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
Talking Back to OCD
Cover image courtesy of The Guilford Press
By John S. March, MD, with Christine M. Benton; 276 pages. Subtitle: The Program That Helps Kids and Teens Say "No Way" -- and Parents Say "Way to Go"
Bottom Line: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder fools kids into thinking it's a fearsome monster, but this enthusiastic self-help book recommends giving that monster a funny name and talking trash about him. With a detailed program of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, author March gives children and families tools to recognize obsessions and compulsions as "mental hiccups" that can be stopped with a little courage and creativity.
Bottom Line: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder fools kids into thinking it's a fearsome monster, but this enthusiastic self-help book recommends giving that monster a funny name and talking trash about him. With a detailed program of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, author March gives children and families tools to recognize obsessions and compulsions as "mental hiccups" that can be stopped with a little courage and creativity.
T.A.S.C. - Tools for Achieving Social Confidence
Cover image courtesy of Sandra Furia
By Sandra Furia and Jennifer DiTrani; 161 pages. Subtitle: Initiation conversation; Asking questions; Scripted conversation; Fading written scripts.
Bottom Line: Learning the give and take of social conversation can be a major challenge to kids on the autism spectrum or with pragmatic language difficulties. But you may find that school speech therapists are more interested in dealing with articulation than social speech. T.A.S.C., written by a speech therapist and a special education teacher, gives a good blueprint for teaching conversation, one you can start at home or pass on to school personnel.
Bottom Line: Learning the give and take of social conversation can be a major challenge to kids on the autism spectrum or with pragmatic language difficulties. But you may find that school speech therapists are more interested in dealing with articulation than social speech. T.A.S.C., written by a speech therapist and a special education teacher, gives a good blueprint for teaching conversation, one you can start at home or pass on to school personnel.
Teach Me How to Say It Right
Cover image courtesy of Dorothy P. Doughtery
By Dorothy P. Doughtery; 158 pages. From the Cover: "This book will help your recognize articulation difficulties and foster a rich language-learning environment for your child."
Bottom Line: If you've ever wondered, "What can I do at home to help my child's articulation and vocabulary?" this is the book you've been looking for. Full of easy exercises for working with your child and information on why things may be difficult for him, it's a great resource for parents who want to be at-home therapists.
Bottom Line: If you've ever wondered, "What can I do at home to help my child's articulation and vocabulary?" this is the book you've been looking for. Full of easy exercises for working with your child and information on why things may be difficult for him, it's a great resource for parents who want to be at-home therapists.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Cover image courtesy of PriceGrabber
By Siegfried Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox and Elaine Bruner; 395 pages. From the Cover: "In only 20 minutes a day, this remarkable step-by-step program teaches your child to read -- with the love, care, and joy only a parent and child can share!"
Bottom Line: Here's a book that does just what it says it's going to do: gives parents exactly the tools they need to conduct daily sessions and, in fact, teach their children to read. No theories, no case studies, just remarkably clear lessons that get results.
Bottom Line: Here's a book that does just what it says it's going to do: gives parents exactly the tools they need to conduct daily sessions and, in fact, teach their children to read. No theories, no case studies, just remarkably clear lessons that get results.
The Teacher's Guide to Inclusive Education
Cover image courtesy of Peggy A. Hammeken
By Peggy A. Hammeken; 343 pages. Subtitle: 750 Strategies for Success!
Bottom Line: I was pretty crazy about the earlier edition of this book, and now it's back with 300 additional strategies and a more thorough description of exactly how schools can carry out an enthusiastic an effective inclusion program for students with special needs. You'll want to pass it immediately to your district's special-ed department, but let them get their own copy -- a lot of these strategies can help you teach and motivate your child at home, too.
Bottom Line: I was pretty crazy about the earlier edition of this book, and now it's back with 300 additional strategies and a more thorough description of exactly how schools can carry out an enthusiastic an effective inclusion program for students with special needs. You'll want to pass it immediately to your district's special-ed department, but let them get their own copy -- a lot of these strategies can help you teach and motivate your child at home, too.
