Views from Our Shoes: Growing Up With a Brother or Sister With Special Needs

Rating:
Summary: should be required reading for parents and sibs
Review: Children with special needs affect the whole family. The siblings of these special children are special, too. They have needs that are put aside for another time, by their families and by themselves. They usually grow up to be more mature and compassionate, but with some supressed emotions. They are mommy's helpers for life. They need to learn that they are not alone, and this book starts that journey for them.

Rating:
Summary: should be required reading for parents and sibs
Review: Children with special needs affect the whole family. The siblings of these special children are special, too. They have needs that are put aside for another time, by their families and by themselves. They usually grow up to be more mature and compassionate, but with some supressed emotions. They are mommy's helpers for life. They need to learn that they are not alone, and this book starts that journey for them.

Rating:
Summary: Sibling essays
Review: Each essay begins with the full name and age of the author at the top of the page. At the bottom of each essay, in an italic font, is the name and age of the sibling who has a special need as well as the city and state. Also included are the hobbies and interest of each author. I was a bit surprised to see this much detail being included. There are a number of penciled drawings accompanying some of the essays by Cary Pillo.

I imagine some of the essays could cause embarrassment for some families since the kids were quite honest with their feelings and interpretations. One girl said she did not like when her mother yelled at her disabled brother. Many of the siblings assist in the daily living for their special needs brother or sister. Some of the essays offer advice on how to treat your sibling, while others have attended Sibshops and kept in contact with other siblings.

Each sibling cares for their brother or sister, worries about them when they are at school and has a basic understanding of the therapies involved with their siblings. The older siblings were able to express themselves with details on school placement and going out in the community with their special needs sibling.

A common statement from the siblings is how it is hard for them to do things they like because there is no one to watch their sibling with a disability and too hard to bring them along on outings in the community.

This has helped me as a parent to two autistic children because my older son is verbal and can comprehend that his brother is not like other kids.

I only wish books like Views from our Shoes: Growing Up with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs and Laughing & Loving with Autism: A Collection of "Real Life" Warm & Humorous Stories were around thirty years ago to assist me as a sibling. This is a real eye-opener to parents that have other children besides the one with special needs and offers a peak into the feelings of the siblings.

This book would be perfect for a school library and special education classrooms as well as a gift for a sibling to read through and find other siblings in the same situations.

Rating:
Summary: All in the Family
Review: This excellent book is a forum for children ranging in ages 4 through 18 to explore their feelings and describe their experiences living with a sibling who has physical and/or mental difficulties.

One young girl describes her 24-year-old brother who is barely verbal and, in her words "is like a 4-year-old child." This young man loves clocks and can watch them indefintely and his sister describes her trips to clock shops so he can watch clocks.

Another child describes providing skilled care for her older brother who is 12 and has a severe case of cerebral palsy.

A brother and sister, in individual installments introduce readers to their sister who has Down Syndrome.

A young boy tells of life with a sibling who has autism.

These are but a few of the heartwarming, gut-wrenching real accounts involved in day-to-day contact with a sibling who has special needs. Each child brings a special brand of input to the table and readers will come away with a sense of empowerment and enrichment. This is an excellent book for families to bond over and explore issues with. It is also an extraordinary teaching tool. If nothing else, it will certainly raise the flag of acceptance. Please read this and share it with somebody.