Here are some titles at our Library available for you to check out:

Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families (Sandra L. Harris, PhD) - Offers help in areas such as explaining your child's disability to others, balancing time for family, work, and yourself, and helping children play together.

Delicate Threads (Debbie Staub, PhD) - A good resource on how to help your child with special needs to play and have positive interactions with other children, including siblings.

Loss of Dreams: A Special Kind of Grief (Ted Bowman) - Focuses on how families come to terms with the changes that happen to their lives and their dreams when a child is diagnosed with special needs.

Crossing Bridges: A Parent's Perspective on Coping After a Child is Diagnosed with Autism/PDD (Viki Satkiewicz-Gayhardt, Barbara Peerenboom, and Roxanne Campbell, R.N.) - A wonderfully informative book by three mothers who have a child with autism spectrum disorder; offers advice on all aspects of living with a child with special needs, including feelings, how to access services, the future, and how to wade through information from other sources.

After the Tears: Parents Talk About Raising a Child with a Disability (Robin Simons) - Personal accounts by parents who have responded to the daily challenge of making a life for and with a disabled child.

Special Siblings: Growing up with Someone with a Disability (Mary McHugh) - The author weaves together her memories of life with her special needs brother with reflections, research, and interviews with other siblings of those with disabilities. Exploring the spectrum of feelings from anger and guilt to love and pride, she identifies issues siblings encounter in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and offers advice on coping with feelings, understanding family dynamics, and planning for long-term care.

Changed by a Child (Barbara Gill) - A series of short passages covering every topic a parent faces when raising a child with special needs, this is a must-read book for families looking for insights from other families with children with many different types of disabilities. It helps us see that no matter what the disability, we are all facing the same issues.

Books for Young Siblings

We'll Paint the Octopus Red (Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen) - A book about a young girl understanding the special quality of her young sister with Down syndrome. A great picture book for young children.

Special People, Special Ways (Arlene Maguire) - This book presents a positive image of persons with disabilities. Rich watercolor illustrations take the reader on a journey of discovery that shows "though we look different, inside we're the same…"

A Very Special Critter (Gina and Mercer Mayer) - In this wise and funny picture-book adventure, a special student joins Little Critter's class at school. It's an honest, realistic look at ways kids deal successfully with the unknown -- mixed with a big dollop of Mercer Mayer humor for good measure.

My Brother, Matthew (Mary Thompson) - Though David knows frustration and resentment at times, he feels he understands his disabled little brother even better than his parents; and together the two boys experience a great deal of joy. More than just a realistic look at the effect a child with disabilities has on a family; this is a compassionate, lively look at a relationship. Thompson avoids sentimentality and didacticism while conveying a sibling's normal feelings of loneliness, rejection, and impatience. The cheerful watercolors enhance the story and help to create a positive mood.

Princess Pooh (Kathleen M. Muldoon) - A disability changes the dynamics of a family. The uninitiated may not be familiar with the range of emotions that may tear through a household when one member is confined to a wheelchair. Although this book appears to be a simple picture book, it explores the frustrations and jealousy felt by an eight-year-old whose older sister seems to rule the world from a throne on wheels. A non-sanctioned ride across town teaches some unforgettable lessons. Feathery-soft pastel pictures are sensitively sketched and help add personality to the characters. (Review by Deborah Zink Roffino)

Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (Mary Thompson) - A heartwarming illustrated book about Andy, a boy with autism. Like many children with autism, Andy has a fascination with objects in motion. It's his talent for spinning his Frisbee, combined with a new classmate's curiosity, that sets this story in motion. Rosie, the watchful and protective sister, supplies background on Andy and autism, as well as a sibling's perspective.

I Have a Sister, My Sister is Deaf (Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson) - A young deaf child who loves to run and jump and play is affectionately described by her older sister. A great book to help explain the world of the totally deaf to very young children.

Meal Time Help From the ECIR Library

Is your child a picky eater? Does he or she have diet restrictions? If so, you may want to check out some of the new books in the Family Lending Library at the ECIR office--home of the service coordinators. Here is a list of the books that relate to kids with fussy eating habits:

Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense (Ellyn Satter) offers a practical and common sense approach to good eating habits in children.

The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles (Joan Guthrie Medlen) covers all aspects of nutrition and healthy living for children with Down syndrome, from birth through young adulthood.

Feed Me, I’m Yours (Vicki Lansky) is the classic cookbook for parents of young kids. Includes a chapter on making your own baby food.

First Meals: Fast, Healthy, and Fun Foods to Tempt Infants and Toddlers (Annabel Karmel) is a gorgeous book filled with easy-to-make recipes, lots of colored photographs, and information on food-related health issues.

How to Get Your Kid to Eat...But Not Too Much: From Birth to Adolescence (Ellyn Satter) offers advice on avoiding mealtime battles. Includes a chapter on what “normal eating” means.

Just Take a Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges (Lori Ernsperger and Tania Stegen-Hanson) looks at different food aversions (i.e. textures, novel foods, reflux) and offers useful techniques to parents in an easy-to-read format.

If your child has diet restrictions these books may be helpful:

Feast Without Yeast: A Complete Guide to Implementing Yeast Free, Wheat (Gluten) Free and Milk (Casein) Free Living (Bruce Semon and Lori Kornblum) offers over 200 recipes. The authors are married and parents of a child with autism and food sensitivities.

Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids: 150 Family-Tested Recipes (Sheri Sanderson). In addition to the kid-tested recipes this book also teaches parents to read food labels for hidden ingredients.

Wheat Free, Gluten Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults (Connie Sarros) has 180 recipes that run the gamut from simple treats to hearty meals. Includes recipes for dishes kids can prepare for themselves.

Other Resources

Mississippi Market (corner of Selby and Dale in St. Paul) has staff people who are knowledgeable about food and specific diets. The store carries a wide variety of food for restricted diets.

Fresh and Natural Foods (Highway 96 and Lexington Ave. in Shoreview) has natural and organic foods, offers educational classes, and has staff knowledgeable in food and wellness products.

BitterSweet Bakery (2105 Cliff Road in Eagan) specializes in gluten-free baked goods--cakes, cookies, breads, pancake and waffle mix.

If you would like more information, check out what is at your local library:

St. Paul Public Library or Ramsey County Libraries and click on Library Catalog.