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Praying for Your Special Needs Child
Take it from people who know! Being a special needs parent comes with deep, often unexpected challenges that can shake your faith to the core. Drawing from their personal experience, David and Mercedes Rizzo share openly the myriad challenges of parenting a special needs child, while offering grace-filled counsel on practical steps you can take and suggested prayers to invite God into your situation. Topics include finding doctors and specialists who will treat your child with respect and kindness; advocating for your child's individualized education plan; preparing your child to receive the Sacraments; giving attention to your marriage and your other children; and preparing your child for adulthood. Face your challenges with the power of prayer! For every parent and caretaker of a special needs child, this resource will build your faith and offer practical ways to incorporate hope and prayer into your daily life.
142 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 23, 2018
"Praying for your Special Needs Child" by husband/wife team David and Mercedes McBride Rizzo is a book unlike any I've ever seen for parents of children with disabilities, whether they be intellectual limitations or physical handicaps, or both. Most books on the subject focus on how to cope on the emotional or physical level when presented with the often monumental difficulties a special needs child brings. There are certainly many books on the market that offer fantastic strategies for dealing with the overwhelming problems and obstacles that such families face, but the Rizzos have taken the subject a huge leap farther and stepped in to fill a void that no other authors (to my knowledge) have thus far done. They have written an incredible little volume on coping at the highest level a Christian parent can -- the level of prayer. The title actually says it all. This really IS a guide about how to pray for your special needs child!
The authors start the book at the beginning of the journey, with the diagnosis of a child's disability, then break the chapters down to tackle everyday events that cause stress and anxiety as your child grows. From school bus rides to dreaded dentist visits, from meltdowns in grocery stores to awkwardness at social events, from dealing with school authorities and IEPs all the way to the disappointment of no drivers license and limited opportunities for college and jobs, the Rizzos gently and graciously guide the reader with suggestions to help spiritualize each and every incident by turning to trustful prayer. But they don't just TELL the reader to pray. No, the book holds so much more than that. It outlines a whole method of entrusting your special needs child to God's Providence and care by suggesting certain prayers and meditations for certain situations. Just reading this small book made my more aware of my daughter's Guardian Angel and the special saints that surround her with love and are willing and eager at each step to help in every problem.
If you've been living a genuine Catholic life for many years, already enjoy a close union with Our Lord and Our Lady, have meditation already part of your daily routine and turn often to the saints in your various needs, you probably won't gather as much fruit from this book as someone new to the concept of living in the presence of God. So in that regard, it's written more for "newbies" rather than those already familiar with Catholic traditions and well grounded in a strong prayer life. But even if that's the case, there is still much to console, encourage, and inspire you in these pages. I loved reading about the authors' own experiences with their daughter Danielle, and they suggested many ideas and coping strategies that are of great value for new or confused parents trying to live a Catholic life in especially trying circumstances.
Overall, this is a groundbreaking work on a subject that is too often ignored. Essential reading for every Catholic parent of a special needs child.
The authors start the book at the beginning of the journey, with the diagnosis of a child's disability, then break the chapters down to tackle everyday events that cause stress and anxiety as your child grows. From school bus rides to dreaded dentist visits, from meltdowns in grocery stores to awkwardness at social events, from dealing with school authorities and IEPs all the way to the disappointment of no drivers license and limited opportunities for college and jobs, the Rizzos gently and graciously guide the reader with suggestions to help spiritualize each and every incident by turning to trustful prayer. But they don't just TELL the reader to pray. No, the book holds so much more than that. It outlines a whole method of entrusting your special needs child to God's Providence and care by suggesting certain prayers and meditations for certain situations. Just reading this small book made my more aware of my daughter's Guardian Angel and the special saints that surround her with love and are willing and eager at each step to help in every problem.
If you've been living a genuine Catholic life for many years, already enjoy a close union with Our Lord and Our Lady, have meditation already part of your daily routine and turn often to the saints in your various needs, you probably won't gather as much fruit from this book as someone new to the concept of living in the presence of God. So in that regard, it's written more for "newbies" rather than those already familiar with Catholic traditions and well grounded in a strong prayer life. But even if that's the case, there is still much to console, encourage, and inspire you in these pages. I loved reading about the authors' own experiences with their daughter Danielle, and they suggested many ideas and coping strategies that are of great value for new or confused parents trying to live a Catholic life in especially trying circumstances.
Overall, this is a groundbreaking work on a subject that is too often ignored. Essential reading for every Catholic parent of a special needs child.
November 16, 2018
As the father of four Special Needs sons, I eagerly agreed to read and review this book written by David Rizzo and Mercedes McBride Rizzo. I was not sure what I would find in the book but as I read through it I recognized familiar struggles, joys, and revelations that are a part of every parent’s life entrusted by God with a Special Needs child.
The chapters in the book each cover a different aspect of the REALITY that is the experience of parents striving to give their child the best life possible. Basic tasks such as traveling to the store or a visit to the doctor can become as challenging as Hannibal crossing the Alps. But at other times, our children shock us as they perform brilliantly. All areas of life, Daily Needs like dressing, Social Needs like friends, Educational Needs and School, Spiritual Needs such as Church and the Sacraments, and more, all are hoops to be jumped through. The book touches on these and also provides the one underlying strategy to address these needs – Prayer.
There are also some thought-provoking questions included at the end of the chapters.
With a career, now in retirement, of thirty-four years, working with persons with disabilities plus being a father of four challenged sons, I have to say this book is the real deal. Not pie-in-the-sky or doom and gloom but rather an insight into the grand possibilities for growth both of those who live with disabilities and those who care for them.
The chapters in the book each cover a different aspect of the REALITY that is the experience of parents striving to give their child the best life possible. Basic tasks such as traveling to the store or a visit to the doctor can become as challenging as Hannibal crossing the Alps. But at other times, our children shock us as they perform brilliantly. All areas of life, Daily Needs like dressing, Social Needs like friends, Educational Needs and School, Spiritual Needs such as Church and the Sacraments, and more, all are hoops to be jumped through. The book touches on these and also provides the one underlying strategy to address these needs – Prayer.
There are also some thought-provoking questions included at the end of the chapters.
With a career, now in retirement, of thirty-four years, working with persons with disabilities plus being a father of four challenged sons, I have to say this book is the real deal. Not pie-in-the-sky or doom and gloom but rather an insight into the grand possibilities for growth both of those who live with disabilities and those who care for them.
April 30, 2024
Heartwarming, touching, and with a good message for parents....but slightly less relevant if one is not Catholic.
February 23, 2019
It was good to have the encouragement of parents that have been there through all the transitions that one goes through. It gave me more tools to use during those challenging times. Thank you.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews