Dear John,
It happens to the best of us. Sometimes, our “awareness” of the needs of our children with special needs eclipses our awareness of the needs of their siblings.
This week, CHD Books published a new edition of “The Other Child: The Exceptional Siblings of Special Needs Children” — a book about the gifts and challenges of being the sibling of a profoundly disabled child.
Linda Scotson’s daughter, Lili, was only two when her brother Doran was born and soon after suffered a brain injury. She has been Doran’s companion, motivator, and carer — in fact, sister extraordinaire. In helping Doran, she has had to cope with other problems — the loss of her father, ill health, and her own minor neurological difficulties. But she has done so with courage and determination.
What do siblings lose growing up with a sibling with special needs? And what do they gain? How does the hostility and indifference of the outside world affect the lives of these children? Becoming “carers” themselves, do they miss out on parental care from weary and overstretched parents? How do they reach an understanding, often when very young, of what their sibling with special needs can and cannot do? Shining through these stories is the love, the humor, and the constancy with which these children approach their challenging family situation — many of them, in adulthood, continuing to care for the disabled companion of their childhood.
“The Other Child” provides insight into these siblings’ needs and offers strategies to fill them. It is also a call to society to better support the families who deal with such profound challenges.
This is an invaluable book for parents of children with and without special needs and for all those professionally involved in the care of such families.
“The Other Child” is now available — get your copy today!
Yours in solidarity,
The Children’s Health Defense Team
P.S. CHD publishes books on topics related to children’s health, including autism, vaccines, censorship, Big Pharma, and corruption. Check out our collection today!
