Use this alphabetical index to find books that have been reviewed for the Harried Parent's Book Club.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J-L | M-N | O | P-Q | R | S | T | U-V | W-Z
Alphabet Kids: From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome
Cover image courtesy of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
By Robbie Woliver; 463 pages. Subtitle: From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome - A Guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals.
Bottom Line: "Alphabet soup" is what parents often call all those overlapping, tangled up, interrelated diagnoses that are hard to discern one from the other. If you're searching for an answer, or trying to choose from too many, this book can help you sort out the possibilities ... or maybe make you more confused.
Bottom Line: "Alphabet soup" is what parents often call all those overlapping, tangled up, interrelated diagnoses that are hard to discern one from the other. If you're searching for an answer, or trying to choose from too many, this book can help you sort out the possibilities ... or maybe make you more confused.
American Diabetes Association Guide to Raising a Child with Diabetes
Cover image courtesy of PriceGrabber
By Linda M. Siminerio, RN, PhD, CDE and Jean Betschart, MN, MSN, CPNP, CDE; 165 pages. From the Book Cover: "Features the latest advances in diabetes care -- with lots of problem-solving examples and easy-to-read tables throughout."
Bottom Line: From doing urine tests on diapers to policing school lunches to talking with a teen about dating and drinking, this guide offers a practical and upbeat look at the challenges of parenting a diabetic child. It's a book parents will want to keep handy and refer to often.
Bottom Line: From doing urine tests on diapers to policing school lunches to talking with a teen about dating and drinking, this guide offers a practical and upbeat look at the challenges of parenting a diabetic child. It's a book parents will want to keep handy and refer to often.
The Anxiety Cure for Kids
Cover image courtesy of PriceGrabber
By Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, MSW, Robert L. DuPont, MD, and Caroline M. DuPont, MD; 224 pages. Subtitle: A Guide for Parents.
Bottom Line: If your child's anxiety has you feeling worried and anxious, too, this book may just be a cure for the both of you. Written by a family of therapists, it walks you through an easy version of cognitive behavioral therapy to do with your child, starting with visualizing anxiety as a scary dragon and learning, with the help of an inner wizard, how to make it shrink and shrivel away. Though the dragon may come back, you and your child will know how to vanquish it.
Bottom Line: If your child's anxiety has you feeling worried and anxious, too, this book may just be a cure for the both of you. Written by a family of therapists, it walks you through an easy version of cognitive behavioral therapy to do with your child, starting with visualizing anxiety as a scary dragon and learning, with the help of an inner wizard, how to make it shrink and shrivel away. Though the dragon may come back, you and your child will know how to vanquish it.
Anything But a Dog!
Copyright (c) 2008 by Unlimited Publishing LLC, used by permission.
By Lisa Saunders; 142 pages. Subtitle: The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus).
Bottom Line: For any family, finding a pet that fits can be an adventure, and many's the parent who's been leery of adding a dog to the family chaos. But when one of your kids is nonverbal and immobile, unable to protest if a dog is being aggressive or push it away, the concerns skyrocket. Lisa Saunders shares the odyssey her family went through -- via hamster and rabbit and ant farm and cat and inappropriate puppy -- to find the kind of canine companion parents dream of.
Bottom Line: For any family, finding a pet that fits can be an adventure, and many's the parent who's been leery of adding a dog to the family chaos. But when one of your kids is nonverbal and immobile, unable to protest if a dog is being aggressive or push it away, the concerns skyrocket. Lisa Saunders shares the odyssey her family went through -- via hamster and rabbit and ant farm and cat and inappropriate puppy -- to find the kind of canine companion parents dream of.
Asperger Syndrome and Bullying
Cover image courtesy of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
By Nick Dubin; 173 pages. Subtitle: Strategies and Solutions.
Bottom Line: A victim of school bullying battles back as an adult in this small helpful handbook. Dubin didn't know he had Asperger syndrome until he was 27, but bullies didn't need a label to target him as a victim. He identifies the traits of kids with AS that make them particularly vulnerable to bullies, and presents suggestions for schools, teachers, parents and bystanders to end the abuse and make classrooms more inclusive.
Bottom Line: A victim of school bullying battles back as an adult in this small helpful handbook. Dubin didn't know he had Asperger syndrome until he was 27, but bullies didn't need a label to target him as a victim. He identifies the traits of kids with AS that make them particularly vulnerable to bullies, and presents suggestions for schools, teachers, parents and bystanders to end the abuse and make classrooms more inclusive.
Asperger's From the Inside Out
Cover image courtesy of Perigee
By Michael John Carley; 252 pages. Subtitle: A Supportive and Practical Guide for Anyone With Asperger's Syndrome.
