Memoirs Special Needs

Graham Hale Gardner died before turning 23 and never learned to walk or speak due to severe cerebral palsy complicated by epilepsy. Yet he left a legacy of love and compassion that deeply moved scores of people from widely different backgrounds. Graham’s story, written through the eyes of his father, speaks of the enormous legacy left by a boy who never spoke. A story that raises provocative questions about the “invisible lines of connection” that make us human.

Powerful and eye-opening, Seeing Ezra is an inspirational chronicle of a mother's struggle to protect her son from a system that seeks to compartmentalize and "fix" him, and of her journey toward accepting and valuing him for who he is - just as he is.

When Carla Ciccone is diagnosed with ADHD at thirty-nine—an evaluation prompted by the demands of early motherhood—it flips the script on her life. After years of self-blame and self-sabotage, she discovers that her most reviled traits aren’t deep personality flaws, but symptoms of an undiagnosed disorder. And as she goes from being her own biggest hater to someone a bit more compassionate, she notices the growing community of women in the same situation.

Lange Zeit fragt sich Angelina Boerger: Bin ich einfach chaotisch und kann nicht gut mit Stress umgehen oder steckt vielleicht mehr dahinter? Mit Ende 20 erhält sie schließlich die Diagnose "AD(H)S im Erwachsenenalter" und ist erleichtert: Endlich hat die Kirmes in ihrem Kopf einen richtigen Namen. Schätzungsweise 2,5 Millionen Erwachsene sind in Deutschland von der Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung, kurz AD(H)S, betroffen. Die Symptome bei Erwachsenen sehen in der Regel anders aus als bei Kindern, und auch das Bild des klassischen "Zappelphilipps" ist längst überholt.

The moving true story of a little girl with Asperger syndrome, controlled and abused by the one person she called her friend. Taylor had always struggled to make friends - she felt 'different'. Taylor never knew her father, and her mother wasn't around much. She just didn't understand people and was alone and scared most of the time. That was until, aged just 11, an older married man called Tom befriended her. She loved having someone who would talk to her, listen to her - a protector. But when he moved away a few months later, she was easy prey.

At the age of thirty, just as everything was falling into place for him, Lee Pesky died of brain cancer. For his father, Alan, grief came with the realization that he had lost the chance to love Lee as he was—not as he wanted him to be. Ambitious, successful, and always striving for more, Alan had a hard time relating to a son who struggled with learning disabilities at a time when there was little understanding or help for kids who had them. Their relationship was complicated, and now, Lee was gone.

Owen-known to his family as "little buddy" or "Little B"-has a rare genetic disorder that leaves him largely confined to a wheelchair. Before being united with Haatchi, Little B was anxious and found it difficult to make friends. Haatchi-an adorable Anatolian Shepherd puppy-was abused and left for dead on railroad tracks. He was struck by an oncoming train, and although his life was saved, his leg and tail were partially severed. Haatchi was left massively disabled and totally dispirited.

The remarkable story of how a mother moved from rage to hope after learning her youngest child was dying and harnessed her grief to transform the lives of others. Harnessing Grief will hearten listeners through Maria Kefalas' journey of understanding how to find hope and purpose amongst the most tragic of circumstances.

Anna grew up in a house that was loving, even if her mum was ‘a little eccentric’. They knew to keep things clean, to stay quiet, and to look the other way when things started to get ‘a bit much for your mum’. It’s only when her mother reaches her 70s and Anna has a family of her own, that the cracks really start to appear. More manic. More irrational. More detached from the world. And when her father, the man who has calmed and cajoled her mother through her entire life is diagnosed with cancer, the whole world turns upside down.

When Kate Swenson’s son Cooper was diagnosed with severe, nonverbal autism, her world stopped. She had always dreamed of having the perfect family life — watching her boy play at baseball games, walking him down the aisle. She hadn’t signed up for life as a mother raising a child with a disability.

