Magic Trees of the Mind

Books on Parenting Children With Special Needs

My Review 

This is the first book I read almost ten years ago when I first learned about the extent of my daughter's brain damage. I had adopted her as a six-month infant from Asia, not knowing she apparently had a stroke in utero. It remains the guiding principal behind everything I've done for my daughter since.

The book is not intended for the parents of kids with any sort of brain damage. But if, like me, you're hungry to find out how to help your special-needs child to develop to their best possible potential, then this book can be invaluable.

It's fairly scientific and not for those who get squeamish over descriptions of animal experiments. It's also written for parents, so all the brain talk is done at our level.

Most of us have been told about how our children's brains are so "plastic" that there can be opportunities to get the cells to reconnect along new pathways. This book actually describes how to do this, and provided me with a road map for stimulating specific areas of my daughter's brain.

The chapter on helping the limbic system to develop is, in my opinion, of particular importance for many of us with special-needs kids. It talks about stimulating the part of the brain that creates emotion and empathy. As a baby and toddler, my daughter just didn't like the sensation of being hugged. It took a long time, but she's overcome the hyper-stimulation and loves giving and receiving hugs now.

I can't swear that it's because of things I did after I read this book. But I also can't swear that it isn't.

Reading Level 

What extras does the book include? 

The resource list could be out of date, but it is extensive.

Best For: 

Would you recommend this to a friend? 

Terri Mauro, Children With Special Needs Guide, says:

Here's some more information about Magic Trees of the Mind:

• Authors: Marian Diamond and Janet Hopson
• Subtitle: How to Nurture Your Child's Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth Through Adolescence
• Pages: 480
• Publisher: Plume
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