Jean E. Rhodes

A child at loose ends needs help, and someone steps in--a Big Brother, a Big Sister, a mentor from the growing ranks of volunteers offering their time and guidance to more than two million American adolescents. Does it help? How effective are mentoring programs, and how do they work? Are there pitfalls, and if so, what are they? Such questions, ever more pressing as youth mentoring initiatives expand their reach at a breakneck pace, have occupied Jean Rhodes for more than a decade. In this provocative, thoroughly researched, and lucidly written book, Rhodes offers readers the benefit of the latest findings in this burgeoning field, including those from her own extensive, groundbreaking studies.

Outlining a model of youth mentoring that will prove invaluable to the many administrators, caseworkers, volunteers, and researchers who seek reliable information and practical guidance, Stand by Me describes the extraordinary potential that exists in such relationships, and discloses the ways in which nonparent adults are uniquely positioned to encourage adolescent development. Yet the book also exposes a rarely acknowledged risk: unsuccessful mentoring relationships--always a danger when, in a rush to form matches, mentors are dispatched with more enthusiasm than understanding and preparation--can actually harm at-risk youth. Vulnerable children, Rhodes demonstrates, are better left alone than paired with mentors who cannot hold up their end of the relationships.

Drawing on work in the fields of psychology and personal relations, Rhodes provides concrete suggestions for improving mentoring programs and creating effective, enduring mentoring relationships with youth.

Parenting, Professionals

Book

Valerie Polakow

This provocative and in-depth examination of violence in the lives of children uncovers the conditions and social policies that perpetuate violence. Essays cover: The violence of poverty and homelessness; The violence of environmentally induced childhood diseases; The media and legislative "criminalization" of children; The increasing trend toward incarceration of youthful offenders.

Parenting, Professionals

Book

Susan J. Skallerup

Babies with Down Syndrome, the trustworthy guide which has benefited thousands of families since it was first published in 1985, is completely revised and updated in a new, third edition. Covering the best practices for raising and caring for children with Down syndrome through age five, this book is invaluable to new parents who have welcomed a baby with Down syndrome into their lives.

This new edition incorporates the latest scientific, medical, educational research, and practical information available, as well as parents? suggestions and feedback. Existing chapters have been revised, some completely rewritten by new authors, and in keeping with its parent-friendly reputation, most of the book's contributors are parents of children with Down syndrome. Chapters cover:

- What Is Down Syndrome?: A primer on the causes, characteristics, and diagnosis, including the latest information on genetics and prenatal testing;
- Adjusting to Your Baby: Advice from an experienced mother on coping with common emotions and announcing the news to friends and family;
- Medical Concerns & Treatments: An overview of possible health issues including celiac disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, reflux, and skin problems, with an emphasis on detecting signs early for needed treatment;
- Daily Care: The gamut of care from feeding to bathing, with expanded information about toilet training;
- Family Life: The impact on siblings and couples, discipline issues, and new material to help everyone understand that a child's behavior is a form of communication;
- Development & Learning: Expectations about development plus new material on variability in development, learning styles, using reading to develop language, memory strengths and weaknesses, and using play to encourage learning;
- Early Intervention: An overview of services and therapies for babies & toddlers with new information on the transdisciplinary approach, providing services in the natural environment, transitioning to preschool, and common questions & answers;
- Legal Rights & Financial Issues: Explains your child's educational and legal rights, and financial information, including the latest on federal education and civil rights laws, sources of financial assistance, health insurance, trusts, and guardianship.

Full of new photos, parent statements, updated and expanded resources and reading lists, and a reprint of the inspiring essay, ?Welcome to Holland,? this guide is everything parents need to build a bright and healthy future for their child with Down syndrome

Parenting, General Adoption, Children with Special Needs, Professionals

Book

Wendy Maltz

Survivors of sexual abuse are encouraged to achieve loving and safe sexual lives once again by going through, step-by-step, a most challenging aspect of recovery. Based on Matz's clinical work, interviews, survey results, and workshops, this guide if filled with first-person accounts of survivors and includes groundbreaking exercises and techniques.

