Abstract

Chrissy is Jane Gregory's oldest child, an attractive girl with a tremendous sense of fun. She also exhibits behaviour which other people find challenging - screaming fits, stripping off her clothes, violent outbursts and self-mutilation. It was apparent from an early age that Chrissy had a learning disability, and subsequently as an adult she was diagnosed with a rare chromosome disorder and autism.

In Bringing Up a Challenging Child at Home, Jane Gregory describes her life with Chrissy candidly and pragmatically. She relates her struggles to cope with Chrissy's difficult behaviour, the effects on the rest of the family, and her attempts to understand the reasons behind it. Offering practical advice for other parents, she explains how she got the right support and effective treatment. Her story provides professionals as well as parents with a unique insight into what it is like to bring up a complex and challenging child.

Social workers, psychologists and doctors do need to hear from the frontline about the anger and frustration which parents feel. The book catalogues the faults and failures of services. Frustration and dissapointment abound. Doctors fail to give diagnoses, social workers dissapoint, teachers and psychologists do their best.'

'Jane Gregory takes us through life so far with her daughter: the slow, chilly realisation that she was not developing normally, the refusals by health professionals to take her concerns seriously and the stress of coping with violent, obsessive behaviour whilst caring for two young siblings. Jane shares these experiences and the effect they had on her family candidly in a book full of energy and compassion. Her struggles to find solutions to to manage Chrissy's behaviour and healthis full of practical suggestions and information.

Community Care
Jane Gregory was 23 when she had Chrissy. Her interest in the issues surrounding Chrissy's needs led Jane to write features about her, and about other complex disabilities. Researchers at Great Ormond Street found the cause of Chrissy's condition to be genetic and she was later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jane lives in Hampshire and is a busy freelance journalist. Her website can be visited at www.sharingstories.co.uk.

Jane Gregory's honest account of her experience as the mother of Chrissy, her daughter who has complex needs including epilepsy, learning difficulties and challenging behaviour, should be on the reading list for every professional in the field. What is so impressive about this account is its author's ability to follow threads that have connected Chrissy to the rest of her world, and so provide a complete picture. The book not only examines the long journey to a diagnosis and appropriate provision for grandparents, and professionals.

While it covers in great detail the difficulties, trials and tribulations that Jane has experienced, it seeks always to balance this with the positives - the joy experienced in the small steps of progress; the relief felt when a professional spends time trying to understand. One of the key messages is that progress is best made when professionals listen to parents, and together they work as a team.

National Society of Epilepsy
Jane Gregory gives a moving personal account of bringing up a child with an undiagnosed disability. Chrissy, Jane's eldest child, exhibits complex and challenging behaviour, including screaming fits, self-mutilation and violent outbursts. This is an easy-to-read and informative book, giving an insight to readers, into what it is like to bring up a child with complex and challenging behaviour.
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