Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Raising a Child with a Disability

Robert A. Naseef

Paul Brookes Publishing Company, 2001 - Family & Relationships - 291 pages

Not just another resource on parenting. More than a book on autism. This important book is a must-have guide for any parent of a child with a disability as well as anyone who works with or cares for those families. Special Children, Challenged Parents shares the unique perspective of a father of a son with autism, with additional reflection from his perspective as a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with families of children with disabilities.

This moving book illustrates the impact that a child's disability has on the entire family. It is a valuable aid to parents dealing with fear, guilt, shame, sibling rivalry, marital strain, and other challenges. Though the author's personal experience is with autism, this book will be a valuable resource for families of children with a wide range of disabilities. Readers learn about resources, such as support groups, for working through complex emotions and about techniques for communicating effectively with professionals.

Special Children, Challenged Parents addresses issues of bonding between parent and child and presents strategies for dealing with challenging behavior. Additional chapters are devoted to special issues for the family of a child with a disability, including the relationship between the parents, the effect on siblings, and the needs of fathers, who the author feels often require special support to express and deal with their emotions in the challenging role of parent to a child with special needs. This book provides a unique and touching look at parenting and disability.

Contents

• 3: 37
• 5: 89
• 7: 141

About the author

Robert A. Naseef, Ph.D., along with his wife Cindy N. Ariel, Ph.D., has a full-time independent practice in psychology that specializes in working with families of children with special needs. Dr. Naseef has a foot in each world because he himself is the father of a child with autism. He is a family consultant at Specare Pediatric Center, which provides a medical home for children with special health care needs in the Delaware Valley, and serves as a consultant to school districts, special education parent groups, and human services organizations. He writes regular columns at www.specialchild.com, www.kidsdirect.net/parentsdirect, and www.specialchildren.about.com. A native of Philadelphia who received his doctoral degree in psychological studies from Temple University, Dr. Naseef has a broad background in both education and psychology, with special interest and expertise in the psychology of men and fatherhood. He was instrumental in developing a training package to foster parent-professional collaboration for the New Jersey Department of Education, Division of Special Education, and taught graduate courses at Antioch University in Philadelphia and Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He held clinical privileges in psychology at the Pennsylvania Hospital's Department of Psychiatry and serves on the board of directors of the Center for Autistic children, the professional advisory board of the Pathway School, and the parent steering committee of the Interdisciplinary Council on Learning and Developmental Disorders.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Raising a Child with a Disability
• Author: Robert A. Naseef
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Paul Brookes Publishing Company, 2001
• Original from: Pennsylvania State University
• Digitized: Jun 27, 2011
• ISBN: 1557665354, 9781557665355
• Length: 291 pages
• Subjects: Family & Relationships / Children with Special Needs; Family & Relationships / Parenting / General