At the peak of the Cold War, Mitchell Minor was born to a military family living on Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan. Unknown to his parents, the base's groundwater was contaminated from firefighter foams (PFAS/PFOA), de-greaser, and jet fuel. His mom drank the poisonous water which caused Mitchell’s small head (microcephaly) and other birth defects. This book is for every family who feels overwhelmed and for friends and family to better understand how to help. The Minor family invites you to experience God’s love during their 30-year journey with Mitchell.

When the newly qualified vet, James Herriot, arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby, he has no idea of the new friends he will meet or adventures that lie ahead. From the author whose books inspired the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small, this first volume of unforgettable memoirs chronicles James Herriot's first years as a country vet, with the signature storytelling magic that has made him a favourite the world over.

We all know the fairy-tale. An everyday girl meets her Prince Charming, they get married, have children and ride off into the sunset. Sadly, this isn't always the case and Christine McGuinness is keen to change the stereotype that marriage, fame and fortune brings an easy and blissful life. This is Christine's first audiobook, where she tells the world her life story for the very first time. While telling her story, Christine was diagnosed with autism, as revealed in this book for the very first time.

Andrea Ott-Dahl, who with her partner Keston Ott-Dahl has two other children, agreed to act as a pregnancy surrogate for a wealthy Silicon Valley family. When pre-natal testing revealed the baby would be born with Down Syndrome, Andrea was urged to abort the child. Instead, the Ott-Dahl's chose to keep and raise the daughter they would call Delaney, overcoming their fears while navigating legal, medical and emotional challenges.

Kicking ASSpergers is the triumphant memoir of one man’s journey with autism and his quest for happiness and self-empowerment despite the many challenges life throws at him. Detailing his struggles with acute anxiety, depression, OCD, psychosis, and suicidal ideation, as well as social stigma and medical bias, Jeremy Tolmie moves through his childhood and into adulthood. Over time, Jeremy starts to alienate the people in his life with his erratic and dangerous behavior. When he meets Dave Ray, a home share provider, Jeremy starts to learn how not to let autism rule his life.

I wrote this book because I wanted the world to know the story of my special needs son Lloyd C. Darby lll. Affectionately known as DJ, which stands for Darby Junior. When people triumph over their circumstances as my wife and I have, there are usually hidden lessons others can benefit from contained within the events. However, if we don’t share our stories with the world, no one will ever hear about them.

In Everything Is Going to be K.O. Kaiya Stone writes about her own experiences of living with specific learning difficulties: from struggling at school to being diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia while at university, to performing her own one-woman stand up show inspired by her journey. Always funny and unfailingly honest, Kaiya outlines the frustrations of having SPLDS but also the ways in which they have fuelled her creativity.

Follow a mother's journey through the twists and turns of autism spectrum disorder. Planet A is a book that gives the reader a glimpse into the behaviors of a child, Jackie Christiansen, on the autism spectrum. It is real and raw dealing with issues of explosive anger, social ineptness and low maturity, all of which can cause complete confusion and low self-esteem. Parenting can be extremely exhausting and getting the outside world to understand can be challenging. Through IEPs (Individual Education Plans) within the school systems to navigating the causes of behaviors the book is laced ...

This book is about one mom's journey in raising a child with special needs. Her daughter Lydia has Down syndrome. This is the story of their life together. Kerry Lynn Patton shares the blessings, trials, and what their family has learned by having Lydia in their lives. This is not meant to be a “How To” book for raising a child with special needs, but rather a book to encourage moms, dads, family, and friends. This delightful book is written in whimsical and heartfelt “snippets" for the listener to enjoy a little at a time or easily in one sitting.

Kenna was born January 9, 2012, weighing in at a meager 9.6 ounces. She was born 16 weeks too soon. After spending 183 days riding the roller coaster in Club NICU, she is finally home. This is our story of hope, finding happiness in unlikely places, and making the best of the life we have.