Apr 10 2009
The Elephant in the Playroom
I’ve been reading ‘The Elephant in the Playroom’ because I feel like a future Child Life Specialist can’t get enough doses of viewpoints from parents raising children with out of the ordinary challenges in daily development. Also because I am understandably intrigued with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders. I was able to pick up the book for $2, so that made me even more excited to read it! (I love a good bargain these days!) It seems like my list of books to read that will help me in my career are endless and as I cross more and more off my list it seems like a more possible task to plow through them all.
The book is a collection of essays written by parents (mostly mothers) of children with special needs. They chronicle their battles with schools, doctors, getting a correct diagnosis, well meaning but often hurtful advice from family members and how they learned to take care of themselves as well. It was an intense and emotional read because of the roller coaster it takes you on and how raw the accounts are. There is no sugar coating any of it, but it does balance out the harsh confessions and provides hope.
You can purchase the book here; The Elephant in the Playroom: Ordinary Parents Write Intimately and Honestly About Raising Kids with Special Needs
