The Common Sense Guide to Your Child's Special Needs

Book excerpt: What does it mean when a child is having difficulty with developmental milestones like walking, talking, and learning to read and write? What are the signs that a disability might be present, and what next steps can parents take to help their child? Pediatrician Louis Pellegrino gives you clear and down-to-earth answers in this new version of the trusted bestseller When Your Child Has a Disability. Now streamlined and reorganized by key developmental milestones rather than by disability, this book responds perfectly to the needs of parents who don't have a diagnosis yet or want to explore challenges common across disabilities. With reassuring warmth, good humor, and candor, Dr. Pellegrino offers practical guidance on what it means and what to do next when a child struggles with speech and language development motor skills development daily living skills social skills behavioral control and attention learning and cognitive development vision, hearing, and sensory processing special medical issues Throughout the book, Dr. Pellegrino combines research-based information and guidance with vivid metaphors, jargon-busting explanations of key terms, fascinating "pearls of wisdom," and engaging anecdotes from his personal and professional experience. A go-to guide for families, a highly accessible resource for professionals, and an ideal supplemental text for tomorrow's practitioners, this book will be a mainstay reference for everyone who picks it up. Keep it at your fingertips for a great developmental primer and the guidance you need to take first steps toward resolving a child's challenges.