Parenting Your Complex Child: Become a Powerful Advocate for the Autistic, Down Syndrome, PDD, Bipolar, or Other Special-Needs Child

by Peggy Morgan

Overview

Besides the usual parenting challenges, parents of disabled children face added obstacles that can tax the resolve and resources of even the strongest families. Peggy Lou Morgan has developed a powerful system for obtaining dramatically better care for children with one or more serious disabilities. Parenting Your Complex Child reflects the experience and knowledge she has gained through decades of navigating a sea of complex medical, educational, occupational, and social issues while working with disabled clients and with her own son. Morgan's unique tracking and documentation tools let parents adapt to their child's challenges, create routines that support the child's needs, communicate those needs to busy professionals -- and be taken seriously by them. The book also helps parents lay the groundwork for care to continue after they themselves can no longer provide it. Compassionate, practical, and proven, Parenting Your Complex Child helps parents ensure that life-changing decisions are based on the best interests of the child -- and on the best information available.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814429600
Publisher:	AMACOM
Publication date:	04/10/2006
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Peggy Lou Morgan has worked with the disabled for nearly 35 years, including more than 10 years setting up services and placements for her clients. Morgan adopted a multiply disabled child 20 years ago and is the author of Parenting Your Complex Child.

Table of Contents

"Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Part One: The Journey: Life with a Complex Child

Chapter 1: The Complex Child

Chapter 2: Billy Ray’s Story

Chapter 3: Not Yet the Best of Times

Chapter 4: Feeling Misunderstood

Chapter 5: Working with Doctors

Chapter 6: Encountering the “Dumb-Parent Treatment"

Part Two: Changing Course: Solutions and Suggestions

Chapter 7: Turning Point

Chapter 8: The Best Teacher—Your Child

Chapter 9: Two Essential Words: Communicate and Adapt

Chapter 10: Creating a Life that Works for Your Child and Your Family

Chapter 11: Service Dogs

Chapter 12: Document Everything

Chapter 13: Getting the Professionals to Listen

Chapter 14: Creating a Community for Your Child

Chapter 15: Hiring, Training, and Supervising Caregivers

Chapter 16: Mapping the Journey

Appendix

Index"

Editorial Reviews

Energy, wisdom, power and a personal touch make this book a cut above the rest.

Atlanta Parent

Energy, wisdom, power and a personal touch make this book a cut above the rest.”

—-Atlanta Parent

“Here’s a powerful, different system for gathering information about a child and planning for daily life: Morgan is both the parent of a complex child and a professional working with special-needs clients, so her dual expertise lends to a book which covers working more effectively with doctors, caregivers, and others. Create a life that supports both child and the entire family using the tips in Parenting Your Complex Child.”

——Bookwatch

From the Publisher