Disabled Books

"Comfort" is a perfect word for the title of Maria M. Meyer, Paula Derr, and Susan C. Imke's book "The Comfort of Home." The authors are accomplished registered nurses as well as caregiver educators and advocates. Ms. Imke contributes a wealth of specialized knowledge of, and experience with, Parkinson disease. "The Comfort of Home for Parkinson Disease" brings comfort and peace of mind to families of people with Parkinson disease. The authors have successfully compiled a complete collection of the latest Parkinson disease-specific information, resources, caregiving options, record-keeping templates, home safety tips and illustrations, and much more. The material is presented with clarity and compassion. Two imporant and fundamental premises permeate the book: 1) that Parkinson disease affects not only the patient, but the caregiver, and the entire family system; and 2) that PD demands a holistic, team approach to care. This book not only validates, but also elevates, the role of the family caregiver as someone who is intimately involved in, and knowledgable about, the disease, and who is an integral member of the care team. The book goes the extra mile (actually, miles) to help any family caregiver navigate the systems of health care, home care, and Parkinson disease. I heartily give this book 5 stars.

Diane B. Breslow, MSW, LCSW, Center Coordinator, Northwestern University Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence

"One of the many definitions of comfort is "the capacity to ease well-being", which certainly applies to our homes when we are seeking well-being. The word, care, may have many meanings in different scenarios, but one I like best is "to treat with dignity". The Comfort of Home is truly the best resource for caregivers I have seen. The basic descriptions, pictures, quick bullets of information and tips are just what caregivers need to learn, provided in an easy to "read and see" version. The myriad of helpful topics condensed here is just what caregivers I work with have requested and will benefit from. I highly recommend this resource to all caregivers of those with Parkinson's disease."

[Neurology Nurse Practitioner and Faculty member, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Nursing Gwyn M. Vernon, MSN, CRNP]

Now in a newly and substantially revised and expanded third edition, "The Comfort Of Home: A Complete Guide For Caregivers" continues to earn its reputation as the 'bible' for providing home caregivers to aged, ill or handicapped loved ones with a thoroughly 'user friendly' illustrated guide that covers everything necessary from daily living tasks to preparations for hospice care, to making funeral arrangements. This is a complete and superbly organized, 216-page, comprehensive 'how to' manual that will help the caregiver to develop their skills, expertise, and confidence, which will in turn enhance their peace of mind with respect to the quality of life they helping to afford their charge. Also available in a Spanish language edition, "The Comfort Of Home: A Complete Guide For Caregivers" is a 'must' for anyone having responsibility for helping another to continue to live in their home, prepare them for having to move into an extended care facility, or to help make final arrangements. Three other outstanding and highly recommended specialized manuals for professional home care from CareTrust Publications include: "The Comfort Of Home For Parkinson Diseases: A Guide For Caregivers" ; "The Comfort Of Home For Stroke: A Guide For Caregivers" ; and "The Comfort Of Home Multiple Sclerosis Edition: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide For Multiple Sclerosis Caregivers".

An updated edition of this book has been out for a few years. I don't know why Amazon doesn't list it. You can get it from Educators Publishing Co.

I stumbled across this book by chance in my local library. What a gem! I can't give this book enough stars! What a pity it is out of print, I really wanted to buy a few copies and distribute it to every child educator I know!

I am not a teacher, but rather, I am a parent of a child who is "lazy", underachieving, not paying attention - you name it, you know the spiel. I was hoping to find some kind of clue as to what was going on in his mind - I did not expect to find a full scale map!

As I was reading the first few chapters about attention controls and alertness, I found myself going "aha" every two seconds. What he described fit perfectly with the behavior I see in my child, and now I have a more complete understanding of why he acts the way he does - always a plus for a parent.

