The Activity Kit for Babies and Toddlers at Risk: How to Use Everyday Routines to Build Social and Communication Skills. Deborah Fein, Molly Helt, Lynn Brennan & Marianne Barton, $22.95

Suspecting that your baby or toddler may have autism spectrum disorder or another developmental delay can be scary and overwhelming. But there is a lot you can do to help, even while waiting for an evaluation or early intervention. With the right tools, everyday tasks can be terrific opportunities for building critical social and communication skills. Start at the kitchen table, bathtub, or shopping cart! In this easy-to-navigate guide, leading experts present more than 100 games and activities designed to support development in children from birth to age three. Your child's daily routines are transformed into learning opportunities that promote crucial abilities, like how to imitate others or use simple hand gestures to convey wants and needs. As a parent, you are the most important person in your child's life. Now you can be the best teacher, too.

Alphabet Kids — From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome: a Guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals. Robbie Woliver, $37.95

From ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to ZS (Zellweger Syndrome) there seems to be an alphabet disorder for almost every behavior, from those caused by serious, rare genetic diseases to more common learning disabilities that hinder children's academic and social progress. This comprehensive, easy-to-read go-to guide will help parents to sort through all the interconnected childhood developmental, neurobiological and psychological disorders and serve as a roadmap to help start the families' journey for correct diagnoses, effective treatment and better understanding of their Alphabet Kids.

Apps for Autism: a Must-Have Resource for the Special Needs Community, Revised 2nd Edition.Lois Jean Brady, $56.50

Speech Language Pathologist Lois Jean Brady wrote this book in order to educate parents, teachers, and other professionals about the breakthrough method she calls “iTherapy” — which is the use of Apple products (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) and various apps (computer applications) in meeting students’ individual educational goals.

Lois believes that all persons on the spectrum can learn how to use technology in a way that is relevant to them. She shares important tips on how to use apps responsibly and effectively by maintaining a child-centered, team approach to teaching and learning, taking into account the individual’s interests, strengths/ challenges, vision, motor planning, attention, sensory processing, memory, cognitive ability, environment, and access to tools. Lois also coaches adults on how they can use prompting and reinforcement techniques to help establish and generalize skills learned, until students are able to consistently demonstrate the skills in various environments (home, school, etc.).

For those who are new to the wonderful world of apps, worry not! Lois provides helpful sections on how to get started, including: Choosing an iDevice, Basic iDevice Operations, Opening an Account, How to Download an App from iTunes, and more. What about apps that released after this book was published? Again — Lois has you covered! Just visit this book’s companion website for reviews of new apps that made the grade.

Autism in the Family: Caring and Coping Together. Robert Naseef, $26.95

How can parents provide the best support for their child with autism — and ensure that the whole family's needs are met? It's a question faced by every parent of a child on the autism spectrum, and this book answers it with keen insight, reassuring honesty, and practical guidance. A psychologist and father of an adult son with autism, Dr. Robert Naseef has both personal and professional expertise to share with overwhelmed families. Weaving wisdom from years of clinical practice with candid first-hand insights on parenting a child from birth through adulthood, Naseef helps parents:

• navigate the complex emotional journey to acceptance
• guide their child's behavior and development at every age
• maintain a strong and mutually supportive marriage
• understand the needs of siblings and provide sensitive support
• collaborate effectively with professionals
• address specific issues like meltdowns, food sensitivities, sleeping, and toileting
• manage stress
• build a strong circle of support with family and friends

Parents will benefit from chapters on navigating their child's adolescence and adulthood, and rare in-depth coverage of the needs, emotions, and parenting experiences of fathers. A warm, down-to-earth, and practical guide for parents — and an enlightening read for the professionals who work with them — this book will be a valuable companion as families love and support their child with autism.

Autism & the Grandparent Connection: Practical Ways to Understand and Help Your Grandchild with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jennifer Krumins, $24.95

For many parents and grandparents a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder is a jolt into a new and largely unknown world. One thing is for certain, parents of children with autism need support ... a lot of support. The role of grandparents cannot be overstated. Grandparents have the power to make life more manageable for your children and your grandchild. You have the potential to enhance the whole family's ability to cope and to build a beautiful relationship with your grandchild.

Filled with practical information, this book will undoubtedly give you the tools you need to provide stability, support and strength to your grandchild with autism. You will be empowered to be the best you can be.

Babies Are Noisy: a Book for Big Brothers and Sisters, Including Those on the Autism Spectrum. Anne-Marie Harrison, $17.95

This engaging illustrated children's book is ideal for preparing young children age 3+ on and off the autism spectrum for the arrival of a new brother or sister. Covering everything from trips to the hospital, what to expect when the baby arrives and the fun, family times to look forward to, BABIES ARE NOISY is mindful of how children with autism think, learn and experience the world and is full of strategies for coping with the sensory issues and routine changes that a new baby brings.

Reflecting the real life situations that families with a child with autism find themselves faced with, this book can be read with parents and professionals to prepare the child for the arrival of their new sibling.

Believe in My Child with Special Needs! Helping Children Achieve their Potential in School. Mary Falvey, $21.95

The Boy in the Moon: a Father's Search for His Disabled Son. Ian Brown, $21.00

Walker Brown was born with a genetic mutation so rare that doctors call it an orphan syndrome: perhaps 300 people around the world also live with it. Walker turned twelve in 2008, but he weighs only 54 pounds, is still in diapers, can’t speak and needs to wear special cuffs on his arms so that he can’t continually hit himself. “Sometimes watching him,” Brown writes, “is like looking at the man in the moon — but you know there is actually no man there. But if Walker is so insubstantial, why does he feel so important? What is he trying to show me?”

In a book that owes its beginnings to Ian Brown’s original Globe and Mail series, he sets out to answer that question, a journey that takes him into deeply touching and troubling territory.

The Boy Who Loved Too Much: a True Story of Pathological Friendliness. Jennifer Latson, $35.00

What would it be like to see everyone as a friend? Twelve-year-old Eli D’Angelo has Williams syndrome — a genetic disorder that obliterates social inhibitions, making him irrepressibly friendly, indiscriminately trusting, and unconditionally loving toward everyone he meets. It also makes him enormously vulnerable. Eli lacks the innate skepticism that will help his peers navigate adolescence more safely — and vastly more successfully.

Journalist Jennifer Latson follows Eli over three critical years of his life as his mother, Gayle, must decide whether to shield Eli entirely from the world and its dangers or give him the freedom to find his own way and become his own person.