Teaching Test-Taking Skills: Helping Students Show What They Know
By Thomas E. Scruggs and Margo A. Mastropieri; 139 pages. From the Book Cover: "Training test-taking skills aims to improve the validity of the test. It makes scores more accurately reflect what students really know by making sure that students lose points only because they do not know the information, not because they marked an answer choice incorrectly or misinterpreted the test directions."Bottom Line:If you've ever uttered the phrase "My child doesn't test well," you'll understand the need for books like this.
Teenage Waistland
Cover image courtesy of PriceGrabber
By Abby Ellin; 257 pages. Subtitle: A Former Fat Kid Weighs In on Living Large, Losing Weight, and How Parents Can (and Can't) Help.
Bottom Line: Most parents have had the experience of sitting down with an upset, overwhelmed child and offering possible solutions, only to have each one shot down. That's kind of the way this book reads. Ellin gives a good picture of the difficulty of being a fat kid and investigates lots of programs that seek to help, but is much better at pointing out flaws than solutions.
Bottom Line: Most parents have had the experience of sitting down with an upset, overwhelmed child and offering possible solutions, only to have each one shot down. That's kind of the way this book reads. Ellin gives a good picture of the difficulty of being a fat kid and investigates lots of programs that seek to help, but is much better at pointing out flaws than solutions.
That Went Well
Cover image courtesy of Terrell Harris Dougan
By Terrell Harris Dougan; 207 pages. Subtitle: Adventures in Caring for My Sister
Bottom Line: With good humor and heart, Dougan tells the story of her sister, Irene, who has an intellectual disability, and of her family's lifelong effort to help Irene find a place in the world. Through home care and far-off schools, group homes and self-administered programs, the author advocates for Irene's proper placement and treatment, and for a more inclusive life for others like her. It's an inspiring and amusing story, with some food for thought about what our children need.
Bottom Line: With good humor and heart, Dougan tells the story of her sister, Irene, who has an intellectual disability, and of her family's lifelong effort to help Irene find a place in the world. Through home care and far-off schools, group homes and self-administered programs, the author advocates for Irene's proper placement and treatment, and for a more inclusive life for others like her. It's an inspiring and amusing story, with some food for thought about what our children need.
Thicker Than Water
Cover image courtesy of Woodbine House
Edited by Don Meyer; 234 pages. Subtitle: Essays by Adult Siblings of People With Disabilities
Bottom Line: Perfect for reading on a parent's schedule -- that is, in small bursts of waiting-room time and post-bedtime peace -- these essays look at the sibling experience from an adult perspective, with stories both inspirational and cautionary. Like me, you may feel sorry for all the parental second-guessing going on, but the chance to take a look ahead into your family's future is worth a little rueful looking back.
Bottom Line: Perfect for reading on a parent's schedule -- that is, in small bursts of waiting-room time and post-bedtime peace -- these essays look at the sibling experience from an adult perspective, with stories both inspirational and cautionary. Like me, you may feel sorry for all the parental second-guessing going on, but the chance to take a look ahead into your family's future is worth a little rueful looking back.
Tiny Titan
Cover image courtesy of Better Endings, New Beginnings
By Ann Yurcek; 470 pages. From the Cover: "Ann Yurcek, the mother of eleven children, takes you on a rare and wonderful journey of wholeness in parenting a critically ill child and adopting a family with extraordinary needs."
Bottom Line: For all its length, I blew through this book in a weekend. It's the kind of read where you strap yourself in and hang on for dear life as it pulls you through episodes of incredible grief, struggle, challenge, triumph, tragedy, risk and reward. If it was a novel, you'd never believe it, but it's one family's true story. And what a family.
Bottom Line: For all its length, I blew through this book in a weekend. It's the kind of read where you strap yourself in and hang on for dear life as it pulls you through episodes of incredible grief, struggle, challenge, triumph, tragedy, risk and reward. If it was a novel, you'd never believe it, but it's one family's true story. And what a family.
