THE UNDERDOGS tells the story of Karen Shirk: felled at age 24 by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as an immobile, deeply isolated and depressed, ventilator-dependent patient, she was rejected by every service dog agency in the country as "too disabled." Her nurse encouraged her to raise her own service dog, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life. "How many people are stranded like I was," she wondered, "who could lead productive lives with a service dog?" A thousand dogs later, Karen Shirk's service dog academy, 4 Paws for Ability, is restoring broken children and their families to life. Melissa Fay Greene tells the stories of isolated children, struggling parents, and the marvelous dogs who gallop into their lives. Into these modern wonder tales, she weaves the latest scientific discoveries about the inner lives of dogs. It turns out that dogs really are doing the astounding things they appear to do, and they're doing them for people they love. The frontiers of the human/dog bond are explored here with insight, compassion, humor, and joy. A cast of remarkable characters-scientists and felons, dog trainers and parents, children with disabilities and the great dogs themselves-together address questions about our attachment to dogs, what constitutes a productive life, and what can be accomplished with unconditional love.

"Your child has autism" - four small words with the power to leave parents feeling helpless, overwhelmed, and confused. This concise, no-nonsense book will enable parents to regain control of the situation and take the first practical steps towards a calm and happy life with their newly-diagnosed child. Dr. Larson Kidd's approach draws from the vast amount of information available on parenting a child with autism and distils it into ten manageable steps. It covers the key aspects of life with a child on the autism spectrum, including the basics such as sleeping, eating, and toileting, through adapting the home, creating routines, and exploring therapy. Ready-to-implement strategies are outlined simply and clearly, and are firmly grounded in the author's extensive experience of supporting children with autism. This practical book will be essential and empowering reading for every parent whose child has recently been diagnosed with autism or for parents still struggling with where to begin to help their child.

Do you ever find yourself asking . . .
- How can you get your children to do their homework without meltdowns, threats or bribes?
- How can you have a drama-free morning where the kids actually get out the door in time for school?
- How can you better manage your kids' screen time without making them want to hide what they're doing from you?
Family therapist Susan Stiffelman is here to help. While most parenting programs are designed to coerce kids to change, "Parenting Without Power Struggles" does something innovative, showing you how to come alongside your children to awaken their natural instincts to cooperate, rather than at them with threats or bribes, which inevitably fuels their resistance. By staying calm and being the confident "Captain of the ship" your child needs, you will learn how to parent from a place of strong, durable connection, and you'll be better able to help your kids navigate the challenging moments of growing up.
Drawing upon her successful practice and packed with real-life stories, "Parenting Without Power Struggles" is an extraordinary guidebook for transforming the day-to-day lives of busy parents--and the children they love.

ULTIMATE HANDBOOK FOR RAISING HAPPY SUCCESSFUL COOPERATIVE CHILDREN.

Toilet training children with autism and related disorders is fraught with countless challenges stemming from the very core of their unique characteristics. The communication and sensory issues alone can create formidable barriers. As a result, typical strategies are frequently ineffective when used with children with special needs. Using a no-nonsense, often humorous approach, Judith Coucouvanis, MA, APRN, BC, shares strategies that have produced remarkable results for parents of children with autism and related disorders nationwide. Promising no "quick fixes," The Potty Journey systematically guides you through the entire toileting journey, step-by-step, to the ultimate destination - dry pants. By reading The Potty Journey, you will learn about... * how to tell if the child is "ready" * easy and time-saving data collection methods * the importance of routines and how to develop effective routines * the impact of a consistent schedule * usi

In her book, Never Assume. Getting to Know Children Before Labeling Them. Dr. McGuire reminds us that children are born with a profile of temperament traits that rule how they behave or respond to what is occurring in their environment. We, as adults, do not always remember our own childhood differences and how they made us feel. Now living in a different time with more resources, education and science helping us through observations, stories of children can be a means of letting adults see children from a more objective eye, rather than the subjective eye colored by worry, fear or frustration.
Focusing on the demeanor of children and how to understand them, Dr. McGuire will use her experience as a behavioral pediatrician to help you, help your children and patients. Teaching you how to create a biographic profile of children she will demonstrate behavioral challenges while teaching you what to do with this new gained knowledge.
Dr. McGuire's book is filled with heartfelt essays and hopeful answers that you can apply to the children you know who need to be better understood.

Access to technology has created a generation of children who are more plugged in than ever before - often with negative consequences. Unrestricted outdoor play reduces stress, improves health, and enhances creativity, learning, and attention span. In Nature Play at Home, Nancy Striniste gives caregivers the tools they need to make outdoor adventures possible in their homes, schools, and neighbourhoods. With hundreds of inspiring ideas and 12 illustrated, step-by-step projects, this hardworking book details how to create playspaces that use natural materials - like logs, boulders, sand, water, and plants of all kinds. Projects include hillside slides, seating circles, sand pits, and more. Accessible, research-based, and timely, Nature Play at Home is a must-have for modern parents and caregivers.