By intertwining Eli and Gayle’s story with the science and history of Williams syndrome, the book explores the genetic basis of behavior and the quirks of human nature. More than a case study of a rare disorder, however, The Boy Who Loved Too Much is a universal tale about the joys and struggles of raising a child, of growing up, and of being different.

Breakthrough Parenting for Children with Special Needs: Raising the Bar of Expectations. Judy Winter, $17.99

BREAKTHROUGH PARENTING FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS challenges families and professionals to help children with special needs to reach their full potential by using a proven motivational, how-to approach. This groundbreaking and inspiring book provides detailed information on how to let go of the “perfect-baby” dream, face and resolve grief, avoid the no-false-hope syndrome, access early intervention services, and avoid the use of limiting and outdated labels. Also included are specific guidelines for working with professionals, understanding the law and inclusion and planning for the future.

Building a Joyful Life with Your Child Who has Special Needs. Nancy Whiteman & Linda Roan-Yager, $29.95

All parents want the best for their child, and for parents of children with special needs, this can mean that their own well-being is neglected... This book considers the challenges of caring for children with physical, developmental and mental health disorders and proposes methods such as learning to see events through your child's own eyes, celebrating their strengths and achievements and recognizing how others can help your child. BUILDING A JOYFIL LIFE warns against parents neglecting their own needs, and a range of exercises to be completed by parents will help them to find ways of regaining balance in their lives.

Chasing Miracles. John Crowley, $28.50

This is the moving memoir of the family that inspired the film Extraordinary Measures. When John and Aileen Crowley learned that their two youngest children had Pompe disease, a rare and little understood genetic disorder, they didn’t hope for miracles — they made them happen. 

Cocoa's Collar: Tools to Help Young Children Who Have Special Needs Deal with Death. Garyanna Stalick & Wendy Goodwin, $33.95

Understanding death at any age is difficult. Explaining death to a child with very little functional language is even more of a challenge. Cocoa's Collar is designed to help parents and caregivers give a child with limited language skills the information and support to deal with the death of a loved one. Combining simple speech strategies with grief coping methods, the book demonstrates how to help a child who is functioning at or below the developmental age of three years. Using this information parents can create a social story regarding the circumstances facing their child.

The Common Sense Guide to Your Child’s Special Needs. Louis Pellegrino, $35.95

What does it mean when a child is having difficulty with developmental milestones like walking, talking, and learning to read and write? What are the signs that a disability might be present, and what next steps can parents take to help their child?

Pediatrician Louis Pellegrino gives you clear and down-to-earth answers in this new version of the trusted bestseller When Your Child Has a Disability. Now streamlined and reorganized by key developmental milestones rather than by disability, this book responds perfectly to the needs of parents who don't have a diagnosis yet or want to explore challenges common across disabilities. With reassuring warmth, good humor, and candor, Dr. Pellegrino offers practical guidance on what it means and what to do next when a child struggles with:

• speech and language development
• motor skills development
• daily living skills
• social skills
• behavioral control and attention
• learning and cognitive development
• vision, hearing, and sensory processing
• special medical issues

A go-to guide for families, and a highly accessible resource for professionals, this book will be a mainstay reference for everyone who picks it up. Keep it at your fingertips for a great developmental primer and the guidance you need to take first steps toward resolving a child's challenges.

The Complete Guide to Creating a Special Needs Life Plan. Hal Wright, $35.95

The purpose of special needs planning is to create the best possible life for an adult with a disability. This book provides comprehensive guidance on creating a life plan to transition a special needs child to independence or to ensure they are well cared for in the future. Beginning with a vision of a meaningful life for the child, Hal Wright explains how to form a practical plan to reach these goals, how to mentor personal empowerment and task skills, and how to create circles of support to sustain a life plan. Finally he talks the reader through important financial and legal considerations, including how to fund and manage a special needs trust. This book will be essential reading for all parents or guardians of a child with a cognitive, mental or physical impairment. It will also be of interest to attorneys, financial planners, insurance agents, trust officers and other professionals looking to better serve the special needs community.

Connected Kids: Help Kids with Special Needs (and Autism) Shine with Mindful, Heartfelt Activities. Lorraine Murray, $22.95

In Connected Kids, author Lorraine Murray introduces a range of mindful, heart-felt activities to that will help children to teens learn to relax, de-stress and feel centered. You will discover how to develop bespoke tools that support children with special needs and those on the autism spectrum:

• Learn how meditation can support brain development, emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and learning
• Develop a bespoke meditation ‘toolkit’ to help children and teens to reduce anxiety and stress
• Learn how to use meditation to 'problem solve' and overcome challenges
• Read about worldwide research that supports the use of meditation for health and well-being
• Become empowered with mindful activities that help children to shine

This book is ideal for educators, parents and professionals, especially those with/working with children with additional support needs, including ADD/ADHD, OCD, learning disorders, autism, anxiety, chronic illness, and more.

Constipation, Withholding and Your Child: a Family Guide to Soiling and Wetting. Anthony Cohn, $19.95

Constipation, Withholding and Your Child is a positive, accessible guide to dealing with the common problems of stool withholding, soiling and wetting in young children. It gives insight into the perspectives of both children and parents, enabling a clear understanding of the issue. Using friendly and informal language, the book examines the different causes of toileting problems, including the arrival of siblings and difficulties at school, and provides practical techniques and strategies to help children overcome these problems. It emphasises the importance of diet and offers advice on how to make using the toilet less frightening, the benefits of keeping a stool diary chart, and what laxatives and medications to use in different circumstances. It provides tips on how to tackle inappropriate lavatorial behaviour sensitively and addresses the issues particular to children with special needs.

This book is a reassuring, informative and non-patronising guide to help children overcome toileting problems. It is useful for parents and all professionals who work with children.

The Cookbook for Children with Special Needs: Learning a Life Skill with Fun, Tasty, Healthy Recipes. Deborah French, $29.95

This fully-illustrated book introduces children with special needs to the fundamentals of food preparation, healthy eating and cookery skills. Recipes pitched at three increasing levels of difficulty cover a wide range of skills making the book suitable for all abilities. The importance of health and safety is emphasised throughout.

Co-Parenting from the Inside Out: Voices of Moms and Dads. Karen Kristjanson, $19.99

Effective co-parenting, or sharing significant parenting time with an ex-spouse, is one of the best gifts separated parents can give to their children. The interviews in Co-Parenting from the Inside Out are with real moms and dads in diverse circumstances — including families of children with special needs, same-sex parents, parents with mental illness, parental alienation and high-conflict relations, and more.

