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How to Speak Dolphin
by Ginny RorbySchneider Family Book Award-winning author Ginny Rorby has created an irresistible dolphin story about a girl's struggle to help her autistic brother and herself.Lily loves her half-brother, Adam, but she has always struggled with him, too. He's definitely on the autism spectrum -- though her step-father, Don, can barely bring himself to admit it -- and caring for him has forced Lily to become as much mother as sister. All Lily wants is for her step-father to acknowledge that Adam has a real issue, that they need to find some kind of program that can help him. Then maybe she can have a life of her own. Adam's always loved dolphins, so when Don, an oncologist, hears about a young dolphin with cancer, he offers to help. He brings Lily and Adam along, and Adam and the dolphin -- Nori -- bond instantly. But though Lily sees how much Adam loves Nori, she also sees that the dolphin shouldn't spend the rest of her life in captivity, away from her family. Can Adam find real help somewhere else? And can Lily help Nori regain her freedom without betraying her family?
Freak the Mighty (Point Signature)
by Rodman PhilbrickFreak the Mighty joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!It has been over twenty years -- and more than two million copies, eight foreign editions, and a popular Miramax feature film -- since the world was introduced to this powerful story of a unique friendship between a troubled, oversized boy and the tiny, physically challenged genius who proves that courage comes in all sizes. This simple yet timeless story explores many themes, including bullying -- an important topic in today's schools. Freak the Mighty is sure to remain fresh, dramatic, and memorable for the next twenty years and beyond!
The Boy Who Lived: When Magic and Reality Collide: my story, with a foreword by Daniel Radcliffe
by David HolmesTHE POWERFUL MEMOIR FROM HARRY POTTER STUNTMAN DAVID HOLMES, WITH A FOREWORD BY DANIEL RADCLIFFE: AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW! As stunt double to Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter film franchise, stuntman David Holmes helped to move J.K. Rowling's era-defining story from the page to the big screen. His work as a real-life Fall Guy enabled him to create some of the most memorable action sequences in the Wizarding World, as he became the first person ever to play Quidditch. In living his own hero's journey, David was also one of only a handful of people to have worn the iconic wizard's cape, glasses and scar in front of the cameras.That is, until an accident changed his life forever.During the making of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, David broke his neck in a stunt rehearsal and was instantly paralysed. From talented junior gymnast and stunt prodigy to fully qualified Hollywood stuntman, his story is a brutally honest portrait of a man who lost everything but found different ways to reimagine new possibilities with love, friendship and optimism - and he later co-created a BAFTA-nominated documentary about his life. David's behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest film series of all time is both jaw-dropping and hilarious.Powerful and emotional, his is a story of hope and vulnerability and paints a picture of what it truly takes to rebuild a life and become The Boy Who Lived.
Making a Mark!: Discovering the Power of Neurodiversity on a Learning Safari
by Katrin McElderry Mark StoddartRooted in research, this educational resource combines the life story of internationally renowned sculptor Mark Stoddart with facts about neurodiversity, creating a journey of creative learning, perseverance, and triumph. Making a Mark! Discovering the Power of Neurodiversity on a Learning Safari is an educational resource in a story format. Written by Katrin McElderry and Mark Stoddart, the book highlights neurodiverse learning profiles – particularly dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia – while weaving in educational themes like grit and the growth mindset through its characters and their experiences. The first section of Making a Mark! Discovering the Power of Neurodiversity on a Learning Safari is written in story format. It tells the educational journey of Mark and his neurodiverse friends, from being misunderstood at school and feeling that they were failures, through to finding teachers who understood that some people learn differently and helped them to realise that with the right methods, everyone can learn. The second section provides information on how the brain works and neurodiversity and enables readers to reflect upon their own learning profiles: their strengths and challenges alike. The discussion questions at the end of the book, invite students and educators to embark on their own conversations and learning safaris together, just as the students in the story do with their teachers. Making a Mark! Discovering the Power of Neurodiversity on a Learning Safari can be read independently or to children aged 9-14. It has been carefully designed with neurodiverse students in mind, with fun cartoons and comic strip-style illustrations to break up the text and support visual reading. The book can be easily integrated into a classroom setting aimed at supporting neurodiverse students while also benefitting neurotypical learners in helping them build a balanced understanding about cognitive learning differences. Additionally, the engagement exercises provided at the back of the book make it ideal for integration into tutoring sessions or educational conferences or workshops. While there are many books out there about dyslexia, there are not many about cognitive learning differences like dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia that often accompany dyslexia. Moreover, there is no other book geared for students with relatable characters that teach about the fact that every single brain is unique, and therefore neurodiversity is ‘normal.’ Making a Mark! Discovering the Power of Neurodiversity on a Learning Safari will encourage all children to embark on a journey of creative learning, perseverance, and triumph.