There's a new set of 3Rs for our kids-respect, responsibility, and resilience-to better prepare them for life in the real world. Once developed, these skills let kids take charge, and let parents step back, to the benefit of all. Casting hover mothers and helicopter parents aside, Vicki Hoefle encourages a different, counter-intuitive-yet much more effective-approach: for parents to sit on their hands, stay on the sidelines, even if duct tape is required, so that the kids step up. Duct Tape Parenting gives parents a new perspective on what it means to be effective, engaged parents and to enable kids to develop confidence through solving their own problems. This is not a book about the parenting strategy of the day-what the author calls "Post-It Note Parenting"-but rather a relationship-based guide to span all ages and stages of development. Witty, straight-shooting Hoefle addresses frustrated parents everywhere who are ready to raise confident, capable children to go out in the world.

- Do you want to add fun and adventure to your daily life?
- Would you like to reduce the stress of your morning routine?
- Are you ready to create a quiet space for yourself at home with the blink of an eye?
- Do you wish you could teach your family how to communicate with respect and appreciation?
- Do you ever wonder how you and your family could live the lives of your dreams?

THIS BOOK IS DESIGNED TO BE USED WITH THE STOP RAISING EINSTEIN JOURNAL.

Please see the accompanying Journal ISBN 9781599321738.

Help your child cultivate real, lasting confidence! In Kid Confidence, a licensed clinical psychologist and parenting expert offers practical, evidence-based parenting strategies to help kids foster satisfying relationships, develop competence, and make choices that fit who they are and want to become. As a parent, it's heartbreaking to hear your child say negative things about themselves. But as children grow older and begin thinking about the world in more complex ways, they also become more self-critical. Alarmingly, studies show that self-esteem peaks during the preschool years, only to take a sharp nosedive as children head into their teens. So, how can you turn the tide on this upsetting trend and help your child build genuine self-esteem? With this guide, you'll learn that self-esteem isn't about telling kids they're "special." It's about helping them embrace the freedom that comes with a quiet ego-a way of being in the world that isn't preoccupied with self-judgment, and instead embraces a compassionate view of oneself and others that allows for both present awareness and personal growth. When kids are less focused on evaluating and comparing themselves with others, they are freer to empathize with others, embrace learning, and connect with the values that are bigger than themselves. You'll also discover how your child's fundamental needs for connection, competence, and choice are essential for self-esteem. Connection involves building meaningful and satisfying relationships that create a sense of belonging. Competence means building tangible skills. And choice is about being able to make decisions, figure out what matters, and choose to act in ways that are consistent with personal values. When children are able to fulfill these three basic needs, the question of "Am I good enough?" is less likely to come up. If your child is suffering from low self-esteem, you need a nuanced parenting approach. Let this book guide you as you help your child create unshakeable confidence and lasting well-being.

This powerful, moving story-which has already touched more than seven million through a viral video created by the Whittington family-is a mother's first-hand account of her emotional choice to embrace her transgender child. When Hillary and Jeff Whittington posted a YouTube video chronicling their five-year-old son Ryland's transition from girl to boy, they didn't expect it to be greeted with such fervor. Beautiful and moving, the video documenting Hillary's and Jeff's love for their child instantly went viral and has been seen by more than seven million viewers since its posting in May 2014. Now for the first time, they tell their story in full, offering an emotional and moving account of their journey alongside their exceptional child. After they discovered their daughter Ryland was deaf at age one and needed cochlear implants, the Whittingtons spent nearly four years successfully teaching Ryland to speak. But once Ryland gained the power of speech, it was time for them to listen as Ryland insisted, "I am a boy!" And listen they did. After learning that forty-one percent of people who identify as transgender attempt to take their own lives, Hillary and her husband Jeff made it their mission to support their child-no matter what. From the earliest stages of deciphering Ryland through clothing choices to examining the difficult conversations that have marked every stage of Ryland's transition, Hillary Whittington shares her experiences as a mother through it all, demonstrating both the resistance and support that their family has encountered as they try to erase the stigma surrounding the word "transgender." In telling her family's story, she hopes she can assist the world in accepting that even children as young as five, can have profound and impactful things to say and share. What emerges is a powerful story of unconditional love, accepting others for who they are, and doing what's right, regardless of whether those around you understand it.

