Special Needs Children Books

With so many ways to potty train your little one, this book offers children the chance to relate to the character and have fun with a potty song! It has definitely helped in the training of our little guy!

This book uses simple images and wording to convey a not-so-simple task - potty training a toddler! Using "pee" and "poop" as toddler friendly words, it incorporates a fun potty training song into the mix and is sure to help entertain your little one while sitting on the potty!

Most books I have gotten are written for parents of younger children with Autism. This book helps with the slightly older child (teenager). It has given me a new perspective on how to help my child. I highly recommend this book to all who deal with teens or even younger children with autism. It has really good ideas on how to deal with the behaviors.

Why?

If you are dealing with autisitic youths that have behavioural or emotional challenges.
If you are an educational professional.
It is worth 5 stars it gives you a good scaffold to design your own management plan for a student. With comprehensive background and strategies without wasting your time with fluff.

Why Not?
If you are a parent of an ASD child or teenager then this book may well be pitched to much at the education system.

Barbara Roberts has written four books with Phoebe Flower as the main character. These books are engaging and fun for children and adults to read. The books affirm the uniqueness in all children. Barbara also presents wonderful workshops for children and adults who would like to know more about becoming an author. Barbara has been a visiting author in many schools and I highly recommend her books and school visitations.

As a mother with an eight year old girl diagnosed with ADD, I embraced this series of books. Phoebe Flowers is a girl with all the same attributes and mindset as my daughter. As ADD can present itself quite differently in girls, this book refers to a girl that my daughter can relate with, and see that she is not all that different. The socializing problems, the lack of friends, and the difficulty in forming friendships is explored in the text of this narrative, from the viewpoint of the central character. With great humour Barbara Roberts explores the mysteries of social cues and poinantly allows the reader to make conclusions on their own. My daughter and I laughed our way through the book together. There were important breaks in the chapters which allowed me to delve into further discussions with my daughter about her ADD and how it affects her, and her environment. This is a must read for anyone with a child with ADD. It is also a must read for any child in the primary school years. All children can relate to the characters, and their predicament.

I really enjoyed this book. The authors know how to explain their material without using a lot of technical jargon. If you have read and enjoyed "The Out of Sync Child", I would recommend this as Part 2. It goes a little more in-depth and has lots of great ideas for activities. Very Smart!

An absolute must for anyone involved in pre- and foundation phase education. Cheatum gives a concise and clear understanding of how the human mind is formed though movement and how easy to do activities can help the child attain optimal learning readiness.

This book is insightful and a joy to read. It speaks to both adults and children alike and is a profound resource for anyone touched by Autism. The wonderful storyline and illustrations together with the humor and reality of life affected by Autism relay a meaningful and important message. This book is a must have.

Playing by the Rules: A Story about Autism is a picturebook that introduces young readers ages 4-8 to dealing with autistic peers. Told from the perspective of young Jody, whose Great Aunt Tilda has come to visit her and her autistic brother Josh for the first time in years, Playing by the Rules chronicles the course of the day in which Jody has to teach Aunt Tilda her nephew's "rules" of the game. Josh has difficulty adjusting to loud sounds and new people; and adding any kind of disorder to his animal collection completely derails him. "Josh quickly rearranged his guys and calmed down. I know how he feels because I like to keep my crayons in rainbow order and I hate it when they get messed up. But it's even harder on Josh. 'What did I do?' Aunt Tilda asked. 'Nothing,' I told her. 'It's okay. You just don't know the rules to Josh's game yet.'" As Aunt Tilda learns to understand and appreciate Josh's likes and dislikes, the family is able to share more fully in the experience of being together. Colorful, exuberant illustrations add the perfect touch to this delightful picturebook, enthusiastically recommended for children's library collections.

