Disability-and-Health Books

When we found out our 2 year old had celiac disease, his doctor recommended this book. It has been a great resource for us. It is easy to read and easy to understand. It is very well organized, making it easy to find the information you need at that particular moment.

The title says it all. If you have a child with Celiac this will be a great addition to your household.

This book was a life-saver for me. I read it cover to cover five dreadful days into my daughter's diagnosis, and found myself laughing and crying at Danna's wit, wisdom, and caring. Never mind that she goes into great detail on the 'what to do' and 'what not to do', I actually found the chapter on dealing with this emotional rollercoaster I've been on to be the most helpful. It helps to have an author point out that yes your child's life will never be the same, and that it's probably harder on you than it is on them. It helps that she's been there, and isn't just some doctor spouting out their take on it. It helps that she went through all these things and is able to say 'You know what, just deal with it and get on with your life - I did it, and so can you'.
She writes with a lot of humor, making it a fast, easy read.
Besides all this, the information at the back of the book is a treasure -
lists of websites, phone numbers, and organizations that are invaluable to any novice celiac parent.

I love this book! My 10 month old son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and all I could find was books for adults. This book is easy to read and it helped me feel better about dealing with disease. I highly reccomend this book the anyone who has a child diagnosed with celiac disease!

After our one year old was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this was the first book we were told to buy. It is the most helpful book we own and it will continue to be the most helpful book we own as our little one grows up.
This book is great at helping with the psychological impact of this disease for our daughters young age, and it continues through her teen years.
We are forever grateful for this book. The author captures the feeling of every parent when they are first informed that their child has Celiac.

I just received this book which I have been meaning to buy for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Mr. Shore did a great job not only taking us through his life's journey through autism, but also sidelining it with various observations. I am always amazed at those who ventured on the autism spectrum before the word autism was even recognized by many people. Reading books written by those with autism offer such wonderful insight and perspective. I highly recommend this book for parents who are trying to better understand their child with AS as well as those with AS who are navigating high school and/or college futures. There are some great suggestions and ideas.

I especially like how Mr. Shore talked about many of the jobs he held and why he succeeded or what he learned from his not so successful job situations. I think having a supplemental book on this subject alone would be very worthwhile...especially if it came from a variety of viewpoints. Hmmm.

Great Job!
Joanna Keating-Velasco
In His Shoes, A Short Journey Through Autism
A Is for Autism F Is for Friend: A Kid's Book for Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism

This articulate man gives us an autobiographical view at the difficulties faced as a person with high-functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome grows up and tries to join the working world. It is tough, and he is often misunderstood, yet he very intelligent and has a great deal to offer the world. Although he will always have his "social skills" disability, it is heartening that he is now happily married and has found a career path.

Very interesting to read first hand what it is like to live with autism.The author's accomplishments are amazing, but also his awareness of his limitations. A good book to learn more about this condition, also easy and enjoyable reading.

I have two young children on the autism spectrum. My constant fear and therefore my constant drive is to help them be independent and happy in their lives. Fortunately, both have very mild forms, one PDD and one autism. So, as I watch and learn from their ways of learning, I find that first, I have many quirks, and then can see those quirks in others. It is a fascinating way to look at the differences in how we all learn. In many ways, we are all on the autism spectrum.

This was an easy read, and one that would be of interest to those studying in the field. It is not too full of jargon, and can easily be read by all. This is a field woefully undertaught to teachers seeking certification.

Would like to meet you, Stephen....

I recently had a young family member diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and wanted to know more about experiences and views from persons with Asperger Syndrome. I believe Stephen was able to inform the reader of what it is like to exist in a world without having the social skills we non Aspies take for granted. The book lets one know the challenges that might exist in the future for someone diagnosed with Aspergers during an early age.

This book is easy to read, has good illustrations, symptom descriptions, and suggestions for diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

I found this to be the best book as far as having pictures to show how to do stretches and on good typing technique.

Other books I would recommend are:

`The Repetitive Strain Handbook by Robert M Simon, MD and Ruth Aleskovsky'.

`The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies'

`Living Better Every Patient's Guide to Living with Illness by Carol j. Langenfeld'.

This book is the single most useful collection of practical RSI information I've found. Highly recommended for anyone trying to figure out how to stop hurting themselves when they're working. I have bought four copies for friends.

"Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User's Guide" by Pascarelli is a good introduction for those who know nothing about RSI. Even a cursory search of the Internet will turn up several references to this book as the classic on the subject. It describes what RSI is, what the risk factors are, how to evaluate your physician in terms of his or her RSI awareness, how to treat RSI symptoms, and it offers tips on workstation configuration, typing and mouse technique, monitor settings, and daily living. If you think you have RSI and your first instinct is to go out and buy yourself a wrist wrest and a splint, stop and read this book first, it explains why these amateurish attempts at self treatment are a bad idea. I was disappointed that the book didn't offer more specific advice for actually treating RSI, though I understand that would have been difficult given the large number of causes and manifestations of the disorder. The book claims on the front cover to contain a "seven point program for treatment", but most of the advice for treatment itself consists of "go see a doctor". This is frustrating given the book's repeated claim that most doctors know nothing about RSI or don't even believe in it in the first place. Another thing that really annoyed me was the book's assertion that employers are largely responsible for RSI. The basic message was: "RSI isn't your fault. It's just another example of how `the Man' exploits you in a thankless and mindless job." In my case, my RSI was caused by my own obsessive work habits. The book does list "Driven Behavior" as a risk factor for RSI, but it gets only a perfunctory mention. Another negative is that the book focuses on tendonitis-type RSI, whereas my problem was clearly nerve-related (numbness, weakness, and lack of coordination in hands, forearms, and upper arms). The book that really nailed my problem on the head, and that I recommend as a supplement to this one if your RSI is caused by obsessive computer use, was "It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!", by Damany, who worked under Pascarelli treating patients for many years.

After years of extreme pain caused by ...poor working conditions ..., I ended up disabled. I found this book four years later. In that time, I had seen two M.D.'s, three chiropracters and two orthopedic surgeons. I was diagnosed as having a pinched nerve.

After reading this book, I made an appointment with Dr. Pascarelli. I was the last new patient he took before retiring.

He diagnosed me as having thoracic outlet syndrome, and wrote up a script of physical therapy treatment for me, which I took back to Ohio and showed to the doctor's here. I still live in constant pain because of permanent muscle damage in my upper back because this wasn't diagnosed sooner, but at least the pain is bearable. I also have problems using my arms and hands. But, today I'm partially disabled instead of totally disabled.

Maybe, if one of the doctor's that had examined me before had Dr. Pascarelli's knowledge, I wouldn't be living in pain today. Or, if I had the knowledge this book provides....

If you use a computer, read this book and follow the advice. You don't have to end up living in pain.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, which provided very clear definitions of learning challenges for children, and more importantly how you can help your child cope with these challenges. Most of all I found the practical advice provided in the book boosted my confidence as a parent to deal with my child's learning challenges.

Well done!

This book is the most exciting book which I've ever read..It is clearly providing explanations and guiding you very exciting strategies which may perfectly work with someone who has special difficulties in education,general functioning..
I highly recommend this book without any hesitation.
Penny

This is an excellent resource for any parent or teacher who wants to better understand learning challenges. It's organized in such a way that you can easily find things after you've read it. Whether you want to teach to all types or learn how to advocate best for a child, this book is a must read, a must have.

The Mislabeled Child is a revolutionary book that looks beneath the labels children receive, and addresses the real underlying issues. Essential reading for parents, teachers, and health care professionals alike, this highly readable text provides specific, practical approaches to recognizing and capitalizing on children's strengths in order to help them flourish. From sensory processing difficulties to dyslexia, from language problems to poor handwriting skills, the Eides provide useful insights and marvelous advice.

Parents, teachers, and anyone working with children will benefit from the positive approach of helping all children to learn their strengths and use them effectively. The text has ideas to share that may change the life of a child and those who support the child.

Mr. Presley has done an excellent job of telling his story from the onset of polio until present day.

Polio was a disease that I only "heard" about. I only had limited knowledge until reading this book. One can understand the fear and rage that a young person would suffer. Mr. Presley has presented his story in a well-written and comfortable read fashion. He has an excellent way of presenting to the reader. He wastes no time on extensive visual details, rather he helps the reader visualize the world he has seen with an economy of words.

I read this book in two days. I laughed at places and commiserated in others.

This book educates the reader without boring them. This book will hold an honored place on my shelf, one that I will most certainly re-read and recommend to others.

I've been a registered nurse for nearly 25 years, at the bedside and in front of the classroom. Presley's book gave me a renewed sense of the PERSON on the other side of my stethoscope. I am embarrassed to say I'd often forgotten that concept.


Told with a sometimes gruff, sometimes measured, but strikingly honest poignancy, this man's story should be REQUIRED reading for all nurses, physicians, nursing assistants and others employed in the care of the ill and disabled. Doing so will better equip them to walk -- or perhaps, roll a mile -- in their patients' shoes.