You've just had a baby.
Everything is perfect.
Then the hospital sends you home--
without an instruction manual....
Baby expert Gina Ford comes to the rescue with her newly revised hour-by-hour, week-by-week guide. One of Great Britain's top parenting experts, she draws on more than twenty years of experience researching and studying the natural sleep rhythms and feeding patterns of babies to ease the stresses and worries of new parents. In this new edition, you'll find everything you need to know to get your newborn to sleep through the night. In addition, Ford shares her expertise on feeding schedules, colic, crying, teething, illness, pacifiers, separation anxiety, and setting up the perfect nursery.
With this easy-to-follow guide, Ford will have your whole family sleeping through the night--happily and peacefully--in no time.

Mouse and her animal friends are rudely disrupted from the comfort of their homes by a big storm! Waking up away from home, together they must find their way back despite feeling scared and lost. Written in rhyme along with easy-to-follow diagrams and instructions for giving simple hand reflexology to a child, this book will help parents soothe children, especially those who experience anxiety or have sensory regulation difficulties. Beautiful illustrations accompany the reflexology techniques which are easy to use to provide a calming experience to a child. No prior reflexology knowledge is required.

A witty yet practical guide to defeating the ten most common childhood 'nasties'. The all-seeing, all-knowing powerhouse that is Mumsnet brings you the ultimate pocket guide to the most testing of childhood ailments, leaving you armed and ready for combat whenever the likes of mini-beasts, bacteria and viruses strike (too often all at once). Brimming with first-hand experience, this little book is full of tips ranging from how to deal with a poonami to how to be your child's bedtime hero, all accompanied by wry words of hope and encouragement. 'Nasties' tackled include nits, threadworm, ringworm, warts, molluscum, conjunctivitis, foreign objects, vomit, poo and dragons under the bed. Each nasty has its own dedicated chapter containing both practical and hilarious tips from Mumsnet talk boards; a 'Top Trumps' card outlining skills, strengths, weaknesses and a toe-curling fact; and a comprehensive guide to making your nasty encounter as stress-free as possible. Lighthearted, funny and utterly indispensable, this comprehensive guide will be your pocket-sized lifesaver.

Stand Tall Like a Mountain is specifically designed to help parents empower their children to: - Learn tools for dealing with everyday emotions - Express how they are feeling - Learn about their bodies and minds in easy-to-read and understandable language - Develop tools for nourishment and coping with challenges - Use easy and fun yoga poses to promote positive feelings We teach our children how to brush their teeth and cross the road safely; this book is about broadening their toolkit to include emotional first aid. Suzy Reading introduces practices to encourage noticing emotions, feeling calm, expressing feelings, falling asleep more easily, coping with anger and feelings of anxiety and nurturing confidence and kindness. Children are natural masters of curiosity and mindfulness, so the learning is not a one-way street. The book encourages parents to observe and seek opportunities to learn from their children too. "It's not easy to remember to care for ourselves and connect with our loved ones in this fast-paced life. Stand Tall like a Mountain gently stops you in your tracks, reminds you to breathe and gives practical support for living a kinder, calmer family life." - Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO Kidscape

A timely, intelligent and important book for fans of LEAN IN and Caitlin Moran: why do modern mothers allow themselves to suffer from so much guilt? Mothering skills are now scrutinised, measured, judged, discussed and disapproved of like never before. The bar is set so preposterously high, it's impossible, at least in the early years, not to feel like a long lost loser: and honestly, mothers only have themselves to blame... Motherly love is ferocious, intense, fathomless, unconditional and absolute. Daisy will add a dusting of reality to the sickly sweet bake-your-own rubbish by covering topics such as breast pumps, other children, sleepovers, swearing (yours and theirs) and contagious diseases. It's time to burn the maternity bras and Daisy is the first at the stake to exclaim, 'Enough! Life is short. Mothers adore their children. But they're people too. And that is more than just a mother.'

As parents we live each day at such a pace. One minute we are juggling the dawn scramble for p.e. kit, packing lunchboxes and dealing with toddler tantrums in the supermarket queue and then before we know it, they are filling in job applications. Did we do it right? Did we do it well? There is no one way to be the perfect parent. But there are a hundred ways to be a great parent. This hilarious, engaging little book is packed full with great ideas to help any really really busy parent find that extra minute, to enjoy their kids and to make the very most of every precious moment. Within these few pages are ideas strategies and principles that can revolutionise not only the way we parent, but also the way we feel about our parenting.

Taking a look at the most common sensory issues kids face, Raising Kids With Sensory Processing Disorders offers a compilation of unique, proven strategies that parents can implement to help their children move beyond their sensory needs. This updated second edition: Shows parents how to characterize their child's sensory issues into one of several profiles. Helps parents find the best adaptations and changes to their child's everyday routines. Provides a week-by-week series of activities and checklists. Helps improve children's performance on tasks like homework, transitions between activities, and interactions with friends. Is written by parents and occupational therapists. Whether it's having to remove tags from clothing or using special dimmed lighting when they study, kids with sensory disorders or special sensory needs often need adaptations in their everyday lives in order to find success in school and beyond.