Their stories offer insights into wise decision-making, showing them making choices, sometimes struggling, and often growing, as well as practical strategies that strengthen families. Parents can see that they are not alone as they navigate their feelings and build a future. While pain exists in most stories, there is also hope. Co-parents often feel that they have become more confident and compassionate, and parent better than before. The effects of their personal growth and their children’s are the silver lining in the dark pain of divorce.

Karen Kristjanson has brought together real life co-parenting stories that inspire separated parents and help them understand co-parenting better, offering practical tips and tools that directly benefit diverse families.

Different Dads: Fathers' Stories of Parenting Disabled Children. Jill Harrison, Matthew Henderson & Rob Leonard, editors, $24.95

DIFFERENT DADS is a collection of inspiring personal stories written by fathers of children with a disability who reflect on their own experiences and offer advice to other fathers and families on the challenges of raising a child with a disability.

The fathers featured represent a broad spectrum of experience: Their contributions reflect a wide range of cultures and parenting perspectives: single fathers, married fathers and adoptive fathers. What they all have in common are the challenges that face them and their families in raising a child with a disability. Issues explored include the reactions of family, friends and colleagues, how to deal with the organizations and professionals that support families with a disabled child and the difficulty of being open about feelings in a culture that doesn't always expect men to have a sensitive or nurturing role.

Offering direct and thoughtful reflections, this book will be a valuable source of support and information for families with disabled children, and also for health and social care professionals who work with these families.

A Different Kind of Perfect: Writings by Parents on Raising a Child with Special Needs. Edited by Cindy Dowling, Neil Nicoll & Bernadette Thomas, $23.95

Every parent dreams of having a happy, healthy child. What happens when these dreams are shattered by a physical or cognitive disability? A DIFFERENT KIND OF PERFECT offers comfort, consolation, and wisdom from parents who have been there and are finding their way through. The writings collected here are grouped into chapters reflecting the progressive stages of many parents' emotional journeys, starting with grief, denial, and anger and moving towards acceptance, empowerment, laughter, and even joy.

Divorce and the Special Needs Child: a Guide for Parents. Margaret "Pegi" Price, $39.95

Going through a divorce is always tough, but when a child with special needs is involved it can be especially challenging. This book takes a clear and comprehensive look at every aspect of the legal divorce process, and addresses all of the legal issues that divorcing parents of children with special needs face. From agreeing upon child custody arrangements that meet the particular needs of the child, to making provision for child support payments, gathering together the documentation needed to prove a case, and dealing with financial issues such as debts and property distribution, no aspect of divorce is left uncovered. A set of checklists is included to ensure that parents consider everything they need to, and the book concludes with a useful list of further resources.

Written by an experienced family lawyer and divorced mother of a child with autism, this book offers much-needed guidance to divorcing parents of children with a variety of special needs.

The Elephant in the Playroom: Ordinary Parents Write Intimately and Honetly about Raising Kids with Special Needs. Denise Brodey, $14.00

In THE ELEPHANT IN THE PLAYROOM, ordinary parents write intimately and honestly about the extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows of raising kids with special needs. Candid, passionate, personal, and heartbreakingly funny, THE ELEPHANT IN THE PLAYROOM offers a superb view from within the whirlwind of parenting a child with special needs.

Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity. Andrew Solomon, $25.00

Solomon’s startling proposition is that diversity is what unites us all. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities, with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the experience of difference within families is universal, as are the triumphs of love Solomon documents in every chapter.

Drawing on forty thousand pages of interview transcripts with more than three hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges. Woven into their courageous and affirming stories is Solomon’s journey to accepting his own identity, which culminated in his midlife decision, influenced by this research, to become a parent.

Elegantly reported by a spectacularly original thinker, FAR FROM THE TREE explores themes of generosity, acceptance, and tolerance — all rooted in the insight that love can transcend every prejudice. This crucial and revelatory book expands our definition of what it is to be human.

Floortime Strategies to Promote Development in Children and Teens: a User's Guide to the DIR® Model. Andrea Davis, Lahela Isaacson & Michelle Harwell, $39.95

Floortime is a highly effective intervention approach for children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disorders. Now there's a step-by-step guide for parents to learn, and professionals to teach the DIR Floortime® model of helping young people with social, emotional, and cognitive challenges.

This guide takes the research-supported developmental approach to treatment and breaks it down into a curriculum of simple, sequenced strategies you can use right away to support the social and cognitive development of children and teens. Quick instructions and examples for each method are laid out for easy viewing in the midst of a play session. Certified DIR Floortime experts explain the theoretical background and the basics of how to play and interact with children in ways that motivate them, make the most of their natural interests, and help them develop critical new social, emotional, and intellectual capacities. Whether you're a professional or parent, this practical, ready-to-use Floortime guide is an essential addition to your intervention toolkit.

From Isolation to Intimacy: Making Friends without Words. Phoebe Caldwell, $24.95

If you have no language, how can you make yourself understood, let alone make friends? Phoebe Caldwell has worked for many years with people with severe intellectual disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder who are non-verbal, and whose inability to communicate has led to unhappy and often violent behaviour. In this new book she explores the nature of close relationships, and shows how these are based not so much on words as on the ability to listen, pay attention, and respond in terms that are familiar to the other person. Her simple methods are accessible to anyone who lives or works with such people, and can transform lives and introduce a sense of fun, participation and of intimacy, as trust and familiarity are established.

From Like to Love for Young People with Asperger's Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Learning How to Express and Enjoy Affection with Family and Friends. Tony Attwood & Michelle Garnett, $22.95

If your child rarely shows you that he or she loves you, it can be profoundly distressing. This is the experience of many parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder, and most fear that it reflects the truth. In fact the truth has generally more to do with the difficulty that young people with an ASD have in communicating like or love for someone physically and verbally. They may not know how to go about expressing themselves in these ways, or understand that family members and friends can find the absence of demonstrative affection upsetting.

This book provides carefully designed activities for parents to work through with their children to help them to understand and express affection. Their child will learn to identify his or her own and others' comfort and enjoyment range for gestures, actions and words of affection and the different ways to express feelings for someone, appropriate to each relationship and situation. The activities are simple, straightforward, and very carefully structured, so that they can be undertaken at the pace that works for the individual family. The book also guides the adult through the challenges faced by the child, leading to greater understanding and confidence in their relationship with their child, and increased ability to nurture the child's ability to form engaged relationships and friendships with others.