Well done, Gary.

Gary Presley has written a profound book of his interior dialogue with life. In "Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio," Mr. Presley plops us flat on our back, constricts our breathing, and teaches us to move, breathe and see life anew through his eyes. The book is a gem.

I will never be the same.

At the age of seventeen, when most of us are just ready to start adulthood, find a career, relationships, sort out our connection to extended family, Gary Presley experienced a setback. One of the final casualties of the polio era, he had to adjust his world view from an athletic, fully empowered human being to a person with severely limited physical mobility.

This took a lot of rethinking and retooling. In fact, it took a lifetime. During that lifetime, Gary used the organs that were fully functioning to reorganize his take on life. He used his brain, with a healthy boost from his heart. Then by learning to write, and translate the experience of life into words, he recorded the feelings of his humanity. It turns out that those people in wheelchairs I've been passing all my life have complete hearts, souls, and minds.

Gary has taught me a lesson about the power of dignity to extend into every corner of human experience. And he was only able to teach me that lesson by learning it himself. Reading this book is like taking a journey to the crux of what it means to be human. Walking with Gary, or rather rolling with him, I feel a movement of my own spirit hoping I do at least half as good a job in my lifetime to discover a set of insights and inner strength and guidance that makes life worth living.

Gary Presley got polio at age 17, after receiving a Salk booster vaccine. Since then, he has been confined to a wheelchair, seven different wheelchairs over the course of 50 years.

This book started out as a series of essays answering the questions people often have when they see someone in a wheelchair. He was able to weave these into a seamless narrative, providing vivid images of his treatment, recovery and life as a paraplegic. This book, more than anything else I've read, has helped me to imagine fully the struggles that paralyzed people are faced with. From the scenes of his breathing tube disconnecting while in the iron lung and no one on the hospital staff noticing, to the trials of simply going to the bathroom or breathing or his recognition of to the need to find love, happiness and acceptance, regardless of one's physical capacities, I felt drawn into his life.

This is a raw and honest book that will appeal to those who seek realism and truth. I learned a lot from it.

This is a very good book to help take care of your knees. The doctor is from Emory University in Atlanta so I trust the author and the Doctor too.
If I don't take care of my knees I have a lot of pain. I really needed this book.

I bought this book for my husband. He has had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee twice. And has arthritis in both knees. He has a lot of pain and stiffness. After 2 weeks of doing the strengthening exercises in this book, he has more flexibility and less pain. He can get in and out of the tub with less difficulty. He says it is a really great book and reccomends
it to anyone with knee problems. He also says the book is very easy to understand. It explains the way a knee works in terms a non-medical person can understand. Overall a great product.

This book is okay. I can't complain because its relatively inexpensive otherwise would be 3 stars. Still, I don't find anything truly great about the book. The one nugget of information I did get from the book was that your knee actually rotates your lower leg (we all know it extends and flexes, but the book actually proves to you that your own knees rotate the lower leg as well). Due to the price, I don't mind the purchase. I wouldn't recommend this to any younger readers, I myself am 30 and don't find the 'treatments' all that relevant. I sometimes have mild knee pain that for me seems to be better treated by doing full depth squats (yes, full depth squats, performed properly are good for you and do not hurt your knees).

After reading the reviews and suffering from knee pain, I decided to buy this book. My expectations were pretty high since all of the reviews were glowing. Perhaps that's where I went wrong.

I was expecting a series of ailments and exercises to help alleviate them. Instead you get one strengthening exercise, a few stretches, one prioperception exercise and a recommendation for some endurance exercise. All of this could have fit onto a single sheet of paper.

Sure the discussion of the studies is interesting but it really doesn't help me treat my knees. By taking the step of buying the book, I already had commited to wanting better knees and the author didn't need to convince me to do exercises or stretch.

All in all, it was a quick read and at ~$10, was less than most people pay for a co-pay. I'd recommend it if you want some general information about knee health and studies but not if you are looking for rehab exercises to get better knees.

I read this book cover to cover and found it most helpful. I don't believe in surgery unless absolutely necessary. This book guides you through all the things to do to improve your own knee health without the surgery. Fantastic!

This is a sweet loving story about how despite her little brother's disability an older sister sees nothing "wrong" with the way he is.

Poignant yet simple book for teaching siblings about Down Syndrome. My students loved it!

