One Small Starfish: A Mother's Everyday Advice, Survival Tactics & Wisdom for Raising a Special Needs Child

One Small Starfish: A Mother's Everyday Advice, Survival Tactics & Wisdom For Raising A Special Needs Child is the true story of Anne Addison, a mother who worked hard to raise a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Asperger's Syndrome, and developmental delays, and sensory integration problems. Facing the formidable challenges of teaching a child who is constantly pulled onto paths only he understands, Addison mastered the basic necessities of familial survival and helped her son learn how to cope in a dangerous world. One Small Starfish is a 372-page compendium of practical, "parent friendly", highly recommended observations and experiences from which the mothers and fathers of special needs children can draw information, advice, and hope. Addison's son is currently a successful student in a typical fourth grade classroom and, as other boys his age, actively participates in sports, church choir, and music.

My own brother has the exact same problems as the boy in the story. I am 13 years old, and it is hard to cop with someone who is not like the other brothers and sisters that you want and that your friends have. This sister dealt with the brother in different ways, helping me to find what works for my family. This is the best book that i have read yet! It helped me so much more then i would have thought. I would recommend it to anyone who has a sibling, it helped me to understand that someone else was dealing with the same issues as i was.

As the parent of a child with Asperger Syndrome/high-functioning autism, I have read many first-hand accounts dealing with challenging behaviors and suggested solutions. I have found One Small Starfish to be among the very best. Ms Addison's understanding, compassion, and inventive solutions are a delight to read. She combines her very practical business sense with the intuition that comes with motherhood,the humor that can soften adversity, and even a special spirituality that enhances her techniques. Readers will no doubt find some very useful and helpful suggestions among these chapters. I highly recommend this book!

I found this book to be quite effective. Anne Addison does a remarkable job outlining ways for parents to cope with their challenged children from day-to-day routine activities to dealing with a community of support. My husband and I have a child who is autistic and we have been able to use this book as our guide to solve everyday problems. It has helped us tremendously!

This book offers a diversity of reader satisfaction. This story of a family growing with their special needs child is an enjoyable literary read as well as a helpful guide in the daily challenges of raising a child who 'beats to his own drummer'.The author is comprehensive an addressing all situations that can arise with a child who often sees and reacts to his environment in an atypical fashion. She takes you down each road that is critical to a child's development, including educational, medical, clinical, social and emotional needs. The author's story is heartwarming as well as wrenching at times, andyet is interspersed with pratical strategies and recommendations to a wide variety of daily living situations. The author is sincere in her wisdom, sharing strategies that she has used that failed as well as succeeded. How a special needs child has impacted a sibling's life as well as the marital relationship are examples of the wholistic approach the author takes in learning and living with a challenging child. This book is an excellent resource for all individuals who interact with special children. And it will make you laugh and cry....