Special Needs Parenting

The 9-L model illustrated in Blended Families--Special Children explores the dynamics of stepfamilies caring for children with special needs and disabilities and presents the information in digestible nuggets ready for consumption by quintessential blended families juggling the demands of parenthood with caring for children with special needs.

Ashley Blaker has six children, three of whom have an SEN diagnosis. Between endless meetings, countless therapists, public humiliations, failed playdates, surreal monologues and occasional violence, it’s certainly not what anyone would call a ‘normal’ household – but would he want it any other way? Normal Schmormal is part-memoir, part how-to guide, highlighting the many challenges, as well as the hugely rewarding elements, of parenting children with additional needs.

In Life Skills for Autistic Teens, two parents who’ve been on the same turbulent and challenging journey share insights and strategies to help you find hope again and regain your confidence. We have raised a beautiful child with ASD, and have turned our experiences and hard-learned lessons into a practical blueprint for independence. Through mindset changes, comprehensive systems, and practical strategies, we show how persistency and dedication can lead to life-changing results no matter your starting point.

Jeni Decker is five-foot nothing and one hundred and [redacted] pounds - a self-described roly-poly, forty-something, Reubenesque bon-bon of a gal, often called cute but never sexy. She has two sons with autism on opposite ends of the spectrum (Jake and Jaxson), a husband who prefers hunting to household chores, an Australian Shepherd named Sugar, and an albino frog named Humbert Humbert. This is her story - a brash, personal, and sometimes shocking memoir.

Being afraid of the dark is a very common fear among children. Even adults jump at shadows. Ever watched a horror movie and tried to get a glass of water in dim light? From bugs to darkness to strange phenomena, children are afraid of the unknown. They have no reference point to explain these new stimuli, and they turn to the most basic instinct of human nature: fight or flight.

Build the confidence, resilience, and skills your daughter needs to succeed in every area of her life, no matter the challenges ADHD brings. You see the brilliance, creativity, and endless potential in your child, but getting her to focus, follow through with routines, or manage friendships sometimes feels like a constant battle. And with the emotional ups and downs that often come with ADHD, it’s easy for your daughter to feel like she doesn’t fit in. But here’s the thing—ADHD doesn’t have to hold her back.

ADHD is not the result of ineffective parenting education, and it is not related to the "badness" of the child. ADHD is an attention disorder that if not managed right can become a real problem - for the individual, family, and school - with discomforts and frustration at school and personal level. Very often, the first to suffer from this situation are discouraged and stressed parents because they feel guilty and unable to manage the child's behavior.

For parents of disabled children, navigating the systems, services, and supports is a daunting, and often overwhelming, task. No one explains to parents how to figure out the complex medical, educational, and social service systems essential to their child’s success. Over and over, parents are being asked to reinvent the exact same wheels.

Why does productivity always come with anxiety? Why do you have random bursts of hyperfocus? Why can't you finish any projects you start? Why can't you get focused on command? Why do you get distracted so easily? Are you just lazy? Is it possible for people with ADHD to be productive and happy at the same time? Yes you can. You're not lazy or stupid, you just have ADHD. It's a neurodevelopmental disorder with pros and cons. You can be both focused and productive without giving up your happiness. You just need to learn to use your brain properly.

A dramatic and remarkable narrative of an extraordinary teacher's determination, from the author of the Sunday Times bestsellers The Tiger's Child and One Child. Torey Hayden faced six emotionally troubled kids no other teacher could handle - three recent arrivals from battle-torn Northern Ireland, badly traumatized by the horrors of war; an eleven-year-old boy, who only knew life inside an institution; an excitable girl, aggressive and sexually precocious at the age of eight; and seven-year-old Leslie, perhaps the most hopeless of all, unresponsive and unable to speak.

Unlock the secrets of raising a happy, empowered child with autism, even if you’ve felt overwhelmed and uncertain for years. Are you exhausted from sifting through loads of information only to find generic advice that doesn’t address your child's unique needs? Do you find yourself dreading IEP meetings, unsure how to advocate effectively for your child? Struggling to manage sensory overloads and meltdowns in public while feeling the weight of judgmental stares?

For the estimated 20 million Americans with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comes the third edition of All About ADHD by Dr. Thomas W. Phelan, an internationally renowned expert and lecturer on child discipline and ADHD. Completely updated with the latest research and treatment information, All About ADHD is a comprehensive guide to ADHD's symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment in children and adults.

Parenting is hard work. Throw in something like ADHD, and it can seem impossible. Do you often feel stressed, frustrated, disrespected, and just plain tired? Don’t worry: You’re not alone. Nearly 6.2 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD–you share the faith of all those parents. When you think about the difficulties you face in parenting an ADHD child, you should also think about the difficulties they face navigating a world that wasn’t created with them in mind.

Jadie never spoke. She never laughed, or cried, or uttered any sound. Despite efforts to reach her, Jadie remained locked in her own troubled world - until one remarkable teacher persuaded her to break her self-imposed silence. Nothing in all of Torey Hayden's experience could have prepared her for the shock of what Jadie told her - a story too horrendous for Torey's professional colleagues to acknowledge.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder (a "brain" condition) characterized by poor behavioral and social difficulties. This is a developmental condition that starts early in infancy and lasts for life. Autism spectrum disorder affects most facets of life. Cognitive (thinking and language) and social skills are usually impaired by growth relative to their disorder-free peers.

Unleash Calm, Competent Parenting Skills, Even if the Daily Struggles Seem Overwhelming. Do you lie awake at night, questioning if your parenting approach is helping your child or contributing to their stress? Do you frequently ask, "How can I help my child navigate educational challenges, relationships, and emotional highs and lows while managing my own stress?" Are you desperate for practical, compassionate guidance you can implement immediately? This book is designed to support parents like you who face the daily challenges of raising a child with ADHD.

I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust is a remarkable memoir by a mother and her autistic daughter who’d long been unable to communicate - until a miraculous breakthrough revealed a young woman with a rich and creative interior life, a poet, who’d been trapped inside for more than two decades.

In Thinking Differently, David Flink, the leader of Eye to Eye - a national mentoring program for students with learning and attention issues - enlarges our understanding of the learning process and offers powerful, innovative strategies for parenting, teaching, and supporting the 20 percent of students with learning disabilities. An outstanding fighter who has helped thousands of children adapt to their specific learning issues, Flink understands the needs and experiences of these children firsthand.

Diagnosed as severely autistic at the age of three, Tito, nearly nonverbal, was brought up by his loving mother Soma, who taught him to read English and challenged him to write his own stories. The initial result was The Mind Tree, published in 2003, which Tito wrote between the ages of eight and 11. The Gold of the Sunbeams is an equally impressive, beautiful collection of stories, each prefaced by a charming note from Tito explaining how the story came into being.

Brashness, tantrums and short attention spans are every parent’s nightmare. In my practice, I get a lot of parents who can’t even remember the last time they had some peace around the house, uninterrupted conversations with guests, or even a seamless family night out together, without the fits of rage coming from their otherwise little angels. Because of this, many are tempted to go to the doctor to find some kind of medication or pill that could make their troubles go away.