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The Child With Special Needs: Encouraging Intellectual and Emotional Growth

Stanley I. Greenspan,

Robin Simons,

Serena Wieder

4.24 · Rating details · 259 ratings · 14 reviews

Stanley Greenspan, internationally known for his work with infants, young children, and their families, and his colleague, nationally recognized child psychologist Serena Wieder, have for the first time integrated their award-winning research and clinical experience into a definitive guide to raising children with special needs. In this essential work they lay out a comple Stanley Greenspan, internationally known for his work with infants, young children, and their families, and his colleague, nationally recognized child psychologist Serena Wieder, have for the first time integrated their award-winning research and clinical experience into a definitive guide to raising children with special needs. In this essential work they lay out a complete, step-by-step approach for parents, educators, and others who work with developmental problems. Covering all kinds of disabilities--including autism, PPD, language and speech problems, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and ADD--the authors offer a new understanding of the nature of these challenges and also specific ways of helping children extend their intellectual and emotional potential.The authors first show how to move beyond labels to observe the unique profile--strengths and problems--of the individual child. Next, they demonstrate the techniques necessary to help the child not only reach key milestones but also develop new emotional and intellectual capacities. Greenspan's well-known ?floortime? approach enables parents, as well as clinicians, to use seemingly playful interactions that help children actually move up the development ladder and often master creative and abstract thinking formerly thought beyond their reach. Including vivid case histories, the book also offers deep and compassionate understanding of the stresses and rewards involved in raising a child with special needs.whose amazing work with autistic and other special needs children is nationally known, and his colleague, child psychologist Serena Wieder, have integrated a lifetime of research and clinical practice into a single, comprehensive guide for parents. Covering all kinds of disabilities--including cerebral palsy, autism, retardation, ADD, PDD, and language problems--the book offers specific ways of helping all children reach their full intellectual and emotional potential.First the authors show how to move beyond the label and observe the strengths and problems of the particular child and the key milestones that must be reached. Next, they move step by step through the techniques necessary to help the child reach these milestones and show how to tailor these to each child. Finally, with a deep and compassionate understanding they outline the marital, educational, and social stresses and rewards in raising a special needs child. ...more

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Hardcover, 512 pages

Published January 6th 1998 by Da Capo Lifelong Books (first published January 5th 1998)

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· 259 ratings · 14 reviews

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Aug 13, 2008 Alaina rated it it was amazing

This book is so packed full of information that I have been reading it for 3 months now. I can only read 5-10 pages at a time, implement what he talks about in those pages and them read a little more. I love the floor-time approach this book teaches. To draw the child into your world and learn to enjoy interaction.

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Mar 14, 2008 Joyce L rated it it was amazing

Shelves: learning-and-teaching

Learn about floortime and how you can do so much to work with a child with special needs. Can we clone Dr. Greenspan?

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Oct 26, 2017 Scot rated it really liked it

Lots of good advice for parents of special needs kids in this book. My minor criticisms are that while the book claims to be for all special needs kids, it feels like it’s really aimed at kids on the autism spectrum, with other special needs as an afterthought. And the case studies if parents following the advice of the book and seeing huge progress with their kids, while meant to be inspiring, eventually feels like it takes on an undertone of blaming the parents of kids who don’t make huge prog ...more

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Nov 09, 2018 Karin rated it it was ok

Shelves: brain-injury-disability, disability, didnt-finish

This had nothing new for me. I would love to see an update, because I think there is much that can be added to make this a really useful book for parents. This may be useful as one of the first books after a diagnosis. It mostly focuses on IDD, but there are some other issues discussed as well. This was published early in the days of SPD and calls it SID. I could have given it more stars...it wasn't bad, just not what I was looking for. ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 Meg rated it it was ok

This book would have been more beneficial if my child was younger....geared for younger children.

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Dec 06, 2010 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Thick, dense read. I've started and stopped a dozen times. Takes time to digest. I'm considering adding it to my collection of reference books (high praise - I'm picky about what I buy) mainly because I'll need to refer to parts of this work for years...as my children continue to develop.

Revelation: All communication comes from emotional experiences. Emotions are the basis of learning; feelings underlie cognitive learning.

What I like:
charts for observing your child,
Quick reference for floor tim ...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Becky rated it really liked it

I found this book very informative and very helpful. It broke down developmental milestones for intellectual and emotional growth that made it a lot easier for me to get a picture of where my son is and where he needs to go. It also has a lot of helpful suggestions for different disorders and challenges that arise when dealing with children with special needs. I would recommend this book to anyone who has contact with children with special needs.

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Feb 21, 2008 Nicole Martin rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: People working with special needs children.

Recommended to Nicole by: A family I used to work with gave me a copy.

Greenspan has developed a really awesome approach to working with children with special needs. I have only used this model when working with children on the Autism spectrum, but it can be used for children with all kinds of challenges.

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