Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child

Gary just can’t seem to fit in. He doesn’t have any friends, his school work is always sloppy, and his teachers endlessly criticize him. But Gary has a way to escape—he spaces out. Then one day Gary accidentally hurts someone, and now he’s being sent to a new school for kids with different learning styles. Will Gary finally be able to catch up and fit in, or will he remain the Spaceman forever?

The celebrated designer Dana Buchman knew almost nothing about “learning differences” when her daughter, Charlotte, was diagnosed with disabilities as a toddler. She soon discovered that the hard work and determination that had taken her from the Ivy League to her own fashion label wouldn’t be enough to deal with Charlotte’s disabilities; she would have to acquire a new skill set — to be able to see Charlotte as a person with unique abilities. A moving mother-daughter story, A Special Education is an inspiring account of one mother’s journey to acceptance and understanding, as well as a family’s triumph over daunting circumstances.

With this fully realized second edition of the classic guide, Dr. Larry Silver addresses the subjects all parents wonder about when they suspect their child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: What causes ADHD? What signs should I look for? How can I make sure my child is diagnosed correctly? Could my child have a learning disability, too? What’s the latest information on medications and other treatments? What controversial treatments should I watch out for? What should I tell my child’s school, and what should they be doing? Dr. Silver’s warm, thoroughly practical guide will give parents, teachers, and others the support they want and the answers they need.

How and when does a child begin to make sense of the world? Why does a lively preschool child so often become a semiliterate and defeated school failure?

Developmental psychologist Margaret Donaldson shows that much of the intellectual framework on which we base our teaching is misleading. We both underestimate the astonishing rational powers of young children and ignore the major stumbling block that children face when starting school.

Given a setting and a language that makes sense to them in human terms, very young children can perform tasks often thought to be beyond them. The preschool child learns everything in a human situation. Only in school is he asked to acquire skills―reading, writing, arithmetic―isolated from a real-life context. This transition is difficult.

The author suggests a range of strategies that parents and schools can adopt to help children. She argues that reading is even more important than we have thought it to be, since learning to read can actually speed children through the crucial transition.

Zipper, is a bright, well-intentioned fifth-grader whose impulsive behavior gets him into trouble at home and at school. He speaks before he thinks, making it hard to keep friends; he forgets to do his homework; and although he’s a talented pitcher, he misses a key baseball game. Follow Zipper as he discovers a newfound talent and learns to manage his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

This book is about people and about the challenges and rewards of living with dyslexia. The author’s goal is to give the reader encouragement, and to de-emphasize the negativity that comes with a learning difference. The 142 interviews are packed with practical coping strategies that will help you get through your journey with dyslexia.