Reading room

I picked up a couple of new books from the special-needs shelves at a nearby Barnes & Noble the other day -- went in to pick up a small, inexpensive book for my son, came out with two bigger, pricier books for me -- to add to my reading pile. Freeing Your Child from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcome Your Child's Fears, Worries, and Phobias by Tamar E. Chansky, Ph.D., looked promising for helping me figure out ways to help my daughter be less stressed, and The Sensory-Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior by Karen A. Smith, Ph.D., and Karen R. Gouze, Ph.D., appealed to me at a time when my son's behavior is pressing those bounds pretty closely. Another book I'm eager to get my hands on is Love, Jean: Inspiration for Families Living with Dysfunction of Sensory Integration. It features letters written by A. Jean Ayres, pioneer in the field of sensory integration, to her nephew, Philip Erwin; Erwin's own stories about his struggle with sensory integration; and ideas for parents from therapist Zoe Mailloux. If you can't wait to have a look at that one, you can find a few excerpts from the book on Mothers with Attitude. Great reading, and you don't even have to drive to the bookstore.