Disabilities Books

I am so impressed with this book! It is so educational and informative. I especially love the strategies to use in the classroom. This is a MUST read for any teacher or therapist working with aspergers kids or kids with motor, communicative, or social delays. I feel enlightened and empowered. I am purchasing books for all of my staff members!

As a clinician with patients who have children diagnosed with Asperger's, I found this book a wealth of information in both diagnosis and treatment. The book emphasizes a strength based approach, with accomodations made to allow these kids to add their special talents to the learning environment of their "normal" peers. I highly recommend it to other clinicians, teachers, parents and friends of these special kids.
Katie Ivey, L.C.S.W.

Child/adolescent psychologist Stephan M. Silverman, Ph.D. and educational advocate for gifted children with learning difficulties Rich Weinfeld pool their talents in School Success for Kids with Asperger's Syndrome, a no-nonsense guide for parents and teachers to helping children with Asperger's Syndrome, or AS (a mild form of autism spectrum disorder that affects language and social skills) rise to their full potential. Chapters discuss how to recognize and diagnose AS, effective classroom strategies, ideal practices for parenting with AS, preparing young people with AS for college, work, and independent living, and much more. "Children with AS frequently feel affection but do not know how to appropriately express those feelings. They need to have guidelines as to who is an appropriate recipient of affection and under which conditions. They need to know when someone is a friend or an acquaintance and when intimacy is appropriate." A reader-friendly, tell-it-like-it-is guide enthusiastically recommended for parents, caretakers and educators responsible for young people with AS.

This informed and useful book is a MUST for educators and parents alike. It provides information about the ever-growing diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, and gives a wealth of information for best practices for the special or general education classroom. Finally! A REAL practical guide!

Stephen Silverman and Rich Weinfeld combine their expertise in the fields of psychology and special education to create a valuable resource for parents, teachers, and clinicians who service kids with Asperger's Syndrome. Their book presents complex information in a straightforward, reader friendly manner that highlights every aspect of AS. Beginning with an interesting historical overview of the syndrome, the authors go on to describe diagnostic characteristics as well as outline in detail specific strategies that have proven to be successful in dealing with AS kids in the classroom. As a teacher and administrator in the field of special education for over thirty years, I found these suggestions to be extremely practical tools that make sense and would be a tremendous support to a teacher working with kids who have Asperger's Syndrome. The authors meticulously define state of the art best practices for teachers and parents and particulary highlight a strengths based approach. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has the pleasure of working with children who have AS.

"The hair is so thick and warm. What color is it?" Estelle asks, running her fingers through the grizzly bear's dense fur. Estelle intimately learns of the bear traits, as the drugged Grizzly waits by the Wyoming Game and Fish biologist.

Just as Estelle draws on her wealth of observational discoveries with the bear, so too does she recall her family trip. Never before has the ocean below the Black Mountains along the South African coast been so richly detailed with such authority as in Estelle Condra's See The Ocean.

Nellie, the main character who is blind, like Estelle, poignantly sees with her mind, as she listens to her brothers' words, silences and sounds of crashing waves, and answers to her many questions on the family beach trip.

Surprised by the unexpected ending, teachers and students listen to a story of a young girl, overcoming obstacles of sightlessness. The vivid sensory descriptions are used as examples of juicy details found in effective writing.

Estelle's exquisite writing is expressed in Nellie's feeling the sandy grains, keeping the score in her head, without cheating, and hearing the whispering salty breeze. I, like Nellie, see the ocean with its shoes of shells, gurgles and prattles, and misty blanket.

I love inter-action within a family and this is a wonderful way to express the childhood responses of siblings. The brothers think they are the only ones who can see, but the indepth sight of their little sister warms the heart. Hooray for Estelle Condra for helping us who are physically sighted to see in a deeper way. A very helpful book!

I shared this story with my physically and mentally handicapped students. They loved it. I wish there were more stories like this that they could relate to. I told the students about the author and how that she is blind from the same eye disease (RP) that I have. It helped my students to understand what it is like to be visually impaired. I hope that Estelle continues to write more books.

You can see Nellie's description as she is telling her familyabout the ocean. The details are so vivid and real. You actuallyfeel like you're at the ocean as well.

