When a new baby is born into a family, grandparents are excited about having a baby to enjoy and love. If the child is born with a disability, it can be difficult to know how to react and how best to help the child and the family as a whole. This book provides guidance on how to grandparent a child with special needs and give every grandchild the love and care they deserve and parents the added support they need.From coming to terms with a diagnosis, to helping with the transition from adolescence to adulthood, the book gives clear advice on grandparenting a child with special needs throughout their life. The author covers the medical, emotional and practical aspects of being a grandparent and explores important issues such as researching resources for specialized care, accessing financial and legal resources and, just as importantly, how to have fun and spend quality time with a grandchild with a disability. The book also addresses how to handle the diagnosis of a serious accident or progressive illness.Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs is a unique guide for grandparents keen to make a difference to the lives of their children and their grandchildren.
Acknowledgements.; Introduction.; 1. Coping with a Devastating Diagnosis.; 2 Providing Help and Support to Parents.; 3. Helping Siblings Cope.; 4. Multiple Birth Grandchildren.; 5. Parents Separation and Remarriage.; 6. Grandparents In Charge.; 7. Helping Grandchildren with Dressing and Hygiene.; 8. Helping Boost Your Grandchild's Self-Esteem.; 9. Handling Social Occasions.; 10. Time Out for Grandparents.; 11. Finding the Best Medical Care.; 12. Special Medical Problems and Treatments.; 13. Researching Resources for Specialized Services.; 14. Special Education.; 15. Having Fun with a Grandchild.; 16. Traveling with Your Grandchild.; 17. Helping a Teen Transition to Adulthood.; 18. Legal and Financial Resources.; 19. Handling a Progressive Disorder.; 20. Advice from Parents and Grandparents.; 21. Planning for the Future.; 22. Questions and Answers. Epilogue. Appendices: Medical Terminology. Definition of Disabilities. Helpful Web Sites. U.S. Agencies for Special Needs. U.K. Agencies for Special Needs. U.S. State Resources. State Contacts for High Risk Insurance and Toll-Free Numbers.
''Today, grandparents frequently have to assume a major role in raising their grandchildren. Both parents have to work in many families. The emotional and physical challenge of raising a special needs child becomes the grandparents responsibility. This book presents Dr. Thompson's compassion and insight gained through her lifetime of working with these children and their care-givers. Her guidance will have a positive impact on grandparents as they become a major care-giver in the upbringing of their special needs grandchild.'' - James C. Drennan, M.D., Orthopedic surgeon, Author of Orthopedic Management of Neuromuscular Disorders and former CEO of Carrie Tingley Hospital for Children