Get Out, Explore and Have Fun! How Families of Children with Autism or Asperger Syndrome Can Get the Most out of Community Activities. Lisa Jo Rudy, $23.95

Many families with a child with autism or Asperger Syndrome feel that involvement in the community is not for them. This book sets out to change that, with a rich and varied menu of suggestions for how families can take full part in community life and support the strengths and interests of their child at the same time. GET OUT, EXPLORE AND HAVE FUN is a guide to what's out there, how to find it, and how to make it work for your family. The book includes hints and tips for involving your family in the right community activities, from sport to science; information on museums, arts organizations and science institutions as venues for an enjoyable and enriching day out for the family. Handouts about autism are included, as well as handouts suggesting ways in which organizations and institutions can successfully include young people with autism in their activities.

Going Solo While Raising Children with Disabilities. Laura Marshak, $33.95

It's a fact that children with disabilities are more likely than other children to be living in single-parent homes. If you're raising a child with disabilities on your own, whether by choice or circumstance, you'll find a wealth of support, affirmation, and practical ideas in this guide to living well.

This is the first book for solo parents whose kids have a wide variety of disabilities (physical, neuro-developmental, and psychiatric), and who are widowed, separated, divorced, single by choice, adoptive or foster parents, or military spouses with deployed partners.

In Going Solo, Laura Marshak skillfully weaves together extensive interviews and survey results of solo mothers and fathers (and grandparents, too) with reliable coping strategies gleaned from 25 years as a practicing psychologist and specialist in disability adjustment. The book's insightful personal narratives and the author's deconstruction of these to offer universal lessons from the basic (e.g., practice mindfulness to de-stress) to the profound (e.g., cultivate gratitude as the antidote to resentment) will help readers assess and transform their own lives for the better. Agencies, extended family, and friends will want a copy of this book, too, to support the solos they care about.

Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs. Charlotte Thompson, $24.95

When a new baby is born into a family, grandparents are excited about having a baby to enjoy and love. If the child is born with a disability, it can be difficult to know how to react and how best to help the child and the family as a whole. This book provides guidance on how to grandparent a child with special needs and give every grandchild the love and care they deserve and parents the added support they need.

Grandparents of Children with Disabilities: Theoretical Perspectives of Intergenerational Relationships. Liora Findler & Orit Taubman-BenAri, $75.95

This briefs offers a comprehensive view of the journey of grandparents of children with disabilities by employing a wide range of theoretical approaches such as intergenerational relationships, positive psychology, psychoanalytic views and models of stress. It presents a multidimensional view of grandparents, which begins with the general role of grandparents in the family and the transition to grandparenthood, as a major life event. The briefs moves on to discuss grandparents’ roles under unique circumstances such as illness or disability in the family and then deals with perspectives of parents of children with disabilities on the role of grandparents. Finally, it reviews attitudes of professionals toward grandparents and concludes with suggested intervention strategies for working with families on intergenerational relationships.

How to Detect Developmental Delay and What to Do Next: Practical Interventions for Home and School. Mary Mountstephen, $22.95

If a child is not meeting expected milestones it can be a source of great anxiety for parents and teachers. This forthright guide offers practical advice on how to recognize the signs of developmental delay, address difficulties effectively, and help the child to flourish. By clearly explaining how children develop, drawing on the expertise of a number of specialists in the field and detailing straightforward interventions, the author enables parents and teachers to identify a wide range of problems and empowers them with the information they need to take action. Concise and accessible, this book provides a wealth of useful advice on how to address developmental delay, and will prove invaluable to parents, teachers and other professionals working with children.

How to Explain a Diagnosis to a Child: an Interactive Resource Guide for Parents and Professionals. Janet Arnold & Francine McLeod, $25.50

How to Explain a Diagnosis to a Child is a resource to guide parents and professionals through what can be a very sensitive process. This step-by-step guide includes templates and worksheets that can be tailored to meet the individual needs of the child and their families embrace who they are, regardless of a diagnosis. This may include Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Learning Disabilities (LDs), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, etc. This guide may help answer those difficult questions regarding:

• Why parents decide to tell?
• Why parents may not tell?
• When to tell?
• Who should tell?
• What information to share?
• How do I explain?

Sessions include various topics such as celebrating differences, reviewing strengths and challenges, identifying learning style, understanding relationships, addressing questions about a diagnosis and others. This guide may help to build a child's confidence and empower them to advocate for themselves.

Immortal Bird: a Family Memoir. Doron Weber, $18.99

A family’s love lies at the heart of this gifted boy’s fight to survive. Born with a congenital heart defect that required surgery when he was a baby, Damon Weber lives a big life with spirit and independence that have always been a source of pride to his parents, Doron and Shealagh. But when Damon is diagnosed with a new illness as a teenager, his triumphant coming-of-age tale turns into a darker and more dramatic quest: his family’s race against time and a flawed heath care system.

IMMORTAL BIRD is a searing account of a father’s struggle to save his remarkable son, a story of a young boy’s passion for life, and a tribute to his family’s love. It is also a story of the perils of modern medicine and the redemptive power of art in the face of the unthinkable.

Indian Head Massage for Special Needs: Easy-to-Learn, Adaptable Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Promote Well-Being. Giuliana Fenwick, $29.95

This complete manual introduces unique Indian head massage techniques to help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, calm sensory overloads, improve sleep patterns, ease frustration and boost mental, physical and emotional wellbeing in people of all ages with special needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Developed by Giuliana Fenwick through work with her son, and extensively trialled in schools and specialist colleges, this tailored Indian head massage is perfect for anyone looking to provide additional support to people with special needs, including parents and carers, teachers, teaching assistants and other school staff, complementary therapists and any other professionals working with people with special needs.

Jesse: a Mother’s Story. Marianne Leone, $21.99

Jesse Cooper was an honor-roll student who loved to windsurf and write poetry. He also had severe cerebral palsy and was quadriplegic, unable to speak, and wracked by seizures. He died suddenly at age seventeen.

In fiercely honest, surprisingly funny, and sometimes heartbreaking prose, Jesse's mother, Marianne Leone, chronicles her transformation by the remarkable life and untimely death of her child. An unforgettable memoir of joy, grief, and triumph, JESSE: A MOTHER'S STORY unlocks the secret of unconditional love and speaks to all families who strive to do right by their children.

Just One of the Kids: Raising a Resilient Family When One of Your Children Has a Physical Disability. Kay Harris Kriegsman & Sara Palmer, $30.95

If you have a child with a physical disability, how can you plan your family’s life in a way that is inclusive for everyone? What can you do to create a family where every member pulls his or her own weight (in appropriate measure), meets challenges, and has moments in the spotlight along the way? Most parents of a child who has a physical disability want their child to have fun, be responsible, make friends, and take acceptable risks — in short, to feel like "just one of the kids" — and they want to make sure that the needs of the whole family are met, too.

Just One of the Kids is designed to help parents focus not on what could have been but instead on what can be, so that they, their children, and the grandparents thrive as individuals and as a family. The advice from psychologists Kay Harris Kriegsman and Sara Palmer is valuable for any family with children who have a physical disability, from any cause. Their warm and encouraging book is full of family stories, tips, and tools. Parents of children with physical disabilities can help them develop the skills needed to meet life’s challenges and launch into independence. Parents, building on that foundation and acknowledging each person’s contributions, interests, and aspirations, create an inclusive and resilient family.

Just Take a Bite: Easy, Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges! Lori Ernsperger & Tania Stegen-Hanson, $35.50

Is your child a “picky” eater or a full-fledged resistant eater? Does he or she eat only a few foods, refusing all others? Eat from only one food group? Gag, tantrum, or become anxious if you introduce new foods? If so, you have a resistant eater. Learn the possible causes, when you need professional help, and how to deal with the behavior at home. Learn about:

• Gastrointestinal, Physical, and Oral-Motor Development
• Environmental and Behavioral Factors in Problem Eating
• Sensory and Motor Based Problems Affecting the Resistant Eater
• Designing and Implementing a Treatment Plan

Kids, Music 'n' Autism: Bringing Out the Music in Your Child. Dorita Berger, $21.95

Many children with autism feel a natural connection with music, but don't always find it easy to participate in musical activities. Packed with tips, advice and activities, this book shows how music and rhythm can help with brain development and quality of life, and how to encourage a genuine enjoyment of music.

Dr Berger draws on her many years of experience in music-based clinical work, teaching and coaching, to answer common questions regarding musical interactions for children with autism. From what instrument to choose, how to find the right teacher, how to get your child to practice music, and even taking children to public music events, this book has all the essential information for you to dip into as and when needed. With practical information to help you solve problems that may arise, such as sensory overload, let this book guide you and your child towards positive interactions with music, regardless of whether or not they have prior musical abilities.

A Kinder Way: a Parent's Crisis Intervention Plan. Teresa Patricia Murphy, $17.95

Aggressive symptoms are a significant and challenging part of life for some individuals with developmental and neurocognitive disorders. Accounts of caregivers reaching their breaking points and the hardships that these symptoms evoke are regularly featured in the media. A Kinder Way shares information about stressors, signs of escalation, and preventative strategies. Most importantly, it offers a non-invasive crisis intervention plan because when preventative measures fall short and a crisis ensues a safe, effective plan of action is essential. This book is for family caregivers, support workers, and educational staff who want to employ the least restrictive measures possible to encourage and support an individual's efforts to safely arrive at a calmer state when a crisis occurs.

Kindergarten and ASD: How to Get the Best Possible Experience for Your Child. Margaret Oliver, $26.95

Kids with ASD take a big leap when they start kindergarten and parents have as much to learn about school expectations and available services. This book will take away the stress of the move to kindergarten, giving parents key information and the "how-to's" to make the transition as smooth as possible and be the best advocates for their child. In a warm, parent-to-parent style, Margaret Oliver explains the essentials of how the educational system is structured, how special education laws are applied, and what current educational trends mean for individual children. She also gives strategies to overcome sensory, behavioral, social, emotional and communication difficulties.

Life Beyond the Classroom: Transition Strategies for Young People with Disabilities, Fourth Edition. Paul Wehman, $86.50

This fourth edition of LIFE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM brings together current, comprehensive information on facilitating transitions for young people with mild, moderate, or severe disabilities. Readers will also get updated information throughout the book on transition planning, ensuring access to the general education curriculum, pursuing post-secondary education, helping individuals secure housing, meeting the specific needs of young people with a range of disabilities, and navigating the complex challenges of transition.

LIFELINE: a Parent's Guide to Coping with a Child's Serious or Life-Threatening Medical Issues. Denise Morett, $16.95

LIFELINE provides validation and support along with tools and strategies on how to cope with a child’s life threatening illness. Denise Morett is a psychologist with over 25 years of experience treating individuals and families, including those with a family member facing serious or life-threatening medical issues. Dr. Morett found herself in those exact circumstances when her son was diagnosed with a very rare, life-threatening illness. Driven by her own search for supportive resources, Dr. Morett provides ways to cope with one of the most challenging circumstances a parent can encounter.

Managing Your Child's Chronic Pain. Tonya Palermo & Emily Law, $24.95

Studies suggest that as many as four out of ten children and adolescents suffer from chronic pain. The causes of chronic pain in young people vary, from illness-related causes to pain following medical procedures. In fact, in some children the cause of chronic pain is never explained.

Managing Your Child's Chronic Pain is an invaluable resource for parents who wish to learn how to help their children and families cope with persisting pain using cutting-edge, scientifically proven treatment tools and techniques. The easy-to-implement strategies in this book provide parents with practical instructions for pain management that will enable children to return to school, participate in sports and other activities, and pursue healthy and active social lives. With guidance on how to prevent relapse, maintain improvements, and prevent future problems with pain and disability, Managing Your Child's Chronic Pain will empower parents to take a hands-on approach to relieving their child's pain.

Meet Me Where I'm At. Cindy Best & Joyce Shor Johnson, $16.95

The many gifted and spirited children the author works with at A.R.T.S (Adaptive art. Respite. & Therapeutic play. Services.) inspired her to write this book. Often times, she noticed children felt misunderstood at home and school, and in the community. This book helps children understand how they are wired and it gives them a way to communicate without having to express it verbally or face-to-face. It provides something concrete that could be individualized and given to new teachers, coaches, or friends to help them understand who the child is and how he or she functions best. Another very important lesson acquired from this book is, it teaches children how to become advocates for themselves.

More Than a Mom: Living a Full and Balanced Life When Your Child Has Special Needs. Amy Baskin & Heather Fawcett, $31.95

More Than a Mom is a lifeline of information and advice for mothers who have children with developmental or physical disabilities, mental health or learning issues, or chronic medical conditions. With the authors' skillful blend of research, personal experiences, and feedback from over 500 mothers across North America this book is jam-packed with practical strategies, advice, and reassurance for mothers trying to create more manageable and fulfilling lives. Learn how to:

• Pay attention to your own needs
• Maintain physical and emotional health
• Eat right and get enough sleep
• Nurture your marriage
• Cope with the demands of daily life
• Seek flexible work options
• Find quality child care
• Make and keep friends
• Juggle career and homeAdvocate for your child

The underlying messages for mothers is simple: Don't lose sight of yourself — your goals, dreams, relationships, or career — despite the intensive demands of raising a child with special needs. More Than a Mom explains why it is important to find balance in your life — and how to do it.

