Special Parent, Special Child [Paperback]

Tom Sullivan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 1996

Six interviews with parents of special children discuss how each family deals with their child's disability in an inspirational guide that examines the special needs of youngsters with cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, life-threatening illness, learning disability, and Down's syndrome. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Parents of children with disabilities share their trials and discoveries with others, revealing their special struggles, their methods for overcoming problems, and their advice to others. Six families were chosen for presentation in order that their experiences could be presented in-depth: children's disabilities include blindness, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, and the parents' point of view is probed in depth. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (August 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874778301
• ISBN-13: 978-0874778304
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,785,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn how to persevere for the sake of your child., January 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Special Parent, Special Child (Paperback)

This review appeared previously in Christian Library Journal (March 1997).

Tom Sullivan is well-known as a special correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, a sometimes actor, and the author of his autobiography, If You Could See What I Hear. He is also blind.

Fascinated with his mother's account of the chalenges of raising a special-needs kid, Sullivan interviewed 200 parents and selected six remarkable families of children with disabilities. Special Parent, Special Child shares the stories of how these parents overcame their personal tragedies and became nurturers of and advocates for their children. The families dealt with diverse circumstances: cerebral palsy, blindness, leukemia, deafness, attention deficit disorder, and Downs syndrome. The insights the parents offer about dealing with educational bureaucracies and medical personnel are valuable to anyone who loves a differently abled or seriously ill child.

Sullivan records several guideposts along each family's journey: their reactions to the initial dignosis (and the professionslas who made them); phases of denial and grief; impact on the family unit; how the parents learned to "work the system," becoming their child's advocate; dealing with the loss of personal identity; socialization; relationships with professionals; and sources of strength and hope. The parents candidly open their hearts, sometimes confessing attitudes of which they are not proud, but which other parents in the same situation would acknowledge as real. But best of all, in sharing their stories, they serve as role models for parents facing the same challenges. They demonstrate how to persevere for the sake of the child, how to search out better alternatives when what's offered isn't satisfactory.

Sullivan's style reads like a transcript of a television interview. It's sparked with banter between him and his subjects, and it's occasionally circuitous and redundant.

Andrea R. Huelsenbeck, freelance writer

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading for anyone who knows a family in this situation, July 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Special Parent, Special Child (Paperback)

This is a remarkably moving book with heartfelt revelations from families who have truly"been there". Anyone who has struggled with the issues of disability in their life will feel seen by this reading. Anyone who is friends of families with these challenges would be well advised to read this book and gain a deeper understanding of "how they do it" and the trials and triumphs within.