This book was certainly not written for parents, that is obvious. It reads like a textbook, with mostly technical terms and concise explanations for each one. Even so, it is clearly written, and very easy to understand, if you invest the time to read it through slowly. He explained the problems with mental energy and efficiency (I know I am using the wrong words, but the book is not with me right now), so well, that I felt as if he was standing there looking right into my brain. And as if he had been standing there all through my school years. How else would he have known "exactly" what everyone said to me (parents and teachers), and "exactly" what I was feeling as I was sitting in class?


Not only did I find validation for behaviors and learning patterns which I have never understood, but I have also found a lot of tips, even for myself, in getting better organized. When I mean organized, I mean organizing the BRAIN. I was amazed at how much more efficient I could be, when I had previously thought that I was running at top efficiency (for me). Dr. Mel Levine does not offer "excuses" but rather, he explains what the problem is so that you have a point of reference as to where to start fixing it.

I have not yet finished the book, if you have seen it you will know why, but there is no question in my mind that this is THE book for every educator to have as a reference. I have so far read only the parts on attention and memory, but if I have given the impression that this book describes only ADD, I will have been giving a very wrong impression.

Dr. Levine does an impressive job in describing all kinds of learning problems, all kinds of hidden learning problems that are not obvious to parents and teachers, and how these hidden problems are impacting on a child doing the best that he/she can in school, and I guess, eventually in life.

He has written other books on learning problems, such as "The Myth of Laziness" and "A Different Kind of Mind", which are written in a more conversational style, and are directed towards parents, but I found this book more helpful in getting to the "core" of the problems, as opposed to "how my learning center can help" which is the theme of almost every book I have picked up on learning disabilites, etc.

There is one slight point that I disagree with him however. He talks about colleges accomodating themselves to different students learning styles. I have read educators complaining about his attitude in different Amazon reviews, and in this I feel he is going a little too far. Elementary schools have a mandate to educate each child that comes in throught their door, and to make them into human beings who leave knowing the basics of education. In this, I think that schools have an obligation to accomodate themselves to different students' learning styles. But colleges are different, and I think that a college has a right to accept a student who can show good test scores in whichever format they (the college) chooses to test in. For those students who cannot meet their criteria, there are other, less demanding colleges that will accept them. Because after all, if they cannot pass the entrance test, how will they pass the courses? Isn't that the point of the entrance examinations? But of course, that's just my rant.

This book was extremely helpful to me as a parent. My son's teacher kept telling me to get him tested, but I had no idea how to start as I saw that he is extremely bright, and could see no obvious reason for his scholastic failures. This book pinpointed exactly what his problem is, and I am now armed with the knowledge to further help my child. Knowledge is power, as they say. I have another child with language issues, and I have yet to read the chapters that deal with his problems, but I am confident that I will obtain an excellent understanding of his problems as well.

This is a beautiful, excellent, wonderful, book, that should ideally be in every educator's hands. Every school should implement the ideas presented in this book. (Of course they won't). I only wish that Dr. Levine would write another book, in this format, for parents, sort of "dumb it down" a little bit, so us parents can understand the child's problems without all the scientific jargon which makes it difficult reading. I know that he has written some other books, and I have read through them quickly, but I found the other books more anecdotal, without the clear and concise presentation that this book contains.

I also wish he would write a book about how learning problems affect ADULTS, and what they can do about it. I did find it pretty easy to convert the tips into "adult" tips, but of course, I would love to read a book that is directly written for adults with these learning problems. As strange as it may seem, I realized that a lot of adults have some of the poor learning strategies, only translated into adult behavior, and obviously, causing corresponding havoc and stress.

In any case, this book was wonderful, thank you, Dr. Levine!

Educational Care, A System for Understanding and Helping Children With Learning Problems at Home and in School by Dr. Mel Levine is a book that all professionals in the field of education should be required to read.