Mothering Special Needs: a Different Maternal Journey. Anna Karin Kingston, $33.95

This book explores the lived experience of mothers raising a child with a learning disability, through interviews with mothers of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Down syndrome.

MOTHERING SPECIAL NEEDS encourages other women who have children with special needs to recognize and express their own aspirations and needs for self-fulfillment. It addresses the social construction of motherhood, discussing issues such as mother-blame and society's images of the self-sacrificing mother, in the context of raising a child with a learning disability.

My Baby Rides the Short Bus: the Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids with Disabilities. Yantra Bertelli, Jennifer Silverman & Sarah Talbot, Editors. $22.50

Featuring works by “alternative” parents who have attempted to move away from mainstream thought — or remove its influence altogether — this anthology, taken as a whole, carefully considers the implications of parenting while raising children with disabilities. This assortment of authentic, shared experiences from parents at the fringe of the fringes is a partial antidote to the stories that misrepresent, ridicule, and objectify disabled kids and their parents.

No More Meltdowns: Positive Strategies for Managing and Preventing Out-of-Control Behavior. Jed Baker, $19.50

Meltdowns are stressful for both child and adult. Author of the award-winning Social Skills Picture Book series, Dr. Jed Baker offers parents and teachers strategies for understanding, preventing and managing meltdowns. His 20+ years of experience working with children on the autism spectrum, combined with his personal experiences raising his own children, have yielded time-tested strategies, and results.

Not What I Expected: Help and Hope for Parents of Atypical Children. Rita Eichenstein, $23.00

A pediatric neuropsychologist presents strategies to help parents of special-needs children navigate the emotional challenges they face.

As diagnosis rates continue to rise for autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, and other developmental differences, parents face a maze of medical, psychological, and educational choices — and a great deal of emotional stress. Many books address children’s learning or behavior problems and advise parents what they can do to help their kids, but until Not What I Expected: Help and Hope for Parents of Atypical Children there were no books that explain what the parents are going through — and how they can cope with their own emotional upheaval — for their own sake, and for the wellbeing of the whole family.  

With compassion, clarity, and an emphasis on practical solutions, Dr. Rita Eichenstein helps readers understand their own emotional experience. The book shows parent how to nurture themselves in addition to their kids, identify and address relationship wounds including tension in a marriage and struggles with children (special-needs and neurotypical), and embrace their child with acceptance, compassion and joy.

Opening Doors, Opening Lives.  Jennifer Greening, $15.95

Have you ever wondered what it takes to educate your child with special needs in their neighborhood school? In OPENING DOORS, OPENING LIVES, author Jennifer Greening tells the story of her personal experiences related to getting her daughter integrated into the general education system. Written in a style that is gentle and friendly, OPENING DOORS, OPENING LIVES will encourage parents of children with special needs with practical ways they can support their own child's educational journey.

Ordinary Families, Special Children: a Systems Approach to Childhood Disability, 3rd Edition. Milton Seligman & Rosalyn Benjamin Darling, $52.50

Now in a revised and expanded third edition, this popular clinical reference and text provides a multi-systems perspective on childhood disability and its effects on family life. The volume examines how child, family, ecological, and socio-cultural variables intertwine to shape the ways families respond to disability, and how professionals can promote coping, adaptation, and empowerment. Accessible and engaging, the book integrates theory and research with vignettes and firsthand reflections from family members.

Parenting ASD Teens: a Guide to Making It Up as You Go. Andrew Schlegelmilch, $22.95

This straight-talking and accessible guide for parents of teenagers on the autism spectrum provides down-to-earth advice on coping with the more difficult issues that can arise at home and school during the adolescent years.

Andrew Schlegelmilch discusses common parenting challenges and offers advice drawn from his extensive experience working with teenagers with autism and their families as Head Psychologist at a college preparatory school. He offers parents professional guidance on what to do about falling grades, how to handle adolescent tantrums, how to talk about sex and sexuality with your child, how to help your child with peer relationships, how to keep your child safe online, and what to do if you suspect your child has mental health problems. Integral to the discussion is how to set realistic expectations and encourage independence in ways that work for both your child with autism and the rest of the family, as well as how to make the best use of the help professionals can offer.

Parenting Through the Storm: How to Handle the Highs, the Lows, and Everything in Between. Ann Douglas, $22.99

Ann Douglas knows what it’s like to parent a child diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Ditto with depression, anorexia, Asperger syndrome and ADHD. Each of her four children has struggled with one or more conditions that fall under the “children’s mental health” umbrella.

From Canada’s bestselling and trusted parenting authority comes this honest and authoritative compendium of advice for parents who are living with children who have mental illnesses. It features interviews with experts on children’s mental health as well as parents and young people who have lived with (or who are living with) mental illness. Drawing on her own experience and expertise, Ann shows how to cope with years of worry and frustration about a child’s behaviour; how to effectively advocate for the child and work through treatments; how to manage siblings’ concerns and emotions; and, most importantly, how to thrive as a family.

The Parents Guide to Autism: the Proven Path to Success. Anne Carol Sharples, $19.99

The Parents Guide to Autism is filled with the kinds of practical suggestions that parents need to help their children with autism — and to help themselves — to cope with the many stresses involved in schooling, the community, and at home. Beginning with the diagnoses, at any age, Carol Anne Sharples takes parents through issues of communication, behaviour, bullying, and navigating the complexities of the social world.

Simple, accessible, and practical, The Parents Guide to Autism is a hands-on guide ofr parents, teachers, and anyone who wants to help a child with autism thrive.

The Parent's Guide to Occupational Therapy for Autism and Other Special Needs: Practical Strategies for Motor Skills, Sensory Integration, Toilet Training, and More. Cara Koscinkski, $22.95

This essential guide for parents of children with autism and other special needs covers sensory processing, toileting, feeding, and much more. It provides clear explanations of common behaviors and offers simple exercises to support development at home. With the help of this handy guide, you can bring tried and tested occupational therapy activities into your home and encourage your child to succeed with everyday tasks while having fun in the process.

Parents Have the Power to Make Special Education Work: an Insider Guide. Judith Canty Graves & Carson Graves, $24.95

Written by parents who have been through the special education system, this book cuts through the jargon to provide other parents with a no-nonsense road map full of valuable first-hand insights and tried-and-tested advice. The authors clearly describe:

• The special education process, including the school hierarchies parents are likely to encounter and etiquette to be aware of when dealing with school personnel
• The information parents should expect to see in school evaluations and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and what to do when this information is missing or insufficient
• Problems parents may encounter when the needs of the school conflict with the needs of a child, including how to deal with such situations and when to seek legal advice
• The importance of organizing special education documentation and establishing a 'paper trail', and how to begin this process
• Why transition planning is so important, and transition services parents may want to consider for their child.

