Coping With Your Child's Chronic Illness [Paperback]

Alesia T. Barrett Singer M.a. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

A practical guide for concerned parents who need support, effective ideas, and resources for dealing with their child's chronic illness. This invaluable book provides hope and help: Find a variety of resources for your child and family. Communicate with your child's physician. Educate yourself about your child's illness. Become and "advocate" for your child and family. Communicate with your child about his/her illness. Tailor your conversations with your child. Develop strategies to help your child cope at school. Identify key transition periods in your child's life. Recognize depression in your child. Recognize and accept coping methods. Have time for yourself, spouse, and other children. Avoid parent burn-out and depression.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Psychologist Singer has written an accessible introductory general guide for caregivers of chronically ill children. Specific diseases are not addressed. The book centers on coping with the shock of diagnosis; educational resources, including the child's physician, library, support groups, and Internet sites (URLs for authoritative web sites are included); advocacy for the child, parents, and other family members with healthcare and school professionals; how to explain illness and treatment to children in age-specific terms; and handling stress, burn-out, and depression in the child, parents, or siblings. Reassuring and helpful, this small volume is a first step for parents of newly diagnosed children, one of few such titles (see also Suzanne Levert's When Your Child Has a Chronic Illness, Dell, 1995). As a companion book, Robin P. Monroe's When Will I Feel Better? Understanding Chronic Illness (Concordia Pub., 1998) offers similar information in terms preschoolers can understand. Recommended.?Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp. Lib., NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Alesia T Barrett Singer MA

Product Details

• Paperback: 95 pages
• Publisher: Robert Reed Publishers (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885003145
• ISBN-13: 978-1885003140
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this book, October 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Coping With Your Child's Chronic Illness (Paperback)

As a parent of a child who has been newly diagnosed with a chronic illness, I found this book tactlessly and minimally covered the topic of caring for a chronically ill child. The writing is condescending in its lack of depth and sensitivity. There is a review of the stages of grieving, explaining that parents can expect a pit stop at most of them. But there is not a single sentence dedicated to stories of how parents dealt with these five stages. This is obviously written by someone who has no children as there is absolutely no heart in it and, again, it is incredibly condescending in its instruction to parents. Chapter 3- Becoming An Advocate: ...for you child's physical and emotional health, your family's needs and your own needs. The short version is MOTHER and FATHER -- since when is that limited to parents of sick kids? And haven't we been doing that since our little angels graced the planet? Duh!
Also, for $10 for 95-page book (an outrageous and ego-grandizing sum), I at least expect it to be typeset correctly. The list for becoming an advocate for yourself is repeated twice just in case we're too dense to get it the first time.
There is a good alternative to this book, "Chronic Kids, Constant Hope." It is written by parents who have chronic kids.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informed and Sensitive Guide, July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Coping With Your Child's Chronic Illness (Paperback)

This brief but highly readable guide for parents with children coping with chronic illness is a must. Written in an informed style and with sensitivity for parents trying to make the best of the lives for their children.

2.0 out of 5 stars Woefully outdated book, January 2, 2011

By 

Birdie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coping With Your Child's Chronic Illness (Paperback)

This book was written in 1999 in an age before ready access to health information and support through the Internet and has not been updated since then (don't go by the date next to the publisher's information). It is a VERY basic primer, a mere introduction for parents. Spend your money on a more current and in-depth book.