TY  - BOOK
AU  - Keiling, Patricia
AU  - Lenzo, Patricia Navarro
TI  - A parenting guide for families of children with disabilities : : developing social skills towards independent living
SN  - 9781434905970
PY  - 2010///
CY  - Pittsburgh, PA
PB  - Dorrance Publishing
KW  - CHILDREN
KW  - PARENTING
KW  - DISABILITY
KW  - INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS
KW  - SELF ADVOCACY
KW  - COMMUNICATION
KW  - NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
KW  - PERSONAL HYGIENE
KW  - FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
N1  - Baby birds in the nest|Introduction|Philosophy|Building a foundation|Dreams and goals|Ten top tools to use throughout the program|Self advocacy|Nonverbal communication
    Part one: First impressions
    Part two: Behaviors|Verbal communication|Daily living and community skills|Organizational planners|Family action plan worksheet|Conclusion|Birds fly out of the nest
N2  - "Every family has its own ideas about raising children. These ideas come from life and educational experiences. For many people. however, there is little or no experience regarding raising a child with a disability. The purpose of this guide it to help families with a child with a disability develop a personal philosophy of how to raise their child. Your child's ability to advocate for him or herself will lead to as much independence as possible. This guide focuses on the social skills needed for self-advocacy, which increases independent skills for home, work and community interaction." - INTRODUCTION; It doesn't claim to offer the 'right' way to parent a disabled child. Instead it offers tips to help each family develop a personal philosophy towards achieving success.  From a review written by Thomas Smythe

In their introduction the authors state that “this guide focuses on the social skills needed for self-advocacy, which increases independent skills for home, school, work and community interaction”. Certainly a glance at the contents page reveals a comprehensive list of issues and topics leading to family action plans and ultimately the “birds fly out of the nest”! Just to mention a few there is personal hygiene, physical issues including eye contact and personal space, daily living skills looking at shopping, banking and leisure.

I really like the lay out throughout which makes for an easy read; the development of ideas through goal setting, suggestions, supporting tips and key areas to think about; the use of imagery, action plans and quotes; and finally the fact that this is an open guide not restricted to a particular disability, nor type of family.

This will be useful for any family raising a child with a disability
ER  -