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Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs

Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs

Charlotte E. Thompson M.D.

Paperback: £13.99 / $19.95

2009, 234mm x 156mm / 9.25in x 6in, 256pp
ISBN: 978-1-84310-906-8, BIC 2: VFX VFJD YXK

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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.

Blog posts

Grandparenting a Child with Severe Allergies by JKP author Charlotte E. Thompson, M.D.

19 April 2013

Tips and Advice for Grandparents from JKP author Charlotte E. Thompson. Grandparents who have a grandchild with severe allergies tell me they live in fear of having the child eat something to which their grandchild is very allergic. Even when grandparents carefully check the labels on everything a grandchild eats, there can always be an...

Grandparenting the siblings of a child with special needs

7 November 2012

By Charlotte E. Thompson, M.D., author of Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs.  Having a brother or sister with special needs can create life-long emotional problems for the siblings unless they receive a great deal of one-to-one attention and love. If the parents have to spend long periods of time in an intensive care nursery with...

Summer Safety for Children with Special Needs

23 June 2012

By Charlotte E. Thompson, M.D. Most parents and grandparents sigh with relief once summer is over and children are safely back in school. I know I certainly let out a big sigh. Now that another summer is here, one of the biggest worries is keeping our children and grandchildren safe. This is an extra responsibility...

Orthopedic Care in Children with Special Needs

7 March 2012

"One orthopedist operated on a boy without my knowledge on a Friday afternoon. Fortunately, the mother and grandmother knew I had insisted that physical therapy should be started immediately. The child’s school physical therapist was a friend and made house calls over the weekend, so the boy would not stay in bed. He was able walk for several more years because of this. Thus, parents and grandparents must be very aggressive in order to be sure that appropriate orthopedic surgery is being done and physical therapy received, as needed."

Misdiagnosis in Neuromuscular Disorders – What Grandparents Need to Know

8 November 2011

By Charlotte E. Thompson, MD, author of Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs. Over the years, many grandparents have contacted me about how to be sure a grandchild with obvious muscle weakness received a correct diagnosis. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis often occurs because there are no diagnostic tests for many neuromuscular disorders and not enough pediatric neuromuscular experts...