Books About Children with Special Needs Labels

Armstrong, Thomas; Neurodiversity, Discovering the Extraordinary Gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Brain Differences, This is a passionate and compassionate way to look at the children we label to see their strengths and weaknesses as all part of diverse brain differences which are needed if this world is going to survive.

Beck, Martha; Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic.
This is a wonderful book of spiritual discovery that describes what happens to Beck’s life when she conceives and raises a child with Down syndrome. This is a must read for every parent exploring the spiritual meaning of raising a child with a special needs label.

Bolduc, Kathleen Deyer; His Name is Joel: Searching for God in a Son’s Disability.
This is a moving account by Bolduc who is a deeply religious Christian. She describes her journey from pain and despair to the regaining of faith while coping with her son with severe limitations.

Carroll, Lee and Jan Tober; The Indigo Children Indigo children are bright, intuitive, strong-willed and sometime self destructive.
They are thought to be here to help with human spiritual evolution. They are often misdiagnosed as ADD. This is the first book to explore what is needed to raise these children with balance and harmony.

Dacey, John S. and Lisa B. Fiore; Your Anxious Child: How Parents and Teachers Can Relieve Anxiety in Children.
Dacey and Firoe describe a method of treating children with severe anxiety that is grounded in spiritual connection and the fostering of self worth. This is an excellent book for parenting and working with all children.

Gill, Barbara; Changed by a Child: Companion Notes for Parents of a Child with a Disability.
This is a must read for all parents and anyone caring for a child with a disability. This is an intensely thoughtful and hopeful series of essays. Gill is compassionate and insightful about the feelings, stress, pain, and joy of caring for a child with a special needs label.

Greene, Ross W; The Explosive Child and Lost in School,   These are hands down the most helpful books for effectively coping with behaviorally challenged children with compassion.  Dr Greene developed collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) (not included in The Explosive Child) to help these children learn to manage their own behavior through a series of probing questions.  On his web site he provides videos that include a step by step guide for using the CPS process.  I highly recommend this not only for behaviorally challenged children but also for everyone, adults and children.  Check out his website, www.livesinthebalanace.org.

Hartmann, Thom; The Edison Gene: ADHD and the Gift of the Hunter Child Starting with Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception.
Hartmann has written many wonderful books describing his spiritual and freeing theory about the origins of ADD and the gifts of children and adults with ADD. The Edison Gene is his latest book that updates his theory.

Kaufman, Barry Neil; Son Rise The Miracle Continues.
This is a beautiful and compelling story of the Kaufman’s bringing their son out of autism through a loving and accepting approach of their son’s autism which eventually led to the creation of the Son Rise program for children with autism.

Kaufman, Barry Neil; A Miracle to Believe In.
This book continues to chronicle the success of the Son-Rise method in treating children with autism. It is another compelling story of a boy brought out of autism.

Klien, Stanley D. and Kim Schive; You Will Dream New Dreams: Inspiring Personal Stories By Parents of Children with Disabilities.
This book contains an inspiring collection of writings by parents of children with disabilities. These stories provide messages of coping, surviving, healing and joy during the tough times as well as the good times. The strong message is, “you are not alone.”

Stillman, William; Autism and the God Connection, The Soul of Autism, and Autism and the God Connection

This trilogy of books looks at the spiritual dimension of having autism and how these children have unknown and often unexplored gifts and offer lessons in compassion and connection with our Source.  On the spectrum himself, Stillman has an intuitive and compassionate understanding of people with autism.  I highly recommend all of his books.

Tobin, L.; What Do You Do with a Child Like This? Inside the Lives of Troubled Children.
This is a compassionate and inspiring book written by a long-time teacher of special education. He explores the inner life of children with sensitivity and an immense understanding of troubled children’s feelings and fears. Through poetic descriptions, he encourages adults to compassion and understanding when working with troubled children.

Virtue, Doreen; The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children Virtue.
This book explores the psyche of these special children so often labeled as ADD and explores alternatives to the use of medications based on interviews with child-care experts, teachers, parents and Indigo children themselves.

West, Thomas G.; In The Mind’s Eye: Visual Thinkers, Gifted People with Learning Difficulties, Computer Images, and the Ironies of Creativity.
This book changed my entire way of viewing my son and people labeled as dyslexic. This is a must read for any parent who has a child with learning differences.