Caregiver Resources

Skip to: Special Needs: General • Fun and Relaxation • Legal Information • Special Education: General • Special Education: Early Childhood • Special Education: Higher Education • Behavior • Developmental Disabilities • Emotional and Mental Health • Learning Disabilities, Learning Differences, Learning Difficulties • Reading Difficulties • Speech and Language Impairments • ADD, ADHD, and Hyperactivity • Asperger Syndrome • Autism • Blindness and Visual Impairment • Cerebral Palsy • Deafness and Hearing Impairment • Down Syndrome • Dyslexia • Fragile X syndrome • Muscular Dystrophy • Obsessive-compulsive Disorder • Oppositional Defiant Disorder • Sensory Integration Dysfunction • Spina Bifida • Tourette Syndrome • Personal and Family Perspectives • Suspected Risk Factors 

Children’s Health and Development: General Topics

• Brazleton, T. Berry. The Children’s Hospital Guide to Your Child’s Health and Development, 2001.
• Kimball, Chad T., editor. Childhood Diseases and Disorders Sourcebook, 2003. (Health Reference Series)
• Massimini, Kathy. Genetic Disorders Source Book: Basic Consumer Health Information about Hereditary Diseases and Disorders, 2000.
• Rapp, Doris J. Is This Your Child?: Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies, 1991.

Special Needs: General

• Albrecht, Donna G. Raising a Child Who Has a Physical Disability, 1995.
• Brinkerhoff, Shirley. Why Can’t I Learn Like Everyone Else? Youth with Learning Disabilities, 2004.
• Feinberg, Sandra. Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians, 1999.
• Hale, Natalie. Oh, Brother! Growing up with a Special Needs Sibling, 2004.
• James, Sheryl. Take My Hand: Inspirational Messages for Parents of a Special Needs Child, 2004.
• Newman, Sarah. Stepping Out: Using Games and Activities to Help Your Child with Special Needs, 2004.
• Sweeney, Wilma, K. The Special-Needs Reading List: An Annotated Guide to the Best Publications for Parents and Professionals, 1998.

Fun and Relaxation

• Kranowitz, Carol Stock. The Out-of-sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction, 2003.
• Marsh, Valerie. Beyond Words: Great Stories for Hand and Voice, 1995.
• Oppenheim, Joanne. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio: The Best Toys, Books, Videos, Music & Software for Kids, 2005. Includes a chapter on the best items for kids with special needs (plus additional resources for their parents).
• Programs for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, 1999. Includes a directory of agencies and organizations providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities in Illinois.

Legal Information

• Daugherty, Richard F. Special Education: A Summary of Legal Requirements, Terms, and Trends, 2001.
• Esherick, Joan. Guaranteed Rights: The Legislation That Protects Youth with Special Needs, 2004 (Youth With Special Needs Series)

Special Education: General

• Anderson, Winifred. Negotiating the Special Education Maze: A Guide for Parents & Teachers, 1997.
• Mayerson, Gary. How to Compromise with Your School District Without Compromising Your Child, 2004. Minskoff, Esther H. Academic Success Strategies for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities and ADHD, 2003.
• Pierangelo, Roger. Parents’ Complete Special Education Guide: Tips, Techniques, and Materials for Helping Your Child Succeed in School and Life, 1996.
• Siegel, Lawrence M. The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for your Special Ed Child, 2000.
• Unger, Harlow G. The Learning Disabilities Trap: How to Save Your Child From the Perils of Special Education, 1998.

Special Education: Early Childhood

• Bell, Susan H. Challenging Behaviors in Early Childhood Settings: Creating a Place for All Children, 2004.

Special Education: Higher Education

• Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities and ADD, 2003.
• Kravets, Marybeth. The K & W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder, 2003.
• Mooney, Jonathan. Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution, 2000.
• Scheiber, Barbara. Unlocking Potential: College and Other Choices for Learning Disabled People: A Step-by-step Guide, 1987.

Behavior

• Bell, Susan H. Challenging Behaviors in Early Childhood Settings: Creating a Place for All Children, 2004.
• Challenging Behaviors in Young Children: Technique and Solutions, 2004. DVD
• Couris, Dianne. Who’s Running Things Around Here Anyway?! A Parent-to-Parent Guide to Changing Your Child’s Behavior, 2004.
• Greene, Ross W. The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children, 1998.
• Greenspan, Stanley I. The Challenging Child: Understanding, Raising, and Enjoying the Five “Difficult” Types of Children, 1995.
• Heininger, Janet E. From Chaos to Calm: Effective Parenting of Challenging Children with ADHD and Other Behavioral Problems, 2001.
• Smith, Karen A. The Sensory Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior, 2004.
• Sommers-Flanagan, Rita. Problem Child or Quirky Kid?: A Commonsense Guide; How to Help Kids Who Don’t Fit In, Can’t Get Along, Are Too Fearful, Sad, Anxious, or Angry, and More…, 2002.
• Turecki, Stanley. The Difficult Child, 2000.

Developmental Disabilities

• Programs for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, 1999. Includes a directory of agencies and organizations providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities in Illinois.