Cultivating diversity and inclusion: using global and multicultural children's literature in grades K-5, Second Edition
by Paula Saine"Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion: Using Global and Multicultural Children's Literature in Grades K-5 offers children's books from across the world that engages students with cultural language experiences and provides ways to incorporate apps and social media activities in the classroom"--Provided by publisher.
Beholding Disability in Renaissance England (Corporealities: Discourses Of Disability)
by Allison P. HobgoodHuman variation has always existed, though it has been conceived of and responded to variably. Beholding Disability in Renaissance England interprets sixteenth- and seventeenth-century literature to explore the fraught distinctiveness of human bodyminds and the deliberate ways they were constructed in early modernity as able, and not. Hobgood examines early modern disability, ableism, and disability gain, purposefully employing these contemporary concepts to make clear how disability has historically been disavowed—and avowed too. Thus, this book models how modern ideas and terms make the weight of the past more visible as it marks the present, and cultivates dialogue in which early modern and contemporary theoretical models are mutually informative. Beholding Disability also uncovers crucial counterdiscourses circulating in the English Renaissance that opposed cultural fantasies of ability and had a keen sensibility toward non-normative embodiments. Hobgood reads impairments as varied as epilepsy, stuttering, disfigurement, deafness, chronic pain, blindness, and castration in order to understand not just powerful fictions of ability present during the Renaissance but also the somewhat paradoxical, surprising ways these ableist ideals provided creative fodder for many Renaissance writers and thinkers. Ultimately, Beholding Disability asks us to reconsider what we think we know about being human both in early modernity, and today.
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary Executive Skills Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential
by Peg Dawson Richard Guare Colin GuareAll kids occasionally space out, get sidetracked, run out of time, or explode in frustration/m-/but some do it much more often than others. If you have a &“smart but scattered&” child, take heart. This encouraging guide is grounded in research on the crucial brain-based skills that 4- to 13-year-olds need to get organized, stay focused, and control their impulses and emotions. The expert authors guide you to identify your child's executive strengths and weaknesses, boost skills that are lacking, fix everyday routines that don't work, and reduce [ital]everyone's[/ital] stress. Including new research, new and updated vignettes, and "A Good Place to Start" suggestions for each skill, the revised and updated second edition features a new chapter on technology and a greatly expanded school chapter. Helpful practical tools can be downloaded and printed. See also the authors' Smart but Scattered Teens, Smart but Scattered--and Stalled (with a focus on emerging adults), and The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success (with a focus on adults).