This book is beautifully written and illustrated. I share this story with my 3rd and 4th graders to teach the comprehension strategies of visualization, questioning and inferring. It is a powerful teaching tool. ( For a full lesson see Stephanie Harvey's Strategies That Work). They love it! Picture books aren't just for little kids anymore!

A student of mine made a presentation about this book in my class last year and based on his recommendation (thanks, Duane) I ordered a copy.

The students in the book, from Governor Morehead School for the Blind in North Carolina, have a wide range of visual difficulties, and an unobtrusive logo-like emblem lets us know the disability level of the photographer in question. Some of them have low vision, some can see lights, shapes and shadows, others have no vision at all. I couldn't really tell a difference in the quality of these photos, except that the totally blind students had a more intuitive point and shoot method and sometimes they missed the ostensible subject--though what the camera revealed is usually quite interesting. It's hard to say how many Deifell and company culled to make this brief assemblage, but many of the photos here are wrenching either on a Walker Evans-documentary level or because we are seeing life the way teens do, as a pageant of absolute fact and absolute fantasy both at the same time.

I wasn't sure either that the black and white format allowed for enough scope. Next time around perhaps, we'd enjoy seeing some color work by this talented group of young artists.

I saw this book at a design conference I went to. It brought tears to my eyes. The images are powerful and the stories about the students are moving. One reason the book moved me so much is I am an artist who is at high risk of one day going blind. I always feared that going blind would end my career as a photographer and designer. This book made me rethink my roll as an artist and it encouraged me not to fear going blind. Plus I gave the book to my mom who is legally blind for Christmas. She pointed at a few of the pictures and said "That is how I see. I can't believe it. This is the most amazing gift." It is inspiring and beautiful. I have never come across a book that has spoke so dearly to my own experience. I am so grateful that I stumbled across this treasure.

This is a wonderful book. It's remarkable simply as a collection of photographs by students who have little or no vision, since the shots are fascinating and sometimes quite profound. But the images coupled with what the young photograhers have to say about their work makes is one of the more moving photography books I've ever come across.

I just finished reading Seeing Beyond Sight, and it is both about blindness and much more. My work for almost twenty years has been helping blind people, and the idea that visually people take photographs is not to me foreign at all. A significant number of blind people are low vision, and photographs can be a way to visually see things that their eyes don't show them. Some of the students in this book fall into this group where photos become an aid.

But, most of the photographers in Tony Deifell's book cannot see the photographs they are taking. Yet, they get tremendous value out of them. Just like sighted people, the students proudly show their photos around to other people. Becoming a photographer unlocks the voice of still others. One photo becomes a tool for advocacy, as in fix this crack in the sidewalk that catches my white cane!

I was surprised and delighted with the both the book and the photos. So much of taking great pictures is seeing things from a new perspective, and I learned that that's definitely in the cards when blind students take pictures.

This book is a gem. It's a reminder that perception is so much more than sight and that seeing is a way of engagement with the world rather than simply looking.

As the photographs unfold, they take you on a journey into what is relevant in the photographers' lives; how light and dark play as guides; how cracks in the pavement interrupt; how what some take for granted, others are denied. The photos open up new ways of seeing and understanding our environment and the spectrum of people who interact with it.

Deifell's sensitive and thoughtful text gives a further dimension to the book, gently provoking the reader to examine how they see others, and how they see themselves.

Highly recommended.

This book was bought for my daughter because her brother has Autism and sometimes that makes for some interesting living situations. She really liked reading what everyone wrote in the book and it helped her talk more freely about her feelings. The book made her realize she is not alone - which I really liked! It also helped facilitate conversations with our mobile therapist and my kids together. I would highly recommend this book as an escape and a way to start talking to your other "special" child. It is not a "fact" book, but it does work to get the family talking. My kids are 9 (daughter) and 7 (son).

An insightful, contemplative, and often humorous read. Slam book editor Don Meyer asks 80 young people what it's really like to have a sibling with special needs. The answers are as varied as the contributors.

This book is a must-read for kids and teens who have a brother or sister with a disability, and is a valuable resource for health and social workers.

Read it and know that you're not the only one who gets scared or frustrated or embarassed. And learn how others work through tough times to become mature, independent and thoughtful young people.

I grew up with a mentally retarded sister, but in the days when nobody talked about such things and I didn't know anybody else with a disabled sibling. How I wish I had a book such as this when I was young! Throughout the book are reflections of pretty much everything I felt, at all ages. And now, I have a son with Down Syndrome, and I notice his older teen brother picking it up from time to time. I highly recommend it.

