Four Books on Special Education, Raising a Happy Eater, Basics of Printing, and Autism

The four books we recommend in this post are indispensable resources for all who are looking for advice, support and encouragement in their journey raising or teaching children with various challenges. The first book helps parents get the best support and services to help their child with special needs. It shows the reader how to become a strong and effective advocate for their child by knowing the ins and outs of the special education systems.  If you have a picky eater and find meal times are difficult, you will appreciate the second book. The third is a workbook that is sure to set the child in your care on the right path on learning to print the upper case letters and basic shapes.  Parents of a young autistic man wrote the fourth book so others can learn about their experience and feel they are not alone. The Journey of Special Education: Informational Posts to Get You Through  -By Nicole Bovell, ED.S, A book compiled of informational posts that will give parents the confidence to advocate for their child, encourages parents to keep going even when things get too difficult and teaches parents about the right kind of advocacy. It provides new and veteran special needs parents with essential information to make sure their child is successful in the school system no matter their ability or disability. Nicole Bovell, ED.S, is a longtime advocate of the special education community. She is also the author of The Journey of Special Education and How to Have a Great School Year, informational resources to help special needs parents with the special education process. Nicole has her Masters of Arts in Special Education, an Educational Specialist degree in Teaching and Learning and over fifteen years of experience teaching and working with students who have a variety of disabilities. Read complete review. Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater: A Parent’s Handbook: A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Setting Your Child on the Path to Adventurous Eating -By Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH, and Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP. A book that shows the way to lead your baby, toddler, or young child on the path to adventurous eating. In a “Chicken-Nugget World” it is not easy to expand a child’s food horizons but this book has the solutions. Feeding therapist Melanie Potock and pediatrician Nimali Fernando (aka Dr. Yum and Coach Mel) know the importance of giving your child the right start on his or her food journey—for good health, motor skills, and even cognitive and emotional development. The authors explain how to expand your family’s food horizons, avoid the picky eater trap, identify special feeding needs, and put joy back into mealtimes, with:

• Advice tailored to every stage from newborn through school-age
• Real-life stories of parents and kids they have helped
• Wisdom from cultures across the globe on how to feed kids
• Helpful insights on the sensory system, difficult mealtime behaviors, and everything from baby-led weaning to sippy cups

The authors entertain as well as educate parents. They are great wordsmiths leaving you wanting to go on reading. From the detailed Table of Contents to the generous index, readers will find it easy to retrieve information for a second reading of for solving eating problems when they arise. Read complete review.  Writing in Stages: Getting Back to Basics -By Samarra St. Hilaire, OTR/L This is a handwriting workbook that addresses proper formation of upper case letters of the alphabet by providing easy, child-friendly, step by step instructions.  In addition, step by step instruction for proper formation of basic shapes (i.e. circle, square and triangle) is included in the beginning of the workbook. The workbook begins with letters that are simplistic in formation gradually progressing to the more challenging letters.  It consists of illustrations for each letter in addition to helpful tips that are designed to foster a sense of confidence and mastery throughout the learning process. Writing in Stages also consists of certificates of completion, a hand dominance chart, and cutting tips. This workbook is designed to be an interactive learning experience between a child and parent, educator, or therapist. Writing in Stages is recommended for ages 4-5, and older children who are developmentally delayed.  The book was designed to incorporate phonemic awareness and visual memory skill for writing letters. Read complete review.  “You Don’t Want to Go for a Ride”: Our Family’s Journey with Autism  -By John M. Harpster and Tamara Harpster This book provides a look into the authors’ day-to-day life of their family and dealing with autism while working to connect and communicate with their autistic son. They describe their failures and successes using different strategies such as artwork and LEGO bricks in connecting with their son.  Along the way, they learned the crucial bond of family and appreciating normal moments of home life that most people take for granted. The authors hope other parents of autistic children will know they are not alone. They also hope that teachers and caregivers might learn about some of the difficulties families face when raising an autistic child and the need for compassionate support in order to help the family while helping the child. The target audience is parents of autistic children, caregivers and support people for families with autistic children and for friends and family who are interested in learning about autism and what family life can be like. Read complete review.