The Girl from Aleppo: Nujeen's Escape from War to Freedom
by Christina Lamb Nujeen MustafaPrize-winning journalist and the co-author of smash New York Times bestseller I Am Malala, Christina Lamb, now tells the inspiring true story of another remarkable young hero: Nujeen Mustafa, a teenager born with cerebral palsy, whose harrowing journey from war-ravaged Syria to Germany in a wheelchair is a breathtaking tale of fortitude, grit, and hope that lends a face to the greatest humanitarian issue of our time, the Syrian refugee crisis.For millions around the globe, sixteen-year-old Nujeen Mustafa embodies the best of the human spirit. Confined to a wheelchair because of her cerebral palsy and denied formal schooling in Syria because of her illness, Nujeen taught herself English by watching American soap operas. When her small town became the epicenter of the brutal fight between ISIS militants and US-backed Kurdish troops in 2014, she and her family were forced to flee.Despite her physical limitations, Nujeen embarked on the arduous trek to safety and a new life. The grueling sixteen-month odyssey by foot, boat, and bus took her across Turkey and the Mediterranean to Greece, through Macedonia to Serbia and Hungary, and finally, to Germany. Yet, in spite of the tremendous physical hardship she endured, Nujeen's extraordinary optimism never wavered. Refusing to give in to despair or see herself as a passive victim, she kept her head high. As she told a BBC reporter, "You should fight to get what you want in this world."Nujeen's positivity and resolve infuses this unforgettable story of one young woman determined to make a better life for herself. Told by acclaimed British foreign correspondent Christina Lamb, Nujeen is a unique and powerful memoir that gives voice to the Syrian refugee crisis, helping us to understand that the world must change—and offering the inspiration to make that change reality.
Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges
by Byron PittsIt was August 25, 2006, my first on-camera studio open for the CBS News broadcast 60 Minutes. Executive Producer Jeff Fager poked his head in the dressing room." Good luck, Brotha! You've come a long way to get here. You've earned it."…If only he knew. My mind flashed back to elementary school, when a therapist had informed my mother, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Pitts, your son cannot read."In Step Out on Nothing, Byron Pitts chronicles his astonishing story of overcoming a childhood filled with obstacles to achieve enormous success in life. Throughout Byron's difficult youth—his parents separated when he was twelve and his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet—he suffered from a debilitating stutter. But Byron was keeping an even more embarrassing secret: He was also functionally illiterate. For a kid from inner-city Baltimore, it was a recipe for failure.Pitts turned struggle into strength and overcame both of his impediments. Along the way, a few key people "stepped out on nothing" to make a difference for him—from his mother, who worked tirelessly to raise her kids right and delivered ample amounts of tough love, to his college roommate, who helped Byron practice his vocabulary and speech. Pitts even learns from those who didn't believe in him, like the college professor who labeled him a failure and told him to drop out of college. Through it all, he persevered, following his steadfast passion. After fifteen years in local television, he landed a job as a correspondent for CBS News in 1998, and went on to become an Emmy Award–winning journalist and a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes. Not bad for a kid who couldn't read.From a challenged youth to a reporting career that has covered 9/11 and Iraq, Pitts's triumphant and uplifting story will resonate with anyone who has felt like giving up in the face of seemingly insurmountable hardships.
Scratching the Horizon: A Surfing Life
by Daniel Paisner Izzy PaskowitzScratching the Horizon presents a bitchin' love letter to sand and sea, and a spirited inside account of life with the "first family" of American surfing.In 1956, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz stepped away from a successful medical practice and began a lifelong surfing odyssey that grew to include his wife Juliette, and their nine children. Together, the Paskowitz clan lived a vagabonding bohemian existence, eschewing material possessions in favor of intangible riches like health and good cheer . . . all the while careening along the world's coastlines in search of the perfect wave.In Scratching the Horizon, Izzy Paskowitz looks back at his unusual upbringing, and his lifelong passion for the sport that carries his family's stamp. As the fourth-oldest child in a family of inveterate surfers, rock stars, and beach bums, he is uniquely qualified to shine a light on a childhood that has come to symbolize the surfing credo, a reckless young adulthood that nearly cost him his sanity, and a maturing sense of self and purpose that allows him to lift others on the back of his experience.As the father of a son with autism and the founder of "Surfers Healing," a foundation devoted to expanding the horizons of children with autism through surfing, Paskowitz has found a way to connect the surreal aspects of his childhood to the harsh realities of adulthood, and he shares these discoveries in this wickedly entertaining and transforming memoir.
