Raising a Handicapped Child: A Helpful Guide for Parents of the Physically Disabled

About 12% of all school children are disabled from birth defects, accidents, illnesses or other causes. This means 700 children are born each day who need special care, and the number appears to be growing. Raising a Handicapped Child offers a complete, practical, and reassuring guide for parents who care for these children.
Widely acclaimed by parents and professionals since its first publication, this revised and expanded handbook is still the only one of its kind to discuss both the emotional and physical problems of raising a child with a disability. A recognized authority in her field, Dr. Charlotte Thompson anticipates and addresses the questions and difficulties parents have to face from the initial diagnosis to adulthood, sharing the survival tools she has learned in over 35 years of practice. Her practical advice includes tips on how to select educational programs, how to find the best professional help, keep up with the latest in medical treatments, and how to cope with the costs. She deals compassionately and effectively with emotional issues, too, counseling parents on how to handle sorrow, anger, and guilt resulting from a devastating diagnosis or a progressive disease. Also including comprehensive appendices, Raising a Handicapped Child will be a great source of inspiration and information for parents of children with a disability and for anyone who works with disabled children.

Charlotte Thompson, M.D. is the Director of The Center for Handicapped Children in San Francisco. She is an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego Medical School and the author of Raising a Child with a Neuromuscular Disorder (forthcoming from OUP).