I am one of the 81 siblings who answered the questions in this book, and although it was nearly 3 years ago and I've changed a lot since I wrote my answers, it still feels good to go back through and know I'm not alone. That was really our intended goal behind this book, and it came off well. Seeing that others share the same joys and frustrations of being a sibling as I do will never cease to help me get through the difficult life that we, as siblings of special needs kids, will live forever.

My daughter, the twin sister of a boy with Down Syndrome, couldn't put the Sibling Slam down. She quickly got taken up into the many comments and it definitely stimulated a number of good, open conversations between us. A great and important read for a sibling, and a parent.

This product is exactly what I needed. I got it quickly and had no problems with the transaction.

I got this book for a class in college. I just started the teaching program but I will be holding onto this book for a long time. It is a very useful to use if you need advice for a special education situation. It's a little wordy at times since I am a visual learner and there is also an online version of it but stick to the book because although it is wordy, it does have charts and "what would you do" scenarios.

The process of ordering and recieving this book was very positive. Delivery was speedy and product was better than said condition.

This new book was a great value compared to what my daughter's bookstore at school was selling the book for. Thanks for saving me money!! Book was in the condition stated and it arrived promptly.

EXCEPTIONAL LIVES time at the top of the special education heap may be numbered because this book is just as detailed

Both books have the same detail with this book doing a much better job with each of the many IDEA-related special needs problems.

The best part? This book comes with TWO free CDs.

I'm a thirteen-year-old that loves to read. I haven't enjoyed twelfth-century books in the past, but this one caught my eye. The reason I enjoyed this book so much was because of it's amazing turn of events. I couldn't anticipate what would happen in this one, as I usually could. If you are looking at this book, I'd say to at least read a couple paragraphs. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed.

Aran's observations of a favored mentor and his romance with a beautiful woman color his life, but violence intervenes and turns a mute boy into a potential sideshow oddity in this story of early France. Spider's Voice, is a fictional account which recreates the story of Abelard and Heloise, 12th century French lovers, and adds many historical insights in a complex plot recommended for mature teens.

I am an 11 year old who simply loves to read and spends hours a day doing so. I read this book and since I enjoy reading books from and about the past, particularly the Middle Ages, you can see how I liked this. I applaud the author of the novel.

In this tale based on actual events, Gloria Skurzynski has captured the passion and horror of twelfth-century life. All the characters were wonderfully developed and believable, and the story so intriguing I couldn't put the book down. There are still so many areas that could be explored, I can only hope she will write a sequel.

Although this book was in the "young adult" section of our library, I couldn't resist one more version of the Abelard-Heloise story. I found the book to be well-written and imaginative. Presenting the story from a fresh point of view, that of a mute youth, was an interesting twist. I enjoyed it!

I am a medical transcriptionist for several doctors offices and a hospital. I transcripe dictation from Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, orthopaedic and Rehab from doctors and therapists. This book has everything I have ever needed so far and I am ordering one for a fellow transcriptionist for her to add to her reference books. The sample reports included, tables and anatomical illustrations are fantasic. This one is a must! Thanks for making my job easier!

This book is wonderful. I recommend highly to anyone who does orthopaedic/rehab dictation. I ordered a copy for my partner who had little medical terminology knowledge and she has found it more than beneficial. It is extremely well cross-referenced and an asset to any transcriptionist's library. Thanks Stedman!

As a medical transcriptionist in the San Jose/Silicone Valley area I am continually looking for top notch reference books. Stedman's Orthopaedic and Rehab Words is a must have for the orthopedics transcriptionist. It is current and quite complete.

This is a wonderful book for any medical transcriptionist! I started working for another orthopaedist and he's a bit more "progressive" than my other clients. This book is invaluable! I highly recommend it!

Starting to do transcription for an orthopedist in 1997, I was about to give up...the language was a totally new world. I bought this book and within days felt like a new person while transcribing. I've used the book so much at this point, it's dog-eared from front-to-back! If I don't get a word now, it's because the dictation isn't clear, not that I can't find the word in Stedman's! Highly recommend!!

Lisa Lieberman's book is a excellent resource for anyone requiring outside assistance in their home. Well-written and well-researched, I am sure it will be a great help to many people.

