Beckman, P. J., & Beckman Boyes, G. (1993). Deciphering the system: A guide for families of young children with disabilities. Cambridge, MA: Brookline. This comprehensive guide provides basic information about parents' rights under recent legislation affecting young children with disabilities, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education act. It will take you through the service system, telling you what to expect from the educational assessment process, how to work with multiple service providers, and how to set up due process meetings. You'll also find a resource list and a glossary to help you understand professional jargon.
Ingersoll, B. D., & Goldstein, S. (1993). Attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities. New York: Doubleday. This book helps sort out the realities and myths of treatments for ADD and learning disabilities. The authors discuss established as well as "alternative" treatments, focusing on the latest evidence from scientific studies.
Treiber, P. M. (1993). Keys to dealing with stuttering. Hauppague, NY: Barron. The latest research is summarized to help parents understand and manage a child's stuttering, helping the child at home and at school.
Webber, J. (1993). Children's medication guide book. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. A mother and pharmacist is the author of this guide for parents who want to know more about the medications that are prescribed for their children and about nonprescription medications. Provides information on use, dosage, precautions, and side effects.
Axline, V. M. (1967). Dibs in search of self. New York: Ballentine. This immensely moving and readable classic is the story of the play therapy that enabled a silent, withdrawn child to become his true, intelligent, and emotionally expressive self.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam. This book by a scientist-reporter draws on recent research on the brain and on behavior to make its point that how people handle their emotions is more important for themselves and for society than how many points they score on an IQ test. He reports on ways children can be helped to develop self-awareness, persistence, impulse control, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Turecki, S., with Wernick, S. (1994). The emotional problems of normal children. New York: Bantam. A compassionate and practical guide with two basic points: Normal children can have problems, and parents can help them. Illustrated with vivid vignettes from the senior author's practice as a child and family psychiatrist this work shows how parents can use their intimate knowledge of the child to intervene. You'll also find guidelines for deciding when to seek professional help and what to expect if you do.