A Special Mother: Getting Through the Early Days of a Child's Diagnosis of Learning Disabilities and Related Disorders

Anne Ford · John-Richard Thompson

Feb 2010 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

All mothers experience worries and fears about their children, but none can compare with the early days when a mother feels something's not quite right. Anne Ford knows the feeling. She's had it herself, having raised a daughter with severe learning disabilities, and has gone on to share experiences with others during her many years as a volunteer with the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

To bring comfort, support, and hard information to mothers-and fathers, too-in the early period surrounding the diagnosis, here is the book that Anne wishes she'd had years ago when she first received the news about her daughter and didn't know where to turn for the practical and emotional help she desperately needed.

Filled with essential advice and the voices of other mothers whose children have LD and related disorders such as Asperger's and ADHD, A Special Mother lets parents know they are not alone and that they can help their child to thrive. This invaluable book addresses such matters as:

Understanding Learning Disabilities and Related Disorders
What Should You Do First?
Interpreting Evaluation Results
Resolving Disputes
Special Fathers: They Are Out There
The Social Side of LD
Advocacy vs. Obsession
How Are You Doing?: Taking Care of Yourself

About the author

Anne Ford's previous books are the acclaimed memoir Laughing Allegra, about raising her severely learning-disabled daughter, and On Their Own: Creating an Independent Future for Your Adult Child with Learning Disabilities and ADHD. She served as Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Learning Disabilities from 1989 to 2001. The daughter of Henry Ford II, she lives in New York City and lectures widely on LD and ADHD issues. John Richard-Thompson, an award-winning playwright and novelist, collaborates with Anne Ford on her books.