Interesting reads for parents of children with disability
From thought provoking and inspiring to informative and useful, we’ve gathered a selection of books on disability, by disabled writers, experts and parents; books we think are worth a look for parents and carers just like us.
Reflections on a different journey: What adults with disability wish all parents knew
Most parents of children with disabilities lack personal experience with adults with disabilities. Hearing from people who have lived the disability experience can provide all parents with essential information about the possibilities for all children. The book includes forty inspiring essays written by successful adults role models who share what if is like to grow up with a disability.
Raising A Rare Girl: A memoir about parenting, disability and the beauty of being human
Award-winning writer Heather Lanier’s memoir about raising a child with a rare syndrome, defying the tyranny of normal, and embracing parenthood as a spiritual practice that breaks us open in the best of ways.
This book is now almost 20 years old. it’s been updated since first publication and is still considered a must-read on parenting a child with sensory processing disorder
The Out of Sync Child Grows Up
The long-awaited follow-up to the million-copy bestseller The Out-of-Sync Child, presenting information and advice for tweens, teens, and young adults living with sensory processing disorder, and their parents.
From an exciting Australian author this is a powerful, funny, raw and at times heartbreaking memoir about a mother’s battle to raise her daughter who is deaf, autistic and feistier than ten Tasmanian Devils.
Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, this is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.
Braver Than You Think: How to help your child with a disability live their best life
Every parent wants the best for their child. But if your child has been diagnosed with a developmental delay or disability, there can be a lot of uncertainty…Filled with clear information, practical advice and strategies and case examples to help you learn from other parents and children, Braver Than You Think will help you develop the confidence that you can make good decisions about your child’s care, and that ultimately you can help your child to lead a happy, fulfilled and meaningful life.
Being the Other One: Growing Up with a Brother or Sister Who Has Special Needs
Being the Other One reveals the difficulties faced by siblings at all stages of life, from early childhood through adulthood, when siblings must often assume responsibility for the care of their disabled brothers and sisters. Though the book looks honestly at the many challenges that siblings face, it is full of encouragement and practical strategies. Being the Other One is based on the author, Kate’s own experience (as a sibling of a sister with cerebral palsy) and on extensive interviews she conducted with siblings of all ages. In clear and compassionate terms, Strohm explores the often secret feelings of siblings and offers valuable strategies for coping with the challenges they face.
Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity
All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent should parents accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on ten years of research and interviews with more than three hundred families, Author, Andrew Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges.
Trauma proofing your kids A Parents’ Guide for Instilling Confidence, Joy and Resilience
Understand the different types of upsets and traumas your child may experience—and learn how to teach them how to be resilient, confident, and even joyful
Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally
An approachable guide to being a thoughtful, informed ally to disabled people, with actionable steps for what to say and do (and what not to do) and how you can help make the world a more inclusive place
Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Suskind tells the story of how his autistic son was able to regain the ability to speak through the medium of Disney animated films.
