapters are short, a plus for busy parents, and can be read individually or sequentially. Throughout, many characters -- the author's son, friends, and students -- appear, serving as anecdotal evidence in support of the author's points and adding to the storytelling effect. As an added bonus, the book includes a Foreword by Martha Beck, parent of a child with Down syndrome and author of the New York Times best-seller, Expecting Adam. Turn to this upbeat book for credible, realistic advice and for a dose of bibliotherapy when you need validation and perspective.

Full Product Details

9781606130209

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""Mother of an adult with Down syndrome, Hale (Oh, Brother! Growing Up with a Special Needs Sibling) writes a positive (without being sentimental or syrupy), practical, and realistic (e.g., one chapter is titled 'How To Ruin Your Child') guide to parenting children with special needs. She describes Down syndrome as a kind of yellow raincoat that all children with a 21st chromosome wear: while the raincoat can make them look identical, there are brilliant, individual kids underneath each. It's a compelling image, but it's Hale's practical advice on the next 250 pages that makes this book so worthwhile. She covers everything about raising a special-needs child; nursing, friendships, family dynamics, time-outs, drugs, avoiding pointless arguments (via Hale's 'ZZ Method'), testing and schools, apps, choosing teachers, finding the least-restrictive environments, etc. Chapters can be read here-and-there or straight through. The introduction by sociologist and best-selling author Martha Beck (Expecting Adam) sets the tone: telling parents that they are extraordinary, to trust their intuition, and believe in accepting help. Verdict: An essential book with indispensable advice for parents and teachers of kids with Down syndrome or any other mental disability. Highly recommended."" - Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA"

Mother of an adult with Down syndrome, Hale (Oh, Brother! Growing Up with a Special Needs Sibling) writes a positive (without being sentimental or syrupy), practical, and realistic (e.g., one chapter is titled 'How To Ruin Your Child') guide to parenting children with special needs. She describes Down syndrome as a kind of yellow raincoat that all children with a 21st chromosome wear: while the raincoat can make them look identical, there are brilliant, individual kids underneath each. It's a compelling image, but it's Hale's practical advice on the next 250 pages that makes this book so worthwhile. She covers everything about raising a special-needs child; nursing, friendships, family dynamics, time-outs, drugs, avoiding pointless arguments (via Hale's 'ZZ Method'), testing and schools, apps, choosing teachers, finding the least-restrictive environments, etc. Chapters can be read here-and-there or straight through. The introduction by sociologist and best-selling author Martha Beck (Expecting Adam) sets the tone: telling parents that they are extraordinary, to trust their intuition, and believe in accepting help. Verdict: An essential book with indispensable advice for parents and teachers of kids with Down syndrome or any other mental disability. Highly recommended. - Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA

Author Information

Natalie Hale is the mother of an adult son with Down syndrome. A national speaker on the topic of teaching reading to learners with Down syndrome for the last 24 years, she founded Special Reads for Special Needs in 2000. She lives in Los Angeles and continues to travel, speak, and teach across the United States and across borders. Martha Beck is a life coach and bestselling memoir and self-help author. Her books include Expecting Adam, Finding Your Own North Star, Steering By Starlight, and Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. Readers can also find her unique blend of wit and wisdom every month in O, The Oprah Magazine. Martha lives on her ranch in California with her tribe of horses, wild turkeys, bears, mountain lions, bobcats, gophers, and the occasional human.

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