This book "hooked" me at chapter one when the author recounts her story about how she got into the field. After you read the first chapter, you get the impression that once you enter the world of LD, you have entered the region of the damned, regardless of whether or not you are a student w/the diagnosis, a parent, or a teacher. LD carries a "stigma" that is akin to having the mark-of-the-beast, in some circles. Students are treated like second class citizens, or as if they were going to school in a third world dictatorship, parents are dissed and disregarded, the teachers never get the materials, respect from admin. or peers, and the administrative support they need to make sure these dear children have a decent shot at success.

The Pretenders will open your eyes into this little understood world. At times, it may even make you cry as you reflect upon the pain that students and parents (and adults w/LD) have to endure on a daily basis.

This excellent book is a must for those with family members suffering from ADD and LD problems. Such readers will recognize a thread in common with the adult "pretenders" whose stories the author artfully presents. Each vignette recounts a heroic struggle to succeed against imposing odds. A good read!

I am the behavior intervention coordinator for a coop that serves several school districts. This book provides a good usable overview, in common language, to some thechnically sound nonaversive bahavioral intervention strategies. I particularly recomend this book to classroom teachers and other direct service providers. For consultants and psychologists or other specialists doing more detailed assessments and support plans and want a more complete discussion I would recommend "Alternatives to Punishment" by the same authors. It generally covers the same material with more depth and technical language.

I found Progress Without Punishment to be a useful, usable guide to behavioral strategies in the classroom. My copy is nearly worn out from frequent use. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a guide to implementation of positive reinforcement in the classroom.

This book has helped me a great deal as a guidance counselor working with multiply disabled students. It is logical and provides guidelines that I can implement with students on an individual and group basis. I am always happy when I find resources that can help my students and can add to my professional arsenal.

"Promoting Self-Determination In Students With Developmental Disabilities" by Professor of Special Education Michael L. Wehmeyer (who is also the Associate Director of the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas, and the Director of the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities) is based on the finding that self-determination is a significant factor in improving educational performance and transition outcomes in students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Professor Wehmeyer surveys and assesses various methods for teaching components of self-determination (including making choices, problem solving, decision making, goal setting, self-advocacy, and self-regulated learning) and makes practical recommendations that classroom teachers can immediately apply within their classrooms and within their curriculums regardless of the subject matter. A work of seminal scholarship which is enhanced with reproducible worksheets and forms, extensive references, and a comprehensive index, "Promoting Self-Determination In Students With Developmental Disabilities" is a the latest title in the impressive 'What Works for Special-Needs Learners' series from Guilford Publications. Also available in a hardcover edition (9781593854614, $48.00), "Promoting Self-Determination In Students With Developmental Disabilities is strongly recommended reading for the teachers and counselors of special needs students.

......and please TURN OFF THE TV !!!

Turn off the TV, turn off the TV and keep them away from video games.

Stop living parallel, individualistic lives. Communicate with each other, talk to your neighbors, KNOW your children through their words, not their acts only.

This book is short, simple, but very explanatory. It'll tell you clearly what to avoid and how you can easily change your lifestyle to make it better for all your family.

Garbarino articulates very well the difficulty of raising children in a "toxic" environment. He takes an environmentalist approach or viewpoint and in a way it is very comforting because it gives good guidelines for parents on how to protect their children. He also strongly outlines ideas for social and political policy. This books gives parents a "global" view of childrearing. While it outlines the challenges it is a book of hope. It is clear, we all need to think about children if we are concerned about the future whether we have them or not.
I strongly recommend this book for parents and educators.

I couldn't put down "A Regular Guy." I was very moved, I laughed, I cried, and I was educated. Having a disability or being with someone you love who has one is not easy to understand for those of us who aren't in that situation. I thought Laura's book brought that experience to light with all the joy and pain. While it's apparent that it has been a tremendous struggle for the family, it's obvious that the love the family shares has made them so much stronger and a tighter unit.

I loved this book. The story of the Shumaker family's journey with Matthew, their autistic son, was so fascinating and well written that I felt as if I was part of the Shumaker family as I read. I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing it in one sitting. Life with Matthew is not always easy, but Ms. Shumaker's descriptions kept a smile on my face as I traveled the journey of adapting to a full and rich life with a son who is very special. I highly recommend it.