We'll Paint the Octopus Red is a book about a little girl named Emma, who is going to become a big sister soon. Through the first half of the book Emma and her dad talk about all of the things, she is going to be able to do with her new little brother. She wants to kick the ball, go on safari in Africa, and paint the octopus. Then when her little brother is born, her dad tells her that he has Down Syndrome. She then thinks of all the things she wanted to do, and tells her dad she guesses he will not be able to do those things after all. Then her dad and her go through each thing and decide that if they are patient and take time with her new brother, he will be able to do all of those things in life. Therefore, Emma decides that Downs will not be that big of a deal, and goes to see her little brother at the hospital, and tells him that she will teach him to paint the octopus red when he is older. The end of the book also has questions and answers for children about Down Syndrome.

A little girl eagerly anticipates the birth of her little sister and she pictures all the things they will do together. When her sister is born with Downs Syndrome, she must realize that they won't be able to do all of those things, but there are still fun things they can do together and be loving siblings.

This is a very positive book that is excellent for a child with a special need-learning to love your sibling no matter what and finding things to do with her has to be one of the hardest parts for any big sister, and this book lovingly shows how to do that. Excellent for read aloud and early readers, up through about 3rd grade.

I bought this book while pregnant because I'm sure that someday my daughter will have questions about her big brother who has Down syndrome. I'm hoping that this book will help both of them understand why when the day comes that she is able to do things that he hasn't learned yet. Being only 23 months apart, I felt the need to be prepared as soon as possible.

This is a beautiful book that very sweetly explains that delays don't mean that someone will never be able. I like the fact that this book doesn't dwell on the negatives of a Down syndrome diagnosis, but also includes the idea that Mom & Dad may be sad. I hope that my daughter someday cherishes the book and why I bought it for her.

As the parent of an adolescent child with Asperger's, I found this book to be just what was needed -- a no nonsense approach to helping our kids with a sense of humor. This is the second book by this author that I have purchased. I will purchase more, I am sure.

This book is one of the best I've seen about the transitional issues that arise when someone with Aspergers reaches their teens. With my son, we find each developmental step has its own challenges, but the movement into middle school, with the increased expectations of self-management and the early teen student issues among peers has been a bigger challenge than most. This book helped me frame these issues as they apply to my son, improving my understanding. Then I could apply many of the ideas provided both directly and through the school. My biggest problem is that this is such a slow read ... not because it is hard to read (to the contrary, its very understandable and straightforward.) Its a "slow go" because of all of the underlining and page marking I am doing to track the "good stuff." Dr Bolick has done those of use living in these situation a major service with this work! I fully recommend it.

More and more books are addressing the problems ASD kids encounter in their latter years . Teresa Bolick has written a well thought out and structured book that answers many of the concerns that parents and teachers have. Would you need another book dealing with this area ? I would say...yes. It is such an important time in these kids lives that a comprehensive knowledge is needed by all those that care for these yound adults.


reviewed by Special Education Teacher and father of ASD child.

I have a son with Aspergers. This book is a great help!

I haven't finished reading this book, but so far what I've read completely fits. My AS teen needs all the help he can get with organization, social skills, etc. This book gives real life examples and excerps from real parents and adolescents with AS. This book is helping me to better understand my child and to help him develop strategies and coping mechanisms so he can have a successful life. Definitely a good addition to my AS library!

I cried when I first viewed this book in one of my child's doctor's offices and knew I had to own it. Anyone who has an autistic child will understand and those who don't will be able to get a sense of what living in dual worlds is like for both.

Waht insight into the souls of people with Autism--but souls still the same. What imagery! What perspective! I am sharing this book with everyone I know!

I borrowed this book from my sons classroom. He is autistic impaired and his class is made up of 7 children who are autistic impaired. I have read many books on or about autism and none of them have affected me like this book. I saw the story of both my son and my family told through words and pictures.

As a parent of an autistic child you feel alone. No one you know understands what your life is like, no one outside your family understands your child. This book lifts the veil a little bit for those who have not personally experienced living with autism.

This is one of the most beautiful books about autism that I have ever come across. Instead of lamenting over people who have autism and applying the tired Rain Man stereotype, this book encourages people, neurotypical and autistic alike to celebrate in the Autism Experience. The lovely photograhphs help to reinforce this message. Readers look at the people directly involved and see people and not labels. I really like that.

Autism and its related condition, Asperger's Syndrome are neurobiological conditions that affect sensory processing and communication. Autism is as varied as there are individuals and the behavior reflects that individuality. I like the way this book gently illustrates that and invites readers to sing and dance in victory, celebrating the Autism Experience!

