I love books.
I mean, I love books.
Probably a tiny bit too much.
But hey, there are worse vices in life, right?
And I've gotten over my need to own ALL THE BOOKS and I actually utilize the library quite often these days.
Today, I thought I'd share with you my top five favorite special needs books - the ones that helped me in the early days of diagnosis, the ones that inspire me, and the ones that I reach for time and again. Maybe a few are familiar to you?
1. Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy. I know what you're thinking. I'm not a huge Jenny fan either but this book gave me hope that I myself, just a little ol' mom, could take on whatever challenges were before me and conquer them. Pretty motivational stuff.
2. How to be a Sister: A Love Story with a Twist of Autism by Eileen Garvin. This book gave me a unique look into how my big girls might feel about having a special needs sibling and what the future could look like for all of them.
3. The Myth of Autism by Dr. Michael Goldberg. The book that answered so many of my questions about Lily, ultimately gave us her real diagnosis, and confirmed that she does not have autism. This book is the reason Lily is a patient of Dr. Goldberg's today.
4. The Out of Sync Child (and companion book The Out of Synch Child Has Fun) by Carol Stock Kranowitz. Introduced me to the concept of sensory processing and showed me all kinds of "out of the box" ways to engage Lily in play.
5. The Everyday Advocate by Areva Martin, Esq. This book continually teaches me how to stand up for Lily, how to assert myself, and how to get some results. Some pretty good how-to's there, don't you think?
Got some more to add to the list? Leave a comment and share it with everyone. There's power in being informed.
Have a terrific weekend, my lovely readers.
I am one of those who HAVE to read. Even if only for a few minutes a day. If I had to choose on special needs book to pass on it would be My Baby Rides the Short Bus. I KNOW!!! It is a horrible title. But the compilation of moms going trough everything between autism, bipolar, unknown, Down Syndrome you name it really helped me. It was all little snippets. Some funny, some grief, but all had a theme of we are not alone in this world.
ReplyDeleteI'll check out the book - it always helps to read real-life accounts from parents in the same situation. It sounds quite a bit like Wit and Wisdom from Special Needs Parents. Have you read that one?
Delete"The IEP from A-Z." You MUST get a copy of this book. MUST MUST MUSTMUSTMUST.
ReplyDeleteDo you think I overdid it?
Not overdone - going to get the book now for sure. :)
DeleteAs someone who doesn't live with a special needs child, but loves several children who happen to have special needs, two books that gave me a tiny bit of insight and changed my perspective tremendously were Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm and Dancing with Max: A Mother and Son Who Broke Free by Emily Colson.
ReplyDeleteI know these don't make me an expert, but they were very helpful to me.
Since, I too, have a "need to read", I welcome any titles that you as parents recommend that might help me continue to help you.
Darla - I've read both of those and Dancing with Max is a favorite. Lots of books are about kids who recover so I liked Emily's book especially because it showed that you can go on and still have hope in spite of not "losing" a diagnosis.
DeleteYou are a special blessing to the Rush family, Miss Darla! :)