Home | Subjects | States | Librarians | FAQs | About Us | Publications | Contact Us

	DISABILITY RESOURCES ONLINE
	Monitoring, Reviewing and Reporting on Resources For Independent Living
	Updated 11/2010
Back to Home Page

Here at www.disabilityresources.org, we often rely on publishers for review copies and to alert us to forthcoming books of interest to those of you who come to our website for recommendations and information. One of our favorite publishers for the past fifteen years has been Maryland-based Woodbine House, a publishing company that consistently produces what we have come to recognize as among the best in the field of special needs resources for families, health care practitioners, educators, and libraries. We know that when new Woodbine House books come across our desks, we will find resources that are well-researched, timely, consumer-focused, and reasonably priced. So, with those thoughts in mind, let's look at some recent offerings from Woodbine House:

Gravity Pulls You In: Perspectives On Parenting Children On The Autism Spectrum
edited by Kyra Anderson & Vicki Forman.

Woodbine House, 2010. Softcover, 201 pages, $19.95.

Although autism spectrum disorder is the fastest-growing developmental disability with an estimated one child in a hundred falling somewhere on the spectrum, the initial diagnosis of autism can be extremely isolating for families. Many parents, not having known any individuals or families in similar situations, often find themselves at a loss, overwhelmed by their child's needs and their own grief, worry, and need for knowledge.

One excellent starting point for parents of newly-diagnosed children would be Gravity Pulls You In, an anthology of prose and verse written by mothers and fathers of autistic children. The thirty-three essays and poems are unique to the writers' specific situations, but all of them speak to the ways autism has shaped, for better or worse, their lives.

What makes this volume stand out, in addition to the superlative writing and honest sharing, are its themes of connection and humanity. While the individuals profiled in the selections do fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, readers will come away from this anthology realizing that, more importantly, all of us, autistic or not, share a common humanity.

Activity Schedules For Children With Autism: Teaching Independent Behavior
by Lynn E. McClannahan & Patricia J. Krantz.

(2nd ed.) Woodbine House, 2010. Softcover, 147 pages, $19.95.

In this updated edition of a bestseller in the autism field, parents and teachers will learn everything they need to know to develop and integrate activity schedules into the daily routines of individuals with autism. In addition to introducing the concept of activity schedules, the authors explain how these sets of pictures and/or words can cue autistic persons to initiate and complete tasks, structure free time, and engage in social situations. This new edition includes an emphasis on adults with autism and how recent technological advances can play an important part in the activity schedule process.

The Down Syndrome Transition Handbook: Charting Your Child's Course To Adulthood
by Jo Ann Simons.

Woodbine House, 2010. Softcover, 289 pages, $24.95.

Leaving the security of home and high school to enter the larger world as a young adult can be challenging for anyone, but, for an individual with Down Syndrome or other intellectual disability, the transition presents many additional concerns. In this excellent and comprehensive guide, Jo Ann Simons, drawing upon her professional expertise as well as her personal experience as the mother of a son with Down Syndrome, shepherds families and teachers through the transition process. This manual, with its emphasis on successful transition into age-appropriate roles in the family and the larger community, is a useful mixture of practical information and anecdotal experience. It is also one of the best books of its kind that we at www.disabilityresources.org have seen in many years and is an example of why we think so highly of Woodbine House publications.

 

-Reviewed by Sally Rosenthal