The Magic Castle: A Mother's Harrowing True Story of Her Adoptive Son's Multiple Personalities—and the Triumph of Healing
by Carole SmithAlex Smith and his eight personalities were trapped in a world of unfathomable evil...until he entered the "magic castle" and found the key to his freedom.When Carole Smith and her husband decided to take in a foster child that no one else would have, they knew ten-year-old Alex would be difficult. But nothing had prepared them for the unruly, self-destructive boy who stormed into their lives. Alone with Alex during the day, Carole was baffled by his infantile tantrums and violent, self-hating behaviors. Exasperated, she tried relating to him as the two-year-old he appeared to be, and finally, a door to Alex's mind began to open.With the help of psychiatrist Dr. Steven Kingsbury, Alex's tormented mind revealed a host of personalities, each born in a horrifying episode of Alex's past-- each carrying a memory too powerful for his conscious mind to handle. As the personalities came forth in the safety of Alex's inner, secret castle, they unleashed stories of abandonment, brainwashing, and sexual abuse by those Alex trusted the most. In The Magic Castle, here is a fascinating true story of the human mind; of innocence shattered by inhuman cruelty; and ultimately of love's power to transform fragments into wholeness-- tragedy into triumph.
The Best Kind of Different: Our Family's Journey with Asperger's Syndrome
by Shonda SchillingIn The Best Kind of Different, Shonda Schilling, the wife of Major League Baseball All Star, former Boston Red Sox, and World Series championship pitcher Curt Schilling, shares the story of their son’s Asperger’s Syndrome, how it changed their lives, and what other parents can learn about this increasingly common diagnosis. Candid and compelling, The Best Kind of Different traces their family’s struggle with Asperger’s, following Curt and Shonda as they come to understand their son’s differences and in the process relearn everything they thought they knew about parenting.
Healing Our Autistic Children: A Medical Plan for Restoring Your Child's Health
by Julie A. Buckley“Indispensable reading . . . Dr. Buckley explains how biomedical intervention is not only helpful, but it’s a treatment that works.” —Joey Travolta, film actor & director of Normal People Scare MeEvery twenty minutes a child is diagnosed with a disease on the autism spectrum—including ADD, learning disabilities, Asperger’s, Autism, and PDD—making it today’s most common childhood disability. While the medical establishment treats autism as a psychiatric condition and prescribes behaviorally based therapies, Dr. Julie A. Buckley argues that it is a physiological disease that must be medically treated.Part personal story of her battle to heal her autistic daughter, part guide for parents, Healing Our Autistic Children explains simply and accessibly the new treatments and diets that have already proven effective for many families. Told through the case studies of her patients, the book is divided into four typical visits to Dr. Buckley’s pediatric practice so that parents can see the progression of initial treatment. Written in a warmly engaging voice, parents new to the diagnosis will:Learn about clinical treatments that workUnderstand how different foods affect the body and how to begin implementing dietsLearn to navigate the medical system and advocate for their childBridge the communication gap with their pediatricianDiscover that recovery is possible“A truly must-read book for parents and families looking for knowledge on autism spectrum disorders without going through years of medical school and countless amounts of research. Dr. Buckley puts the complicated world of autism into accessible terms.” —Tony Pashos, former Jacksonville Jaguar and active member of HEAL
Will & I: A Memoir
by Clay Byars“Byars recounts his struggle to master a body shattered by tragedy . . . A fascinating, if chilling, meditation on the aftermath of trauma.” —Publishers WeeklyClay Byars was recovering at home from a near-fatal car crash when he suffered a massive stroke. He was just eighteen years old. He awoke, back in the hospital, and was told he would be paralyzed from the eyes down for the rest of his life.Determined to defy the odds, Clay quickly and miraculously began to recover his mobility but discovered just how different his life would be—a disparity embodied by his identical twin brother, Will. As Will went on to graduate from college, marry, and start a family, Clay carved out a unique existence, doing the seemingly impossible by living on his own on a remote farm in Alabama.With haunting clarity and heartrending honesty, Will & I tells the unlikely story of Clay’s life and his coping mechanisms, including weekly singing lessons that not only teach him to use his voice but remind him of his will to exist. In this singular and striking meditation on vulnerability and vitality, we’re invited to see how Clay sees the world—and how the world sees him—as he bravely challenges himself and his abilities at every turn.“A visceral, electric memoir.” —Dannye Romine Powell, The Charlotte Observer“[An] intensely powerful memoir . . . Compact, substantial and thoroughly compelling—reminiscent of neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi’s posthumous bestseller, When Breath Becomes Air.” —Alice Cary, BookPage“[A] memoir of recovery against considerable odds . . . A stark, honest book that reads like a writer’s apprenticeship amid harrowing circumstances.” —Kirkus Reviews
