Special Needs Parenting

Raising an autistic child can mean an emotional ride - ups and downs, emergencies and victories. But imagine the roller coaster of having not one autistic child, but three. Follow Karen Pellett as she spills her Spectrum Mom secrets and learn how to get your family over surviving and into thriving.

Normal for Me tells the story about the author hitting rock bottom when she received the diagnosis that her second oldest son was on the autism spectrum. One evening she fell to her knees asking God, “Why can’t we be a ‘normal’ family?” God whispered, “This IS normal for you.” This epiphany began her journey from anguish and grief to acceptance, peace, hope, and joy. This audiobook is ideal for not only families struggling with autism but anyone who has had to face a life detour or help someone along the way.

Drawing lessons from Sam's transformation journey from difficult child to budding entrepreneur, My Child's Different offers encouragement to parents who may be concerned about what the future might hold. It demonstrates how, with the right support and positive parenting skills, their children can grow up to surprise and delight them.

I Might Be You is a fresh look at the damage and emerging sun as told by an adult with autism who is, "disguised as a poor thinker," but has much to say yet does not speak, and a therapist who helps rebuild. With experience, wit, warmth, and wisdom these two collaborate to rethink roles, expectations, treatment strategies, education, meaning, and the healing truth about connection. It is a must read for overwhelmed parents, teachers and practitioners needing inspiration, and those with ASD seeking purpose as hope is found.

"Like most fathers, I'd dreamt of doing all sorts of things with my son. I had so many plans, but when I was told my son was autistic, those plans seemed more like a fantasy. Well, eight years after that dreadful diagnosis, I am writing this book to let every father know that your plans for you and your son can still be a reality. It's just the path that takes you there that has to be altered."

There are thousands of books on autism. Some books advocate new methods of teaching styles. Some talk about alternative medications that have worked miracles. This book does not make such claims. What this book conveys is that every family who has a child with autism has to figure out a coping system that works for their child with autism and for themselves. This is our journey to that place of facilitation and happiness.

Become a happier person by applying the wisdom of philosophers. What is happiness? What makes you happy? And is there more to life than happiness? Looking at the history of thought, this practical guide will help you answer these questions. Learn to cultivate your taste for pleasure, free yourself from the various disturbances of life and overcome irrational expectations that cause distress. Happiness will help you to go with the flow and rediscover the joy of existence.

From candy explosions and safety spaces to patience pills and mattress slides, autism turns normal on its head and stomps on it for good measure. For this family and their three autistic children, life is chaotic but glorious. Experience everyday life from the perspective of a spectrum mom and defy the label as only an exceptional family can.

A late bloomer’s coming-of-age memoir asks how does one accept and free themselves from visible and invisible disabilities and still retain their sense of connection and humor? Nothing Special is a disarmingly candid tale of two sisters growing up in the 1970s in rural Connecticut. Older sister Chris, who has Down syndrome, is an extrovert, while the author, her younger, typically developing sister, shoulders the burdens and grief of her parents.

Desperate to alleviate her son's constant rages and their crushing toll on the family, Donnie Kanter Winokur comes up with an innovative, untested, four-pawed solution: a golden retriever service dog named Chancer. Chancer is specially trained to give Iyal a unique love he desperately needs. But in this true-life tale infused with moments of despair, tenderness, and humor, Chancer turns out to be what the entire family has needed to stay - and grow - together.

The Thinking Moms’ Revolution (TMR) is a group of 23 moms (and one awesome dad) from Montana to Malaysia who all have children with developmental disabilities. Initially collaborating online about therapies, biomedical intervention, alternative medicine, special diets, and doctors on the cutting edge of treatment approaches to an array of chronic and developmental disabilities, such as autism, sensory processing disorders, food allergies, ADHD, asthma, and seizures, they've come together into something far more substantial.

ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is now recognized as one of the most common causes of learning and behavioral difficulties in school-aged children. Symptoms include poor concentration, forgetfulness, poor organization, impulsivity, restlessness, poor social skills, learning difficulties, low self-esteem, and defiant behavior. Despite growing awareness of ADHD among parents and health professionals, it is still widely misunderstood.

Searching for academic and vocational programs for their post-high school autistic son, Lawson and Swearingen found a distinct lack of services. They soon realized that if they wanted an appropriate program for their son, they would have to build it themselves. In Share the Road they recount their personal experiences and the stories of their students as together they create a pioneering vocational training program that empowers autistic individuals. All proceeds from the sale of this book support the programs of Autistry Studios.

Priscilla Gilman had the greatest expectations for the birth of her first child. Growing up in New York City amongst writers, artists, and actors, Gilman experienced childhood as a whirlwind of imagination, creativity, and spontaneity. As a Wordsworth scholar, she celebrated and embraced the poet's romantic view of children - and eagerly anticipated her son's birth, certain that he, too, would come - trailing clouds of glory.

Lina was a precocious toddler - charming, chatty, joyful. At the age of three, in the aftermath of her second MMR vaccine, first came a seizure, and then, to her parents’ horror, the loss of Lina’s ability to play, use language, and control her impulses. Over the next few years they continued to lose Lina. She communicated her acute discomfort by biting, screaming, hitting, laughing maniacally, and throwing violent tantrums.

Travis shares how being emotionally unstable led to him seeking to steal other people's emotions to feel better about himself. Emotional Stalking and Talking is all about how one emotionally unstable autistic man stalked other people so he could feel their emotions instead of his.

Misfit Leadership is about leveraging your weirdness or nonconformity to improve performance and character. What happens when a dyslexic, ADHD, big-picture guy sneaks into the detail-oriented world of evidence collection, fingerprint analysis, and meticulous documentation of the FBI? On the one hand, when executing search warrants, the author had trouble finding stuff—often missing the bloody knife or the muddy footprints.

Travis never thought of problematic language being an issue for him with level one autism. Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age 22, he had always been verbal. It was not until a BCBA friend pointed out to him that problematic language is a lot more than just being verbal.

Meg Zucker was born with one finger on each hand, shortened forearms, and one toe on each misshapen foot, caused by a genetic condition called ectrodactyly. She would eventually pass this condition on to her two sons, and, along with her husband, raise them and their adopted daughter, who has her own invisible differences. Born of the family’s hard-won experiences, this book offers invaluable advice on raising confident, empathetic, and resilient children who succeed, not despite but because of their differences.

In this moving and inspiring book, Dr. Michelle Nielsen teaches a powerful and practical 10-step system to clarify and achieve your goals by aligning and better connecting your body, mind, and spirit. Using this system, you will be empowered to create rapid results that are nothing short of spectacular! Additionally, you will be deeply moved as the author narrates the miraculous story of how, through the use of this system, she helped heal her son and set the stage for his transformation from a special-needs child into a healthy, happy, and thriving boy.