Bottom Line: This empowering memoir/self-help book by the executive director of The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership (GRASP) isn't intended for parents, but they may pick up some good ideas anyway for helping their children with Asperger syndrome succeed in the world and in positive self-image. Carley was diagnosed as an adult, at the same time his son was, and brings an interesting perspective on how getting that label can change things for the better.
Bottom Line: This empowering memoir/self-help book by the executive director of The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership (GRASP) isn't intended for parents, but they may pick up some good ideas anyway for helping their children with Asperger syndrome succeed in the world and in positive self-image. Carley was diagnosed as an adult, at the same time his son was, and brings an interesting perspective on how getting that label can change things for the better.
At Home in the Land of Oz
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kinglsey Publishers
By Anne Clinard Barnhill; 223 pages. Subtitle: Autism, My Sister, and Me.
Bottom Line: The author tells of her years growing up with her younger sister, who was diagnosed back in the '60s with "emotional disturbance" and sent to a couple of daunting institutions for treatment and training, but in recent years was given the diagnosis of autism. It's an interesting account of how such problems were dealt with in earlier years, her parents' desperate attempts to help, and her own experience as the "normal one" in the family.
Bottom Line: The author tells of her years growing up with her younger sister, who was diagnosed back in the '60s with "emotional disturbance" and sent to a couple of daunting institutions for treatment and training, but in recent years was given the diagnosis of autism. It's an interesting account of how such problems were dealt with in earlier years, her parents' desperate attempts to help, and her own experience as the "normal one" in the family.
Autism: Asserting Your Child's Right to a Special Education
Photo courtesy David A. Sherman
By David A. Sherman; 356 pages. From the Back Cover: Your Guide to Obtaining a Free Appropriate Public Education for Your Child.
Bottom Line: Regardless of whether your child has autism or another disability requiring special education, this useful handbook provides significant legal advice and information to help you take on the school district, or maybe avoid a confrontation altogether. Knowing your rights and options is a good start.
Bottom Line: Regardless of whether your child has autism or another disability requiring special education, this useful handbook provides significant legal advice and information to help you take on the school district, or maybe avoid a confrontation altogether. Knowing your rights and options is a good start.
The Autism Encyclopedia: 500+ Entries for Parents and Professionals
Cover image courtesy of Brookes Publishing Co.
Edited by John T. Neisworth and Pamela S. Wolfe, and written by a host of contributors; 306 pages. From the Book Cover: "From A to Z, this encyclopedia offers definitions and descriptions of the array of terms related to the study and treatment of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs)."
The Bottom Line: It's somewhat more scholarly than parent-friendly, but this resource will be invaluable when you're trying to plow through autism texts that are more scholarly still. Keep it close at hand.
The Bottom Line: It's somewhat more scholarly than parent-friendly, but this resource will be invaluable when you're trying to plow through autism texts that are more scholarly still. Keep it close at hand.
Autism Heroes
Cover image courtesy of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
By Barbara Firestone, Ph.D.; 218 pages. Subtitle: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge.
Bottom Line: Thirty-eight families share their experience of raising a child with autism in short narratives and large black-and-white photos in this special-needs coffee-table book, augmented by essays on Dignity, Hope, Opportunity, and Love by author Firestone, founder of The Help Group. It's a moving and beautiful package, but your enjoyment of it may depend on your comfort level with the notion that parenting a child with autism is in and of itself an act of heroism.
Bottom Line: Thirty-eight families share their experience of raising a child with autism in short narratives and large black-and-white photos in this special-needs coffee-table book, augmented by essays on Dignity, Hope, Opportunity, and Love by author Firestone, founder of The Help Group. It's a moving and beautiful package, but your enjoyment of it may depend on your comfort level with the notion that parenting a child with autism is in and of itself an act of heroism.
Autism Is a Blessing
Cover image courtesy of Patty Corrigan Myers
By Patty Corrigan Myers; 209 pages. Subtitle: A Family's Struggle With Autism and How They Found the Blessings.
Bottom Line: "Blessing" is a word you don't often hear used to describe autism, and it takes author Myers a while to think of her son's autism in those terms. But as the story of her son Charlie's early life, autism diagnosis, school struggles, and family acceptance unfolds, her faith leads her to accept that autism has indeed made a positive difference in the lives of all who know her son. If that faith doesn't offend you, you may find a blessing in this book, too.
Bottom Line: "Blessing" is a word you don't often hear used to describe autism, and it takes author Myers a while to think of her son's autism in those terms. But as the story of her son Charlie's early life, autism diagnosis, school struggles, and family acceptance unfolds, her faith leads her to accept that autism has indeed made a positive difference in the lives of all who know her son. If that faith doesn't offend you, you may find a blessing in this book, too.
