Adopting a Child with Special Needs: 5 Books to Help Along the Way
by Jillian Lauren
When you’re an adoptive parent with a challenging child, all the profusely offered information of the well-wishers around can be irrelevant and even infuriating. If parenting special needs has taught me anything, it’s that each child is an individual and there is no cure-all, no magic pill. There are some pretty smart people out there, though. When parenting felt like being alone in an unstable little boat, out on choppy waters during a dark night, these books were like lighthouses. Not all of the great books I’ve listed here have entirely consistent information, but all of them have helped us along the way. They have in common the fact that they focus on relationships and the neurological underpinnings of our children’s behaviors, rather than just quick diagnoses and medication as a first course of action.
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The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family
Adoptive parents, run out and buy anything and everything by Karyn B. Purvis. She is phenomenally knowledgeable and equally as compassionate.
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Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What To Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World
Sensory integration issues are hard to wrap your head around. This book is full of great explanations and strategies. Much of the time, my child's challenging behaviors are caused by his sensory issues. This book reminds me how important it is to treat the issues behind the behavior and not just the behavior itself.
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Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control: A Love-Based Approach to Helping Attachment-Challenged Children with Severe Behaviors
This book changed our life by giving us an understanding of what early childhood trauma does to the brain, and how to address it as a family.
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No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
Available from:Dr. Tina Bryson is simply a genius. She manages to write about neurology and behavior in a way that is not only supremely helpful but also surprisingly engaging and readable.
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Parenting with Love and Logic
This book is pragmatic, relationship-focused, and promotes responsibility and independence in your child.