Please read this with Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge and share these books with someone. You will want to celebrate!

This book was enchanting! The text contained universal truths that resonate with anyone living with a handicapped child, not just a child with autism. When we look for the godliness in others, we immeasurably enrich our lives. In fact, the truths learned and promoted can be applied to everyone: that each child is imbued with dignity and that each of us reflects God. Bravo!

After personally speaking to Mr. Smith, I was convinced of his sincerity and committment to helping those applying for SSDI. I purchased this book, used the forms, and I got it on my first try.

His forms that I filled out(daily activities) and attached to all of my Doctor's forms were extraordinarily helpful and I believe essential in the decision making process for Social Security. It also proved helpful to the doctors who were making their reports. As long as your doctors know you, they still cannot be with you all day to know your moment to moment activities. These forms give them a birds eye view of what one deals with on a daily basis.

I recommend this book very highly.

When a neurological disorder forced me to resign after 32 years of working, I was overwhelmed, depressed and not sure what to do next. Fortunately, I had ordered this book 2 weeks before and had somewhere to turn. I completed the worksheets (LOTS of information that Social Security needs but does not request) and followed Mr. Smith's suggestion to have a personal interview with Social Security. The employee was visibly delighted with the detail provided in the worksheets and I just received approval of my application only 2 1/2 months after applying! (Locally, according to a story in today's paper, only 25% of applications are granted the first time around - and hearings take over 600 days.) I firmly believe that this book made a difference in my life.

You need this book. You need this workbook, even if you think your disability application will be successful, and even if you have an attorney. Most importantly, it keeps you organized while you are stressed from illness, financial insecurity, and uncertainty. It provides a framework to keep you organized, especially if you have many disabling conditions which must be considered in combination, and must be presented together to SSA.

After assembling your information in the format provided by this workbook, you can see if anything is missing, or needs updating, or is conflicting, and requires further explanation. You can also be confident that you are communicating your data completely and consistently to the many interviewers, on the multiple SSA forms and through the numerous levels of review, that you may encounter in your application process.

Another advantage of this book for yourself and for your application, is that it allows your individual medical specialists to get a complete picture of your overall health and of the conditions that disable you. For example, it might help your orthopedist decide whether you can walk on uneven surfaces, if he is aware that your field of vision is restricted. And once the workbook questionaires are filled out, they can serve as the beginning of a health diary, which will help you manage your health and deal with the periodic SSA reviews of your disability once you get it.

Finally, the biggest advantage you get from this workbook, is that it puts the SSA employees on your team by making it easier for them to do their jobs. You are providing them with the information they need on your case in an accessible format which is simple for them to process and evaluate.

Do yourself a favor. Get the Disability Workbook by Douglas M . Smith.

If you are applying for disability, this is the only book you need to guide you through everything. I've highly recommended it to thousands of people with chronic illness through HopeKeepers Magazine.

This workbook consolidates the information needed to prove disability claims and win benefits. It guides applicants through the application process with the goal of getting benefits promptly, without unnecessary appeals. The new edition discusses the "proofs" that the Social Security Administration processors look for, and it tells you how to keep your benefits through periodic disability reviews. The book is important because two-thirds of claims for Social Security disability benefit are denied initially.

Be sure to visit the author's web site too at http://www.disabilityfacts.com . It includes a variety of free articles for personal use, including: Prospects Improve for Winning Disability Quickly, Social Security Disability Outline (What to Expect), and Daily Activities Worksheet (very helpful when filling out the forms). Many frequently asked questions about applying for benefits are also addressed.

Resources available for a small purchase price include helpful items such as "Disability Evaluation in a Nutshell: A Three Minute Guide to Effective Medical Reports," to ensure that your doctor is keeping medical records and being an advocate for your health.

You will feel like you've got an inside scoop on how the system works. .

I wrote the above title and have been in touch with Doug. Little did I know there would be a time when I would need to apply for SSI for someone in my family. Doug's book is indespensible to the SSDI/SSI disability claimant. He lists the information you'll need and plenty of forms are included. He's also got some hints like "get a face-to-face" interview. It's your right. What more can I say, I wrote a book on the subject and for additional help I turned to Doug's book immediately and it comes through with the goods. I think my book "How to Get SSI and Social Security Disability" still has vital and helpful information to add, despite some self-styled "expert" who says my book is a lie. This same expert has the same opinion of Dr. Morton's book by Nolo. I am an expert and I give Doug's book a full 2 thumbs up.
Mike Davis