As a special education teacher, the topics Dr. Levin presents are paramount to the education of all children. Today, with curriculum frameworks and standardized testing, general education teachers are being pushed and pulled in too many directions. Teachers in the general education setting have many diverse learners; teachers need the valuable information from this book to assist them in guiding/coaching the children in their charge. It is imperative, as the educational system moves forward and the bulk of students that were once serviced by specialist are now being instructed within the general education setting, that these students are provided with the tools that will assist them in learning and retaining information. Many general education teachers have minimal knowledge of the differentiated practices that can be implemented within their repertoire in educating students with diverse learning needs. Teachers whom have been in the general education setting for the past years have a wealth of knowledge, techniques, and strategies to service their low average, average, and gifted/talented learners. However for children that do no fall within these categories, general education teachers have not been instructed or equipped with strategies to help guide these students with specific learning deficits. Educational Care is an excellent resource for all educators to use to assist them in better developing their craft of teaching.

Educational Care presents a wealth of information regarding weak attention control, phenomena related to: reduced remembering, to chronic misunderstanding, deficient output, delay skill acquisition, and to poor adaptation. In addition, this book has chapters for the provision of education care, assessment and management, and implications and applications for the misinterpreted child. The Appendixes is a valuable resource for every teacher to peruse and use for those students whom could benefit from such helpful planners and organizers.

Educational Care gives tremendous assistance on both fronts:educational strategies in the classroom and strategies that the home caregiver can provide to assist children with learning problems.

This is a book that I will be lending to many colleagues in hopes that they too may learn how to help those students that are struggling in the educational/social setting.

"Reflections" is an opportunity to use a mystery novel to do just that--reflect. In the case of this Jo Bannister suspense series featuring Brodie Farrell, our reflection is on the nature of evil--real, true, and perverted evil--and on the price of commitment to justice. Bannister's voice in this series is the voice of Daniel Hood, a voice of prophecy not unlike the Biblical Daniel--Hood sees much, and is blessed and tortured with understanding. Even the pragmatic Brodie cannot fathom the evil that Daniel comes to understand and must dramatically act upon in the blazing last scene of this novel. Perhaps you are thinking that I am failing miserably as a reviewer, because I'm not recounting any of the action and I'm not extending a tantalizing commentary on the plot. But it's a tough reading experience, and a hard moment of reflection onces you've read the last words. And when I put the book down, and stared numbly into space, I could only echo the last words of the book:"Finally Brodie sighed brokenly. "Oh, Daniel."

Serena Daws has been brutally stabbed to death and her husband, the prime suspect has disappeared. Their two daughters, fourteen and eleven, had the misfortune to find the body. With their lives in a turmoil, Brodie Farrell has been hired to find their estranged aunt to look after them, until all is settled and they can leave the country to live with their wealthy uncle.

Brodie is a finder of things, not people and is hesitant to take the case. The gravity of the situation coupled with the request from her friend Superintendent Deacon weights the balance and she agrees.

Brodie recommends her other dear friend, Daniel, as a tutor for the girls. They had been homeschooled by their mother and putting them into school seemed to be an unnecessary addition to their shock.

Brodie and Daniel, despite her best intentions, become involved in the investigation and in the lives of the children, especially after the autopsy shows a surprising find. What follows is a riveting suspense story that kept me firmly hooked until the end. I read it over the course of one evening, as every time I thought I could stop, something new occurred to make stopping impossible.

Barrister keeps the reader guessing as she spins a web of confusion, false clues, and facts so obvious as to be obscure. This is no happy-go-lucky mystery; it is an intense, dark, almost shocking tale that leaves the reader questioning events, despite the fact that the mystery was solved.

My only real quibble with this novel is one that only I can remedy: it is the third of a series, with pertinent references to the preceding novels, that left me confused as this was the first one I have read. It won’t, however, be the last.

In the small English town of Dimmock is located the store, "Looking For Something?" owned and operated by Brodie Farrell. She hunts for things that people want but are unable to find. She makes it a practice to never look for people because the one time she did, she almost got somebody killed. When Hugo Daws comes into her place of business asking to locate his sister in law's sister she almost says no, but realizes if she refuses the request, two young children will be taken into foster care.