George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism
by Charlotte MooreFor the parents, families, and friends of the 1 in 250 autistic children born annually in the United States, George and Sam provides a unique look into the life of the autistic child. Charlotte Moore has three children, George, Sam, and Jake. George and Sam are autistic. George and Sam takes the reader from the births of each of the two boys, along the painstaking path to diagnosis, interventions, schooling and more. She writes powerfully about her family and her sons, and allows readers to see the boys behind the label of autism. Their often puzzling behavior, unusual food aversions, and the different ways that autism effects George and Sam lend deeper insight into this confounding disorder.George and Sam emerge from her narrative as distinct, wonderful, and at times frustrating children who both are autistic through and through. Moore does not feel the need to search for cause or cure, but simply to find the best ways to help her sons. She conveys to readers what autism is and isn't, what therapies have worked and what hasn't been effective, and paints a moving, memorable portrait life with her boys.Charlotte Moore is a writer and journalist who lives in Sussex, England with her three sons. She is the author of four novels and three children's book. For two years she wrote a highly acclaimed column in the Guardian called "Mind the Gap" about life with George and Sam. She is a contributor to many publications.
When Less Is More: The Complete Guide for Women Considering Breast Reduction Surgery
by Bethanne SnodgrassIf you have ever thought that your breasts are too big, this book is for you. Do you suffer from chronic back and neck pain? Do you struggle to sit up straight? What about frequent headaches or hand numbness? Disabling muscle and joint pain, discolored shoulder grooves from your bra straps, and rashes under your breasts are just some of the symptoms caused by heavy breasts. Many large-breasted women also suffer psychologically from poor body image and unwanted sexual attention. Sound familiar? If so, When Less Is More will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision about a procedure that can transform your life.Breast reduction is among the top ten most commonly performed major plastic surgical procedures, as common as facelift surgery. Most women experience dramatic symptom relief and emotional benefits after the procedure. In fact, the vast majority of women who have breast reduction surgery would have it again or recommend it to a friend. Even celebrities are speaking out about their breast reductions and the life-changing benefits they have experienced as a result. However, making the decision to have surgery can be difficult, and most women consider it for years before taking action. Unfortunately, despite the media attention and increasing frequency of the procedure, there is an alarming lack of accurate information regarding the surgery and its indications. Many doctors still recommend weight loss as an effective way to reduce breast size without scientific evidence to support this approach. Insurance companies often further confuse and complicate matters by using strict, one-size-fits-all guidelines to determine coverage eligibility. When Less Is More offers much-needed help for women suffering with large breasts by providing reliable information to help them answer critical questions:Will the surgery help me?Are there alternatives to surgery?How do I find a good doctor?Will my insurance pay for the surgery?It also includes immediate steps you can take to help relieve pain, such as finding a well-fitting bra, and features a fully illustrated physical therapy program. To help you face surgery with confidence, Dr. Snodgrass also discusses many details that doctors don’t have time to tell you.You may be a teenager trying to hide your breast size, a corporate executive, a stay-at-home mom, or a grandmother with deep grooves in your shoulders from your bra straps. Whoever you are or whatever your circumstances, the bottom line is you want to look and feel better. Breast reduction is one of the most effective surgeries available to help you do that, and When Less Is More gives you the essential information you need.