Demonstrating that parents really do have the power to make special education work for their child, this empowering guide is essential reading for parents of children with disabilities who are new to the special education system, as well as those who feel frustrated with the system.

The Pocket Occupational Therapist for Families of Children with Special Needs. Cara Koscinski, $25.95

If you are unsure about what occupational therapy (OT) is and how it can help your child, this accessible overview is for you. Answering all of the common questions about the issues an occupational therapist might address with a child with special needs, including core muscle strength, feeding, fine motor skills, sensory sensitivities, transitions and life-skills, this book also offers simple activities to practice at home that are inexpensive, fun and, most-importantly, OT-approved.

This will be an illuminating and essential guide for parents and carers of children with physical and developmental disabilities or parents of children in rehabilitation from illness or injury. Professionals who want to learn more about the principles and practicalities of occupational therapy will also find it useful.

Positive Discipline for Children with Special Needs: Raising and Teaching All Children to Become Resilient, Responsible and Respectful. Jane Nelsen, Steven Foster & Arlene Raphael, $20.95

Every child deserves to lead a happy and fulfilling life. For parents and teachers of children with special needs, helping their child to not only negotiate daily challenges, but to live fulfilling, meaningful lives, can be the most difficult challenge they will face. Over the years, millions of parents and teachers have come to trust Jane Nelsen’s classic Positive Discipline series for its consistent, commonsense approach to childrearing. Now, the bestselling series addresses the specific challenges that parents and teachers of children with special needs face, and offers them straightforward advice for supporting them in positive ways. In these pages are practical solutions to challenges such as:

Learning to look beyond diagnostic labels • Believing in each child's potential regardless of his/her stage of development • Helping children integrate socially and interact with their peers • Coping with the frustration that inevitably occurs when a child is being difficult • Strengthening a child's sense of belonging and significance • And Many More!

The Power of Different: the Link between Disorder and Genius. Gail Saltz, $22.50

In The Power of Different, psychiatrist and bestselling author Gail Saltz examines the latest scientific discoveries, profiles famous geniuses who have been diagnosed with all manner of brain “problems” — including learning disabilities, ADD, anxiety, Depression, Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and Autism — and tells the stories of lay individuals to demonstrate how specific deficits in certain areas of the brain are directly associated with the potential for great talent. Saltz shows how the very conditions that cause people to experience difficulty at school, in social situations, at home, or at work, are inextricably bound to creative, disciplinary, artistic, empathetic, and cognitive abilities.

In this pioneering work, readers will find engaging scientific research and stories from historical geniuses and everyday individuals who have not only made the most of their conditions, but who have flourished because of them. They are leaning into their brain differences to identify areas of interest and expertise; create the environments that best foster their talents; and forge rewarding interpersonal relationships.

Enlightening and inspiring, The Power of Different proves that the unique wiring of every brain can be a source of strength and productivity, and contributes to the richness of our world.

Raising Special Kids: a Group Program for Parents of Children with Special Needs, Facilitator's Manual. Jared Massanari & Alice Massanari, $17.95

Raising Special Kids: a Group Program for Parents of Children with Special Needs, Parent Guidebook. Jared Massanari & Alice Massanari, $32.95

This eight-session group program is a mutual support program that allows parents to share stories and explore what works and what doesn't in their unique relationships between their children and families. Each chapter presents a central theme that weaves together their own needs and the needs of their child. The program focuses on:

• Encouraging parents to explore their own very intense emotional responses to raising a child with special needs.
• Helping parents identify their lost dreams, express feelings that accompany loss, and, at the same time, deeply love the child now in their lives.
• Helping parents experience the gifts that their child offers.
• Encouraging parents to practice self-care and appreciate all that they do for their child.
• Strengthening both the parent-child connection and the family as a whole.
• Improving family communication and developing skills to help children reach optimal potential.

RAISING SPECIAL KIDS offers insights and guidance for any parent facing the challenges of raising a child with physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional special needs.

Ready, Set, Potty! Toilet Training for Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disorders. Brenda Batts, $25.95

Potty training a child with developmental disorders can be a real challenge, and sometimes the extra difficulties make you feel as though you've tried everything, and failed.

Bursting with ideas on how to see past conventional strategies and adapt toilet training to suit your child, this book outlines methods that have helped even the most despairing of parents and caregivers. Examples of success stories range from two-year-olds to adults aged 20, and show that no matter how difficult it may seem, a little creativity and adaptation can get anyone toilet trained, even when all previous attempts have failed. The program itself is supported by plenty of helpful hints and tips, and covers all you need to get your child past the diaper stage and help them to achieve a big step towards independence.

When Jennifer Groneberg and her husband learned they'd be having twin boys, their main concern was whether they'd need an addition on their house. Then, five days after Avery and Bennett were born, Avery was diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Here, Jennifer shares the story of what followed. This book is a resource, a companion for parents, and above all, a story of the love between a mother and her son, as she learns that Avery is exactly the child she never knew she wanted.

The Shape of the Eye: a Memoir. George Estreich, $18.00

When Laura Estreich is born, her eyes present a puzzle: Does their shape indicate Down syndrome, or simply the fact that she has a Japanese grandmother? In this powerful memoir, poet George Extreich reflects on his daughter’s inheritance — from the family history that precedes her to the legacy of her genes, to mistaken portrayals of Down syndrome today. Against this backdrop hew shows us a child who is quirky and real — and loved for everything ordinary and extraordinary about her.

Sleep Better! A Guide to Improving Sleep for Children with Special Needs, Revised Edition. V. Mark Durand, $33.50

From bedtime tantrums to bedwetting, sleep problems can be one of the biggest sources of worry and frustration for parents of children with special needs. Help is here in this down-to-earth, nonjudgmental guide, packed with widely tested, easy-to-use techniques that work for all children, with and without disabilities. This fully updated edition includes help for parents who usually struggle with nighttime problems. Without preaching or proposing a “one right way” to solve problems, psychologist and father Mark Durand helps families tackle sleep issues with optimism and proven strategies drawn from clinical and personal experience. A must-own for tired parents everywhere, this warm and wise guidebook will put sleep problems to bed and help whole families get the rest they need. 