"A 'Stranger' Among Us" is no less than a fabulous resource. The book's title is accurate, but quite modest: Though written with a focus on finding support persons for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders, this book is nonetheless a valuable guide for families of persons with physical challenges, mental health difficulties, dementia, and serious learning/cognitive limitations as well. This book has a place in the library of any professional or agency serving challenged individuals and their families, and I heartily recommend it to family members and prospective support personnel alike. The author's personal experiences, professional training, extensive knowledge, and abundant compassion combine to provide a tool that is at once accessible, accurate, and wise. This book is a "must-have" resource, a generous and courageous gift.

A fantastic addition to my medical library to use for all of my patients who have family members with disabilities. The book provides many answers and practical help for those seeking and employing in-home support. It is written in an easily readable, user-friendly format.

I most appreciate the sample advertisements and the sample contracts provided. It also helps give permission to those who stay at home to consider in-home help.

A "Stranger Among Us" is very well written, with easy to follow examples and even worksheets to greatly assist with the hiring process. I especially appreciated how the author allows us to benefit from her "hands-on" experience in her own household, and also includes input from some of the providers that she has employed. Also the reader benefits from extensive research put into this book regarding boundaries that should be established between you and the "In-Home Provider" .

The information and insite offered in this book is amazing. This book illustrates how to endure the difficult and time-consuming process of hiring the right person for the job who will also 'fit" with your family, how to see if the support is working as well as expected and also includes a chapter "When It's Time To Say Goodbye".

A "Stranger " Among Us is a must for anyone who intends to hire "in-home" help, whether you require special support for disabilities or to hire someone to assist with the everyday tasks of a busy household.

FINALLY, a book that understands the true needs of families and how to help us proactively help ourselves. One of the most difficult dilemas when you have a loved one or child with special needs, whether medical or neurological, is how do you find qualified, caring caretakers? So often as family members we find this task so daunting that we choose not to seek outside help. This book is so reassuring, it gives you the tools to find qualified care, but also the right people for YOUR family.

The thing that strikes me about this book is not only how detailed in strategies it is, but how respectful it is about different kinds of people and their diverse needs. One chapter in particular that stands out is Defining Your Family Culture and Needs. This author recognizes that families have different values, and she discusses how having caretakers who match those values can create harmony, or finding caretakers who are different can enhance a family's life by exposing them to a new way to look at the world. It celebrates the benefits of both and the right to make the choice that is right for your family.

This book has step by step instructions about the various ways to go about hiring caretakers, in and out of home, the strategies you can implement in order to find the best match for your family, there is also a strong emphasis on the role of communication and having mutual respect. She recognizes that a caretaker can become part of your family (which we have certainly found to be true.)I could go on, but it is so incredibly detailed that I couldn't possibly do it justice. This book takes all the guess work out of finding a caretaker, all the things I have wondered and worried about facing when our current caretaker eventually move on to other endeavors. The book makes facing that so much less frightening. I HIGHLY recommend this book not only for parents of children with special needs, such as myself, but as a template for anyone seeking qualified care for their loved ones, whether they have disabilities or not. This book should be on hand in every library and every program that works with families in order to provide an understanding of the need for qualified care and how to how to provide in home supports for those families. I already have two copies and am planning to buy more to make sure our local therapy centers have them in their libraries.

Kristi Sakai parent of 3 with autism, author of
Finding Our Way: Practical Solutions for Creating a Supportive Home and Community for the Asperger Syndrome Family

_Keeping A Head in School_ is designed to help students with a wide range of learning disorders "gain a realistic insight into their personal strengths and weaknesses."

The book is targeted at adolescents and pre-adolescents. It can also be used effectively by younger and older students, however. Dr. Levine makes information accessible to young people by presenting it in small chunks with frequent headings. His style is conversational, and he uses familiar metaphors to explain physiological concepts. Attention, for example, is described in terms of channel selection and filtration.

Levine heartens his readers -- not only by demonstrating a clear understanding of their difficulties but also by providing hope for the success that everyone needs. While he recognizes that people succeed in different areas -- academics, athletics, and art, to name just a few -- he acknowledges that during the school-age years, lack of success in the academic area can have far-reaching
consequences.

After explaining how the brain functions normally to help a person focus attention, use language, and employ memory, Levine discusses various problems that might arise in these areas. He then relates performance in reading, spelling, writing, and math to those disorders. Levine even addresses social skills, recognizing that school has a very strong social component.

