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

In this essential work the authors lay out a complete, step-by-step approach for parents, educators, and others who work with developmental problems. Covering all kinds of disabilities — including autism, PDD, language and speech problems, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and ADD — the authors offer a new understanding of the nature of these challenges and also specific ways of helping children extend their intellectual and emotional potential. The authors first show how to move beyond labels to observe the unique profile — strengths and problems — of the individual child. Next, they demonstrate the techniques necessary to help the child not only reach key milestones but also develop new emotional and intellectual capacities.

This book was written by a leading expert in the field for people of all backgrounds and abilities and will help readers to master complex organisational skills, deal with a large workload and cope with the demands of deadlines. It also shows how to improve confidence, deal with stress, and build on the creative talent that many dyslexics possess.

As any parent, teacher, coach, or caregiver of a learning disabled child knows, every learning disability has a social component. The ADD child constantly interrupts and doesn’t follow directions. The child with visual-spatial issues loses his belongings. The child with a nonverbal communication disorder fails to gesture when she talks. These children are socially out of step with their peers, and often they are ridiculed or ostracized for their differences. A successful social life is immeasurably important to a child’s happiness, health, and development.

Samantha Abeel is learning disabled and gifted. She does not understand mathematical concepts, but she is an extremely talented writer. Samantha was on the edge of despair when a caring English teacher who recognized her hidden talents intervened, offering Samantha an opportunity to describe in words the hauntingly beautiful paintings of artist Charles R. Murphy.

Christopher Lee was the author’s student at The University of Georgia, and Faking It: A Look Into the Mind of a Creative Learner is the story of his struggle to come to terms with learning disabilities. Using modifications and accommodations and putting in lots of hard work, Christopher graduated in 1990, and this book was published in 1992. Christopher looked forward to graduating because he thought his major struggles with LD would end with school. However, he quickly realized that the world of work offered a whole new array of challenges. He has spent the last eight years reframing his disability into something positive and has learned how to use assistive technology to compensate for problems with reading, writing and spelling in the workplace.

Some of us learn things in a different way from those around us — do you too? One frog might need a bit of help with counting; another might not know how to behave around other frogs. Other young frogs in this book are easily distracted and get themselves into trouble. But help is at hand: if we think differently about things that we find difficult, we can find our own ways to get better at doing them.