Their mother was murdered, knifed thirteen times after a fight with her husband and he disappeared. Brodie agrees to help and when Hugo asked if she knows a teacher who can stay with the girls and his wife she recommends her friend Daniel Hood. He accepts since he needs the money and a place to live but that decision will take him to the edge of his own sanity and force him to make a choice no person should have to make.

Jo Bannister is an excellent storyteller, an author who coaxes her audience to take one step beyond their comfort zone. There is a lot of misdirection and false leads in this British amateur sleuth tale so that readers won't catch on to what is really happening until the author chooses to reveal it. REFLECTIONS will appeal to fans of Alfred Hitchcock.

Harriet Klausner

I have a 7 year old non verbal autistic son who types. This is a great book (unfortunately the title is currently politically incorrect) to tell you how to aid a child with severe communication deficets to acheive independance in communication with the speaking world.
Thank you Rosemary Crossley!

I accidently reviewed the wrong book the following review is for another book I just got that is titled Autism and Myth of the Person Alone, by Douglas Biklen.

First of all I have to say I haven't had a chance to finish this book, but am almost done with it. I have two autistic children and one is non-verbal. She is learning to use facilitated communication and we can not believe what all she has absorbed over the years and is able to communicate to us now. Expectations in the school and the public are high though and total communication with everyone is expected, and much is questioned - mainly is she doing this or are we. Anyone who has been able to support her in writing will tell you that when she really has something to say, she is definitely pushing her finger to the correct keys. But there are many other questions, such as why she can't do this with everyone, why does she need the arm or hand support and why she isn't always capable of telling us something. This book helped me to understand, that like everything else in autism, some things just can't be explained and we should be grateful for whatever communication she can give us and however she can offer it. The best part of this book is the last chapters which are offered by other autistic individuals who are using facilitated communication, and although have not perhaps "perfected it" as we neuro-typicals would like, are much more able to take a part in life and live happier because of it. Its great to challenge and have high expectations but at the same time we have to understand there may be limitations and to not demean what has been accomplished and that there may be no further perfection of the method.

I would give this book by Rosemary Crossley 3 stars. It is helpful in teaching the method if you don't know anything about it. The only reason I only give it 3 stars is that a lot of the information in the book I already had knowledge of. But if you are interested in Facilitated Communication, it would be a good book to start with. As your child or student starts to learn the method and uses it, the other book I reviewed, accidently above, would be another good choice because it shows how the method works with different people with autism and some of the idiosyncrasies involved that we neuro-typical people just don't understand.

Sorry for any confusion.

Facilitated communication training is a means of improving the communication skills of people without speech, and Rosemary Crossley is the person who discovered it this time around. She's thus a good person to explain what it is, what it does, and what it can achieve.
It is, it has to be said, controversial, but if you want a straightforward account of what's claimed and what can be proven this is a very good start.

(I'm heavily involved in FCT, so allow for bias)

Well written and referenced within chapters and volumes. All you need to know regarding current research and best practice in the field of Autism. Highly recommend.

I am a parent of a young adult with high functioning autism. We used this book as our textbook in a survey of autism class at Jhons Hopkins University. This book is excellent, except for the sections on adolescence and young adulthood. These sections are very weak because research in these areas is sparse. For readers interested in adolesence, I would instead buy any book by Brenda Myles, Phd.

Allowing for the inevitable time lag between copy editing, proof reading and final publication, this two volume set is as near as anyone will get at present to comprehensive state of the art reveiew of trends in research and therapy. Having digested the previous version - one volume with a blue cover - I was a little sceptical about the added-value that any new edition might bring. Honestly, I could not have been more wrong. There is a great deal more orgnaic science in this volume and the sections of therapy and interventions are well worth reading carefully. This review is not about the content of the book, more a case of witnessing that if you have bought the blue book, you should buy this set.