Parenting, Children with Special Needs, Sexual Issues

Book

Dayna Abraham, Claire Heffron, Pamela Bradley, and Lauren Drobnjak

Whether you are a parent, educator, caregiver, or therapist, this easy-to-read guide is your starting point to gain a better understanding of sensory processing and the body's sensory systems. You may have heard of Sensory Processing Disorder, but this book is designed to help all children - not just those with a sensory disorder. The truth is that supporting healthy sensory processing is an important part of promoting overall health in every child.
BECOME A STRONGER TEACHER AND A MORE "TUNED IN" PARENT
ALL children have unique sensory preferences and needs. When we don't fully understand sensory processing, we may misinterpret behaviors, labeling children as "naughty" or "spoiled". When parents and teachers understand the basics of sensory processing, they are more tuned into kids' basic needs and can use simple strategies to address them at home and in the classroom.
3 BOOKS IN 1 Easy to Use Resource
No more piecing information together from several different resources. Sensory Processing 101 contains simple explanations about sensory processing, creative and engaging sensory activities for kids, and reproducible sensory resources - all in one place so you can find what you're looking for quickly and easily.
With this comprehensive guide, you get three books in one, including:
*Sensory Processing Explained: An explanation of each sensory system from a therapist's point of view and from the perspective of a parent and educator

*Sensory Activities: Step-by-step instructions for activities you can use in everyday play with kids at home or at school to support the development of each sensory system

*Sensory Resources: Resources related to sensory processing, including support groups for parents and caregivers of children who have sensory needs, cheat sheets with quick overviews of each sensory system, and more

Parenting, Children with Special Needs

Book

Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.

An in-depth look at the science that underlies meditation's effectiveness, this book teaches readers how to harness the power of the principle 'Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.' Siegel reveals how developing a Wheel of Awareness practice to focus attention, open awareness, and cultivate kind intention can literally help you grow a healthier brain and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in your life.

Whether you have no experience with a reflective practice or are an experienced practitioner, Aware is a hands-on guide that will enable you to become more focussed and present, as well as more energised and emotionally resilient in the face of stress and the everyday challenges life throws your way.

Parenting, Mindfulness

Book

Michael Sabbeth

The concepts for The Good, The Bad and The Difference originated in Porter Hospital after I survived open heart surgery, December 21, 1989. The book is my gesture to repay, even if only in a small way, the cosmic debt I owe for my good fortune. The book presents a template for teaching ethics and moral reasoning skills to young children. By developing a culture of conversation on important and serious issues through purposeful dialogue, the book shows parents how to teach children to value reason and to become stronger independent thinkers and actors. The book is divided into four sections. Section I defines good, introduces a tool to measure morality and presents reasoning skills. Section II presents discussions about the ethical principles Autonomy, Beneficence, Justice and Sanctity of Life. Section III presents discussions on seven virtues and skills, Character, Choices, Compassion, Competence, Conscience, Consequences and Courage. Section IV presents in-depth discussions on moral dilemmas and the role of the family for teaching and preserving moral values. The book presents a fact-based guide to moral reasoning and includes dozens of actual classroom dialogues that can guide the reader and children to engage in their own investigative journey toward virtuous responsible action. The book shows how good and bad can be measured and evaluated. It shows how morally confident children are more likely and more motivated to act virtuously. The book asserts that doing good is not easy but is the result of complex analysis and moral will. Teaching that good behavior is easily or naturally achieved weakens children. The Good, The Bad and The Difference helps parents become stronger and guides them to raise children committed to moral reasoning and developing virtuous character.

Parenting

Book

Bob Danzig

What happens when a child has a champion? In Bob Danzig's case, he went from being a foster care child to being the nationwide head of the Hearst Newspaper Group and vice president of the Hearst Corporation. When Bob was twelve years old, Mae Morse, the foster care professional moving him from his fourth foster home to his fifth, told him, "You are worthwhile." For the first time in his life, Bob felt a sense of self-worth. And, from that moment on, those words were tattooed on his spirit, staying with him his entire life.

Parenting, General Adoption

Book

Richard Delaney

Recounts creative, sometimes off-the-wall, parenting approaches foster and adoptive parents have used to reach their troubled youngsters.

Parenting, General Adoption

Book

Barbara Coloroso

It's the deadliest combination going: bullies who terrorize, bullied kids who are afraid to tell, bystanders who watch, and adults who see the incidents as a normal part of childhood. All it takes to understand that this is a recipe for tragedy is a glance at headlines across the country. In this updated edition of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander, which includes a new section on cyberbullying, one of the world's most trusted parenting educators gives parents, caregivers, educators;and most of all, kids;the tools to break the cycle of violence.

Drawing on her decades of work with troubled youth, and her wide experience in the areas of conflict resolution and reconciliatory justice, Barbara Coloroso explains:

The three kinds of bullying, and the differences between boy and girl bullies
Four abilities that protect your child from succumbing to bullying
Seven steps to take if your child is a bully
How to help the bullied child heal and how to effectively discipline the bully
How to evaluate a school's antibullying policy
And much more

This compassionate and practical guide has become the groundbreaking reference on the subject of bullying.

Parenting, Parenting Teens

Book