Emotional and Mental Health

• Brooks, Barbara. The Scared Child: Helping Kids Overcome Traumatic Events, 1998.
• Dacey, John S. Your Anxious Child: How Parents and Teachers Can Relieve Anxiety in Children, 2000.
• Fristad, Mary A. Raising a Moody Child: How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder, 2004.
• Papolos, Demitri F. The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood’s Most Misunderstood Disorder, 1999.
• Wilens, Timothy E. Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids, 2004.

Learning Disabilities, Learning Differences, Learning Difficulties

• Brinkerhoff, Shirley. Why Can’t I Learn Like Everyone Else? Youth with Learning Disabilities, 2004.
• Fisher, Gary L. The Survival Guide for Kids with LD: Learning Differences (Revised and Updated), 2002.
• Ford, Anne. Laughing Allegra: The Inspiring Story of a Mother’s Struggle and Triumph Raising a Daughter with Learning Disabilities, 2003.
• Lovecky, Deirdre V. Different Minds: Gifted Children with AD/HD, Asperger Syndrome, and Other Learning Deficits, 2004.
• Orenstein, Myrna. Smart but Stuck: Emotional Aspects of Learning Disabilities and Imprisoned Intelligence (Revised Edition), 2001.
• Smith, Corinne Roth. Learning Disabilities A to Z: A Parent’s Complete Guide to Learning Disabilities from Preschool to Adulthood, 1997.
• Smith, Sally Liberman. Succeeding against the Odds: Strategies and Insights from the Learning Disabled, 1991.
• Stevens, Suzanne H. The LD Child and the ADHD Child: Ways Parents and Professionals Can Help, 1996.
• Webb, James T. Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger’s, Depression and Other Disorders, 2005.

Reading Difficulties

• Bridges to Reading: What to do When You Suspect Your Child Has a Reading Problem, 1995. Cassette
• Hall, Susan L. Parenting a Struggling Reader, 2002.
• Hall, Susan L. Straight Talk about Reading: How Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years, 1999.
• LiBretto, Ellen V. High/Low Handbook: Encouraging Literacy in the 1990s, 1990.
• Lyman, Donald E. Making the Words Stand Still, 1986.
• Snow, Catherine E. Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, 1998.

Speech and Language Impairments

• Libal, Joyce. Finding My Voice; Youth With Speech Impairments. 2004. (Youth With Special Needs Series)
• Dougherty, Dorothy P. Teach Me How to Say it Right: Helping Your Child with Articulation Problems. 2005.

ADD, ADHD, and Hyperactivity

• Amen, Daniel G. Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program that Allows You to See and Heal the Six Types of Attention Deficit Disorder, 2001.
• Armstrong, Thomas. The Myth of the ADD Child: 50 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Behavior and Attention Span without Labels, Drugs, or Coercion, 1995.
• Barkley, Russell A. Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents, 2000. (618.928589 Bar)
• Brinkerhoff, Shirley. Stuck on Fast Forward: Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, 2004.
• Haber, Julian Stuart. ADHD: The Great Misdiagnosis, 2000.
• Hartmann, Thom. The Edison Gene: ADHD and the Gift of the Hunter Child, 2003.
• Jensen, Peter S. Making the System Work for Your Child with ADHD, 2004.
• Lougy, Richard A. ADHD: A Survival Guide for Parents and Teachers, 2002.
• Rief, Sandra F. The ADHD Book of Lists: A Practical Guide for Helping Children and Teens with Attention Deficit Disorders, 2003.
• Reiff, Michael I. ADHD: A Complete and Authoritative Guide, 2004.
• Sears, William, M.D. The A.D.D. Book: New Understandings, New Approaches to Parenting Your Child, 1998.
• Silver, Larry B. Dr. Larry Silvers Advice to Parents on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 1999.
• Stevens, Suzanne H. The LD Child and the ADHD Child: Ways Parents and Professionals Can Help, 1996.
• Stevens, Laura J. 12 Effective Ways to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child: Drug-free Alternatives for Attention Deficit Disorders, 2000.

Asperger Syndrome

• Attwood, Tony. Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, 1998.
• Boyd, Brenda. Parenting a Child with Asperger Syndrome: 200 Tips and Strategies, 2003.
• Gutstein, Steven E. and Rachelle K. Sheely. Relationship Development Intervention with Young Children: Social and Emotional Development Activities for Asperger Syndrome, Autism, PDD, and NLD, 2002.
• Jackson, Luke. Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome. A User Guide to Adolescence. 2002.
• Ozonoff, Sally. A Parent’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive, 2002.
• Sohn, Alan T. Parenting Your Asperger Child: Individualized Solutions for Teaching Your Child Practical Skills, 2005.
• Szatmari, Peter. A Mind Apart: Understanding Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, 2004.

Autism

• Bonnice, Sherry. The Hidden Child: Youth with Autism, 2004.
• Buten, Howard. Through the Glass Wall: Journeys into the Closed-Off Worlds of the Autistic, 2004.
• Frith, Uta. Autism: Explaining the Enigma, 2003.
• Gutstein, Steven E. Relationship Development Intervention with Young Children: Social and Emotional Development Activities for Asperger Syndrome, Autism, PDD, and NDL, 2002.
• Ozonoff, Sally. A Parent’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive, 2002.
• Powers, Michael D. Children with Autism; A Parent’s Guide. Second Edition. 2000.
• Richman, Shira. Raising a Child with Autism: A Guide to Applied Behavior Analysis for Parents, 2001.
• Stacey, Patricia. The Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threatened with Autism, 2003.
• Szatmari, Peter. A Mind Apart: Understanding Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, 2004.

Blindness and Visual Impairment

• Holbrook, M. Cay. Children with Visual Impairments: A Parents’ Guide, 1996.
• Souder, Patti. A Different Way of Seeing: Youth with Visual Impairments and Blindness, 2004.

Cerebral Palsy

• Geralis, Elaine, editor. Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Parent’s Guide, (Second Edition) 1998.

Deafness and Hearing Impairment

• Libal, Autumn. Ocean Inside: Youth Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 2004.
• Marsh, Valerie. Beyond Words: Great Stories for Hand and Voice, 1995.
• Olsen, Wayne. Mayo Clinic on Hearing, 2003.
• Pope, Anne. Hear: Solutions, Skills, and Sources for People with Hearing Loss, 1997.

Down Syndrome

• Kumin, Libby. Early Communication Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, 2003.
• Pueschel, Siegfried M. A Parent’s Guide to Down’s Syndrome; Toward a Brighter Future (Revised Edition), 2001.
• Winders, Patricia C. Gross Motor Skills in Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, 1997.

Dyslexia

• Baumer, Bernice H. How to Teach Your Dyslexic Child to Read: A Proven Method for Parents and Teachers, 1998. (J P/T 371.9144 Bau)
• Donnelly, Karen. Coping With Dyslexia, 2000.
• Frank, Robert. The Secret Life of the Dyslexic Child, 2002.
• Reid, Gavin. Dyslexia: A Complete Guide for Parents, 2004.
• Robb, Diane Burton. The Alphabet War: A Story about Dyslexia, 2004. Picture book.
• Shaywitz, Sally E. Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level, 2003.

Fragile X syndrome

• Weber, Jayne Dixon, editor. Children with Fragile X Syndrome: A Parents’ Guide

Muscular Dystrophy

• Siegel, Irwin M. Muscular Dystrophy in Children: A Guide for Families, 1999.
• Wolfson, Penny. Moonrise: One Family, Genetic Identity, and Muscular Dystrophy, 2003.

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

• Nathan, Peter E. A Guide to Treatments that Work, 2002.
• Niner, Holly L. Mr. Worry: A Story About OCD, 2004.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

• Barkley, Russell A. Your Defiant Child: 8 Steps to Better Behavior, 1998.
• Hendren, Robert L., editor. Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children and Adolescents, 1999.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction

• Kranowitz, Carol Stock. The Out-of-sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Integration Dysfunction, 1998.
• Kranowitz, Carol Stock. The Out-of-sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction, 2003.

Spina Bifida

• Lutkenhoff, Marlene, editor. Children with Spina Bifida: A Parent’s Guide, 1999.

Tourette Syndrome

• Brill, Marlene Targ. Tourette Syndrome, 2002.
• Landau, Elaine. Tourette Syndrome. 1998. (J 616.83 Lan)
• Moe, Barbara A. Coping with Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders, 2004.

Personal and Family Perspectives

• Ball, Marshall Stewart. Kiss of God: The Wisdom of a Silent Child, 1999. Religious poetry.
• Ford, Anne. Laughing Allegra: The Inspiring Story of a Mother’s Struggle and Triumph Raising a Daughter with Learning Disabilities, 2003.
• Raeburn, Paul. Acquainted with the Night: A Parent’s Quest to Understand Depression and Bipolar Disorder in his Children, 2004.
• Roseman, Bruce. A Kid Just Like Me: A Father and Son Overcome the Challenges of ADD and Learning Disabilities, 2001.
• Smith, Bob. Hamlet’s Dresser: A Memoir, 2002. Memoir of a man who spent his boyhood caring for his mentally disabled sister and his adulthood working in the theater.
• Sylvester, Harry. Legacy of the Blue Heron: Living with Learning Disabilities, 2002.
• Weinstein, Lissa. Reading David: A Mother and Son’s Journey through the Labyrinth of Dyslexia, 2003. As a clinical psychologist, Lissa Weinstein counseled the parents of kids with learning disabilities. This book describes her experiences after her own son was diagnosed with dyslexia.
• Wolfson, Penny. Moonrise: One Family, Genetic Identity, and Muscular Dystrophy, 2003.
• Zuckoff, Mitchell. Choosing Naia: A Family’s Journey, 2002. A family faces difficult ethical decisions together when their unborn daughter is diagnosed with down syndrome.

Suspected Risk Factors

• Huggins, Hal A. Uninformed Consent: The Hidden Dangers in Dental Care, 1999.