This flexible book includes valuable background information on understanding and assessing sleep problems, with highly effective strategies for children with special needs such as autism, Tourette syndrome, and cerebral palsy. It helps parents develop a positive outlook and attitude as they work to resolve their child’s challenges, and includes help for parents who struggle with their own nighttime problems. SOLVE SLEEP ISSUES LIKE:

• Bedtime tantrums
• Night waking
• Sleep terrors
• Bed wetting
• Sleep schedule problems
• Sleepwalking and sleep talking
• Insomnia
• Tooth-grinding
• Periodic limb movements

Small Steps Forward: Using Games and Activities to Help Your Pre-School Child with Special Needs, 2nd edition. Sarah Newman, $27.95

SMALL STEPS FORWARD includes up-to-date research and practice, providing parents and caregivers with the information they need and a host of ideas to encourage their child's development. The games and activities use toys and materials which most children will already have, and involve no special preparation. Sarah Newman divides skill development into six areas — cognitive, linguistic, physical, sensory, social and emotional — for convenient reference. The book also deals with issues like behavior management, toilet-training and sleep problems.

Special Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free. Judy Converse, $20.00

At last — nutrition strategies designed to lessen dependence on prescription medications and to help your child thrive. The book’s nutrition-focused tools help minimize meds and maximize health and well-being. Covers autism, asthma, ADHD, allergies, mood disorders and learning problems.

The Special Needs School Survival Guide: Handbook for Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, Learning Disabilities and More. Cara Koscinski, $21.95

The Special Needs SCHOOL Survival Guide is the handbook that will answer your questions about school accommodations, how to work with school personnel for government assisted programs, autism, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) in the classroom, learning disabilities, handwriting, ADHD, Individual Education Programs (IEPs), behavior, dysgraphia, and more! Cara's knowledge is quite in-depth as to how to acquire the necessities for your child's success by utilizing various government or school-based programs. This book contains easy to follow school activities. The Q & A format makes the book easy to read and understand. This book will prove to be a resource you will use frequently as your student with special needs progresses through school.

Spiritual Healing with Children with Special Needs. Bob Woodward, $32.95

SPIRITUAL HEALING WITH CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS gives a fascinating account of individual healing sessions with children with complex special needs and moderate to severe learning difficulties. From his perspective as both spiritual healer and curative educator, the author demonstrates the benefits of spiritual healing for these children as a natural, non-invasive, holistic approach that restores balance and harmony to body, soul and spirit.

SuperNourishment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Practical Nutritional Approach to Optimizing Diet for Whole Brain and Body Health. Angelette Müller, $24.95

Full of simple yet innovative recipes, this book provides a comprehensive guide to keeping your child on the autism spectrum healthy through a nutritionally dense diet while addressing their needs and individual eating challenges. It also includes practical tips on everything from how to transform a limited diet to how to shop for what you need.

Talking Teenagers: Information and Inspiration for Parents of Teenagers with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome. Ann Boushéy, $27.95

TALKING TEENAGERS covers everyday topics and explores the challenges of parenting across the spectrum during the teenage years. Parents will come away with a sense of empowerment and feeling that they are not alone, while professionals will gain a valuable and compassionate insight into the world of parenting a teenager on the autism spectrum.

Teaching Your Child with Love and Skill: a Guide for Parents and Other Educators of Children with Autism, Including Moderate to Severe Autism. Joyce Show, $31.95

Guided by love, faith and unwavering resolve, Joyce Show offers practical advice based on her experiences as both a mother and a physician. She takes the reader by the hand through all the steps of cognitive, social, and emotional development from initial engagement to abstract thinking, and provides straightforward primers for popular interventions such as Floortime and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Parents will learn how to motivate play, build up communication, deal with challenging behaviors, and teach important everyday life skills, while growing in a trusting relationship with their child.

This book offers encouragement and guidance to the parents of any child on the autism spectrum whether high or low functioning, as well as the teachers, therapists, family members, and friends who support them.

Understanding Your Young Child with Special Needs. Pamela Bartram, $16.95

UNDERSTANDING YOUR YOUNG CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS explores the developmental impact of disability on normal stages of child development, and examines the complex nature of the emotional bonds between parents and their children with special needs.

What to Do about Smearing: a Practical Guide for Parents and Caregivers of People with Autism, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. Kate Reynolds, illustrated by Lucy Pulleyblank, $21.95

With practical advice and examples of interventions, this supportive book presents positive ways to manage faecal smearing in children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities. Explaining the root causes of smearing for better understanding, this is a reassuring resource for families and professionals who experience smearing behaviour.

When the School Says No... How to Get the Yes! Securing Special Education Services for Your Child. Vaughn Lauer, $31.95

When planning a child's Individualized Education Program (IEP), it is vital that parents and educators are involved in collaborative decision making. This book offers parents of children with autism and other disabilities a unique way of approaching and tackling the problems that can arise relating to the provision of special education services. Taking a structured, cooperative approach to IEPs, the easily applicable six question process enables parents to determine the needs of their child and obtain the services required by asking key questions during IEP meetings. Explaining the approach through real life scenarios and issues, this book demonstrates how to achieve effective collaboration with school personnel, ensuring the child receives the appropriate and necessary educational program and services.

Yoga Therapy for Every Special Child: Meeting Needs in a Natural Setting. Nancy Williams, Illustrated by Leslie White, $22.95

Yoga therapy is gaining rapid recognition as a form of treatment that can improve the physical and mental wellbeing of children with a variety of complex needs. This book contains a specially-designed yoga program for use with children of all abilities, and provides both parents and professionals with the knowledge they need to carry out the therapy themselves.

The program consists of a series of postures, each of which is explained and accompanied by an illustration. The postures are designed to help children understand and use their bodies, and work towards positive changes such as realigning the spine, encouraging eye-contact, and promoting calm and steady breathing. Consideration is given to creating the right setting for carrying out the therapy, assessing an individual child's particular needs, and making the sessions fun using games and props. Sections on yoga therapy for specific conditions such as autistic spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy are included, and the book concludes with child and parent reports on how the program has worked for them, and a list of useful contacts and resources.

This practical book is a must for parents, teachers, therapists and other professionals, and anybody else who wants to help a child to develop through enjoyable and therapeutic yoga sessions.

Your Struggling Child: a Guide to Understanding & Advocating for Your Child with Learning, Behavior or Emotional Problems. Robert Newby, $19.99

Here is a practical, compassionate book parents can turn to when they first recognize that their child has a "problem" but aren't sure what it is or where to seek help. This book explains the different and overlapping symptoms of learning, mood, and behavior disorders and guides parents in getting the right diagnosis and treatment. Clear and comprehensive, this supportive guide will be every parent's first line of defense in helping a troubled child.