Levine celebrates the many strengths that people with learning disorders might have. He encourages them to appreciate and bolster their strengths even as they are attempting to understand and bypass their weaknesses. He empowers students to advocate on their own behalf, and he reassures them that they are likely to be more successful in life after school -- when they are free to work in their preferred area rather than in one assigned to them by someone else.

_Keeping A Head in School_ is most effective if readers with learning disorders have the opportunity to discuss concepts presented with parents, teachers, and/or other adults.

The book can also provide valuable insight for those who interact with people who have learning disorders: siblings, friends, parents, teachers, and others. Understanding the problems will help people to be more compassionate and encouraging.

We all have learning disorders, as Mel Levine's Keeping A Head in School points out. The difference in Dr. Levine's approach is that students can learn to identify and remediate their own problems, giving them greater power over their own lives.

In this book Dr. Levine models the strategies he advocates that students learn: Lots of diagrams, webs, illustrations, as well as case studies, fill the pages, helping all readers to better grasp his techniques.

Written with humor and "reader-friendly" language, the handbook explains the complexity of learning disorders in terms all readers can understand. Parents, teachers, counselors, as well as students, will better understand learning and how to maximize their potential after reading this book. The reader will recognize his/her own learning disorders and how to overcome them--whether or not diagnosed as a problem learner. A must read for anyone dealing with this condition.

This is an excellent resource book, which envelopes the various ways which every child/ student learns. How you can target learning issues and enable your child/ student to gain greater access to overcome such learning/ academic obstacles. Every parent/ educator should consider this book which will be a great asset. Dr. Mel Levine is a compassionate, resourceful individual. Combining resources and also sharing from personal case studies.
What I have read and learned will be applied for my two daughters and also students.

As the parent of two learning disabled students, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all the kids out there who are in need of a wonderful guide not only for school, but every day problem solving. My son refers to this book often, for reinforcement, for reassurance, and for guidance. There are many books written about learning disabilities, but this one stands out as a wonderful guide for your child to use.

This is a quality product full of accurate information. But still too hard for an LD student to take the time to read. Yet, this is the right book for the parents!

I got this product right away and my daughter and I started reading it as soon as we got it. She loves it. She will stop me when I am reading and tell me "Mommy, that is me." or "Mommy, I do that."
It is an easy to read and understand book.

The Fisher/Cummings series of books on dealing appropriately with LD in school is one of the best out there. In this particular book, aimed at elementary schoolers, they demystify LD and help kids develop personal coping strategies for success in school and in life. Children with developmental or emotional disorders might also benefit from the authors' casual, spot-on approach to doing what must be done in a world where you've been labeled as different.

Now in a revised and updated edition, The Survival Guide For Kids With LD* (*Learning Differences) by University of Nevada-Reno professors Gary Fisher and Rhoda Cummings, is a simply presented and easily accessible guide written especially for those dealing with children who have "learning differences". Emphasizing that having one of the many kinds of learning disabilities or cognitive restrictions doesn't preclude a child from learning, from having friends, or from growing up to be a successful adult. The readable prose is packed with tips for dealing with teasing, providing encouragement, simple black-and-white artwork, study tips, and more. The Survival Guide For Kids With LD* is highly recommended reading for parents, teachers, tutors, day-care staff members, -- and most especially, for kids ages 10 and up. Also highly recommended for teen readers is The Survival Guide For Teenagers With LD (0915793512; [$$$]); for parents, When Your Child Has LD (0915793873; [$$$]); and for educators, The School Survival Guide For Kids With LD (0915793326; [$$$]).

This book is a GREAT way for kids to learn about their own Learning Disabilities (the book calls them Learning Differences). I read this book to my son to help explain to him why he's noticing that he's different from some of the other kids in school. The book creates such a relaxed, non-threatening attitude about LDs, and asks some really great questions to help the kids see which LD(s) fit them. It addresses ADHD as well! It has picture drawings of kids having trouble in school that my son could really relate to! He was at once interested, urging me to read more and more, even though he was learning that he was in fact "different". What a wonderful tool for families and kids to learn about each other and themselves. It's a positive book about the harsh reality of LDs - and it's written specifically for kids! Do your child a favor - read this book with them! It will open up conversations and give you both the language and courage you'll need to tackle the days and years ahead!