A very practical useable book. It is well structured and easy to access information from. It is a handy desk reference for some common and not so common conditions.

I was seeking a resource that could support my work in guiding teachers to work with children with cognitive processing difficulties. This book has practical handouts which are useful, easy to read, and can be adapted for specific children. I particularly like the Index of handouts which allows me to target the area of difficulty.
Dr Alison Sutherland (Ph.D.)

This is a great collection of neuropsychoeducational handouts for those using the PASS theory, or using cognitive strategies for helping children how to use the underlying cognitive processes of learning. A must for school, educational, cognitive psychologists and pediatric neuropsychologists. If you are looking forward to use this practical strategies and you are not familiarized with PASS theory or Luria's works, please review them first. Thanks, J.P.Das, J. Naglieri and Pickering for theses materials.

This was the required book in one of my classes for my master's degree program. For the most part, it was an easy read. I especially enjoyed the case studies at the begining and ending of every chapter. I saved so much money buying it used through Amazon over buying it even used at my school's bookstore website. About $50 in savings. It took about a week to arrive so be sure to take that into consideration when ordering. It's worth the wait. This was my first time buying a textbook through Amazon and from now own, I will always check here for used books before buying them at my school's bookstore. The book is a textbook, it served its purpose. The 5 star rating is for the savings.

Paperback was more than a little used. A fair price, but dated information.

This is a first-rate text for anyone interested in understanding the exceptional learner from a "characteristics" point of view. Case studies and an easy to read format make this a student favorite. The only complaint about the book is the exhorbitant price for a paper-back. Few are available used, because it is a wonderful refererence.

I have been a work study coordinator in Ohio for 19 years. This book outlined fresh new ideas for transition plans and gave specific guidelines for certain disabilities. I have retired and am now working again with transition in public high schools. This is similar to a college textbook. It is thorough and gives sample transition plans to examine. It does cover autism in one chapter. I highly recommend this book for special education teachers and transition specialists.

Elaine Krieg Amherst, Ohio

This book is a great resource for teachers who deal with high school transition of those with special needs. It provides scenarios and lots of reference information. Even though it is very lengthy and sometimes difficult to follow (side boxes of information on page), it is useful.

Excellent reference for caregivers, service providers and educators on transitioning young persons with disabilities into the work force.

This book has been very informative. It has an abundance of information. As a new grad I refer to this book often and I have found it very helpful.

As a current OT student, this book is wonderful! The pictures and the understandable language is great!! This book helps with the understanding of the OT profession. I only hope that you get out of it what I have!!

As an OT you are often in doubt of what to do for your cliet. This book helps you to gather your knowledge and focus it on the actual problem. Almost everything is there. A great book to get ideeas! But don't take it for a bible. Remember - You have to add yor own exprinces and, perhaps,a'lot of other sources to solve the problem. Never forget you and your knowledge is the most valuable resource for your client.

I am loving this book. I am about half-way through. I am going to be working in Early Intervention and this book has been so informational! It is very easy to understand and is very well written. I would definately suggest this book to anyone who wants or needs to know more about Developmental Delays.

This book is very informative, easy to read, and has great lists of milestones/development to look for in your child. If you already know that your child is delayed, and your child already receives services, you really don't need this book. This is more for a parent who's child has not been identified as delayed, but you have a suspicion he/she may be delayed.

A must have resource for anyone who wishes to learn more about identifying and parenting babies and children with developmental delays. The quality of the identification and explanation of the various types of delays and disabilities is exceptional and will be useful to any parent who is worried about these issues. Normal development, indications of problems, specific examples, parenting suggestions, and treatment are presented in each chapter in a well thought out and informative manner. The overall tone of the book is encouraging and supportive for parents who are concerned about their children. This book provides a wealth of information for parents and professionals. It would be an invaluable addition to any library and for any teacher, doctor or therapist who works with parents.