Living with a Brother or Sister with special needs - Donald J. Meyer

Living with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs focuses on the intensity of emotions that brothers and sisters experience when they have a sibling with special needs, and the hard questions they ask: What caused my sibling's disability? Could my own child have a disability as well? What will happen to my brother or sister if my parents die? Written for young readers, the book discusses specific disabilities in easy to understand terms. It talks about the good and not-so-good parts of having a brother or sister who has special needs, and offers suggestions for how to make life easier for everyone in the family.

The book is a wonderful resource, not just for siblings and their parents but also for teachers and other professionals who work with children with special needs. This revised and updated edition includes new sections on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, ultrasound, speech therapy, recent legislation on disabilities, and an extensive bibliography.

This is a book that has long been awaited! [It] can be highly recommended to families, support groups, professionals and libraries.

Good writing for children is relatively ageless and it is a tribute to the authors that most grown-ups would find it tolerable, even pleasurable, to read. The tone is marvelous; there is nothing patronizing about the style. This is a gem of a book.