Abstract

When a new baby is born into a family, grandparents are excited about having a baby to enjoy and love. If the child is born with a disability, it can be difficult to know how to react and how best to help the child and the family as a whole. This book provides guidance on how to grandparent a child with special needs and give every grandchild the love and care they deserve and parents the added support they need.

From coming to terms with a diagnosis, to helping with the transition from adolescence to adulthood, the book gives clear advice on grandparenting a child with special needs throughout their life. The author covers the medical, emotional and practical aspects of being a grandparent and explores important issues such as researching resources for specialized care, accessing financial and legal resources and, just as importantly, how to have fun and spend quality time with a grandchild with a disability. The book also addresses how to handle the diagnosis of a serious accident or progressive illness.

Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs is a unique guide for grandparents keen to make a difference to the lives of their children and their grandchildren.

Today, grandparents frequently have to assume a major role in raising their grandchildren. Both parents have to work in many families. The emotional and physical challenge of raising a special needs child becomes the grandparents responsibility. This book presents Dr. Thompson's compassion and insight gained through her lifetime of working with these children and their care-givers. Her guidance will have a positive impact on grandparents as they become a major care-giver in the upbringing of their special needs grandchild.
James C. Drennan, M.D., Orthopedic surgeon, Author of Orthopedic Management of Neuromuscular Disorders and former CEO of Carrie Tingley Hospital for Children
Charlotte E.Thompson M.D. is a pediatrician and specialist in children's muscle diseases. She founded and directed the Center for Handicapped Children in San Fransisco for 23 years and has worked as a consultant for six pediatric neuromuscular programs. She is a mother of two and a grandmother and lives in California.