The winter months provide an ideal opportunity to read one of the many valuable books available on neurobehavioral development, but it isn’t always easy for parents of children with special needs to find the time to read. It doesn’t help that the sheer number of books on the shelves, when parents do finally have some time to browse and select, can quickly become overwhelming. Plus, information changes quickly from year to year, particularly in the neurobehavioral and scientific communities. How can you know which books are timeless, accurate, and relevant to your reading needs?
Here are 5 books that should be on your reading list this winter, as these books provide both time-tested and innovative ways to help your child with a neurobehavioral disorder succeed at home, in school, and in the world.
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare.
This book is currently the top seller in the special education books category on Amazon. This edition is actually part of a series of books that focuses on helping your child improve his or her executive skills, including organization and impulse control, and since it comes complete with worksheets and other tools, you’ll want to pick up the print edition, rather than read the digital variety. This particular edition is geared toward preschool to pre-teenage children, so parents of teenagers will want to check out the Smart but Scattered: Teens book. The authors have also written two books for adults of all ages: Smart but Scattered — and Stalled, as well as The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success.
This book is empowering and research-based, offering parents a wealth of tips and resources to support their child’s success.
School Success for Kids with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders by Dr. Vincent Culotta, Ph.D, Michelle Davis, Eric Levine Ed.d, and Elizabeth Hess Rice Ed.d.
Co-authored by one of our own, Dr. Vincent Culotta, Ph.D, School Success for Kids With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders serves as an essential reference guide for parents and caregivers of children with neurobehavioral conditions, particularly children experiencing those emotional and behavioral disorders that are negatively impacting their school and home lives. There are chapters on everything from understanding brain development to understanding diagnoses, school advocacy, and discipline.
This book gives everyone who works closely with these children the essential strategies needed to help children control their impulses, appropriately manage their emotions, and change their behaviors for the better. Just as with Smart but Scattered, this is a book that you’ll want to consider picking up in print, as it contains reproducible items for parents and teachers to use with students.
From Emotions to Advocacy: The Special Education Survival Guide (2nd edition) by Peter W.D. Wright and Pamela Wright
Learning how to advocate for your child with special needs is often confusing and overwhelming. This guide goes into the details you need to help your child achieve success and receive quality services from their special education programming. This is another book that includes wonderful, tangible resources like worksheets and sample letters that will make you want to reach for the print copy.
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child’s Confidence and Love of Learning by Ben Foss
This book goes beyond the typical dyslexia guidebook and focuses on exactly what the title suggests — empowering you and your child. The author is open about his own dyslexia, and points to the ways that this learning difference may actually impact the development of other skills and talents, and how these skills can be used to develop knowledge. This book will help parents of children with dyslexia to identify their child’s own individual strengths and learn to use these skills to help their child love learning and develop greater self-confidence despite the struggles that dyslexia can often bring.
Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Dr. Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D.
This best-seller in developmental psychology is written by one of the leading authorities on autism. Its author, Dr. Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D, CCC-SLP, has spent more than 40 years researching and sharing insights into autism, and Uniquely Human showcases the beauty of the person behind autism. It is commonly said that if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism, and this book reveals the truth of that statement. Dr. Prizant’s view that autism is most successfully managed not by trying to change someone or their symptoms, but through understanding each individual experience, makes for an empowering and revolutionary book.
We’re Dedicated to Families Experiencing Neurobehavioral Disorders
Neurobehavioral Associates is always here to help you through your journey with your child or loved one who has a neurobehavioral disorder. We provide comprehensive assessments, essential referrals, and regular lectures on today’s changing neurobehavioral landscape. Contact our staff of leading researchers and experts to learn more about our services, and follow us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the latest in neurobehavioral research.
