BOOKS, QUOTES &POEMS
BOOKS FOR PARENTS
Here are some books recommended for parents about children and adults with Downs Syndrome and other disabilities:
A Minor Adjustment by Andy Merriman. The story of a seven year old girl with Downs Syndrome and her family. The parents and grandparents are frank about their negative feelings when Sarah was born but the book continues with a very positive, funny , entertaining and informative story. It discusses such issues as inclusion, disability rights, screening, and Downs Syndrome in general. The author also produced a semi fictitious radio drama about life with a child with Downs Syndrome which shared the title of the book.I hope the series will be repeated soon
After Age 16 what next? Services and Benefits for young disabled people. Essential reading for any parent of a child with Downs Syndrome or other disability from 14 to 25+. It has chapters on Benefit Entitlements, Further Education,employment, housing and much more. It is published by the Family Fund and available from The Family Fund Trust, P.0 .Box 50 ,York, England YO1 2ZX.
She'll never do anything , dear by Joan Hebden. This is a mother's account of her daughter who has Downs Syndrome, is now grown up and who won the gold Duke Of Edinburgh's award..
Ownership Options - a guide to home ownership for people with learning disabilities, published by National Federation of Housing Associations. It gives practical advice, case studies and information about how people with learning disabilities can own their own home.
Helping your handicapped baby by Chris Cunningham and Patricia Sloper Published in 1978 I found this an invaluable book because of its detailed checklists and helpful suggestions on helping your the development of a baby or young child who has a disability
Will, My son: The Life and Death of a Mongol child.by Sarah Boston Despite the offputting title this is a wonderful elegy of the life of a baby with Downs Syndrome, who died young but who enriched the life of his mother and was a precious life.
And the sequel-Too deep for tears, eighteen years after the death of Will, my son. This tells of a journey of memory and discovery as the author meets a young man with Downs Syndrome the same age her child would have been if he had lived and thinks about the past , present and future. A book thats not gloomy, but is an inspirationDeveloping the child with Downs Syndrome, a guide for teachers.parents and Carers by Joyce Mepstead
Children with Downs Syndrome, a guide for teachers and learning support assisatnts in mainstream school- by Stephanie Lorenz. David Fulton Publishers is practical handbook offers advice on strategies for meeting the special educational needs of children with Down's syndrome in mainstream schools. The aim is to increase the confidence of support assistants, teachers, SENCOs and senior managers in both primary and secondary schools in providing a quality education for these pupils, while using scarce resources to best effect.
The next two may be out of print, but are classics of their time and will be available in some libraries and second hand bookshops.
Slant-eyed Angel by Jan Van der Hoeven, translated from the Dutch. A biography written in the late 1960,s when attitudes were different, but fathers account of a son he is proud of.
Ida, life with my handicapped child by Ulla Bondo, translated from the Danish..