The Unheard: A Memoir of Deafness and Africa
by Josh SwillerA young man's quest to reconcile his deafness in an unforgiving world leads to a remarkable sojourn in a remote African village that pulsates with beauty and violence These are hearing aids. They take the sounds of the world and amplify them." Josh Swiller recited this speech to himself on the day he arrived in Mununga, a dusty village on the shores of Lake Mweru. Deaf since a young age, Swiller spent his formative years in frustrated limbo on the sidelines of the hearing world, encouraged by his family to use lipreading and the strident approximations of hearing aids to blend in. It didn't work. So he decided to ditch the well-trodden path after college, setting out to find a place so far removed that his deafness would become irrelevant.That place turned out to be Zambia, where Swiller worked as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years. There he would encounter a world where violence, disease, and poverty were the mundane facts of life. But despite the culture shock, Swiller finally commanded attention—everyone always listened carefully to the white man, even if they didn't always follow his instruction. Spending his days working in the health clinic with Augustine Jere, a chubby, world-weary chess aficionado and a steadfast friend, Swiller had finally found, he believed, a place where his deafness didn't interfere, a place he could call home. Until, that is, a nightmarish incident blasted away his newfound convictions.At once a poignant account of friendship through adversity, a hilarious comedy of errors, and a gripping narrative of escalating violence, The Unheard is an unforgettable story from a noteworthy new talent.
A Smile as Big as the Moon: A Special Education Teacher, His Class, and Their Inspiring Journey Through U.S. Space Camp
by Joe Layden Mike KersjesThe inspiring true story of how one special education teacher got his class to Space Camp—now a Hallmark Hall of Fame television event.“A heartening story, sure to inspire other teachers struggling with students who often seem beyond their reach.” —Teacher magazineMike Kersjes always believed that his students could do anything—even attend the prestigious Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, where some of America’s best and brightest high school students compete in a variety of activities similar to those experienced by NASA astronauts training for shuttle missions. The challenge was convincing everyone else that the kids in his special education class, with disabilities including Tourette’s syndrome, Down’s Syndrome, dyslexia, eating disorders, and a variety of emotional problems, would benefit from the experience and succeed. With remarkable persistence, Kersjes broke down one barrier after another, from his own principal’s office to the inner sanctum of NASA, until Space Camp finally opened its doors. After nine months of rigorous preparation, Kersjes’s class arrived at Space Camp, where they turned in a performance beyond everyone’s expectations.“A testament to how perseverance can get results and how children can perform surprising feats in a system that doesn’t always work to help children.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“Kersjes’s refreshing, heart-warming account proves that faith and vision can yield great things.” —Publishers Weekly
Secret Girl: A Memoir
by Molly Bruce JacobsFor decades, a well-to-do Baltimore family guarded a secret too painful to reveal, much less speak of among themselves. For one daughter, that secret would haunt her for years but ultimately compel her to take surprising risks and reap unbelievable rewards--the story of which forms the stunning narrative of this remarkable memoir.When Molly Bruce Jacobs, the family's eldest daughter, finds herself newly sober at the age of thirty-eight, she finally seeks out and comes face-to-face with this secret: Anne, a younger sister who was diagnosed at birth with hydrocephalus ("water on the brain") and mental retardation, then institutionalized. Anne has never been home to visit, and Jacobs has never seen her. Full of trepidation, Jacobs goes to meet her sister for the first time. As the book unfilds and the sisters grow close, Jacobs learns of the decades of life not shared, and gains surprising insights about herself, including why she drank for most of her adult life. In addition, she gradually comes to understand that her parents' reasons for placing Anne in an institution were far more complex than she'd ever imagined.
On Their Own: Creating an Independent Future for Your Adult Child with Learning Disabilities and ADHD
by Anne Ford John-Richard ThompsonAn indispensable guide to the special challenges faced by parents of learning-disabled children as they enter adulthood, by the author of Laughing Allegra, a leading activist and parent of an adult child with LD.In 2003 Anne Ford (great-granddaughter of Henry Ford) published Laughing Allegra, about the struggles of raising her learning-disabled daughter, and received a flood of letters from parents of children with LD, ADD, and ADHD, many expressing concerns about what to do as their children age.On Their Own is an invaluable road map to ease these parents' fears and answer their questions, especially the one that haunts them daily: Will or can their child be on their own, and how? In a candid, sympathetic style, laced with real-life stories, the book covers such topics as:Social skills and datingStaying healthySibling relationshipsInteraction with employers and co-workersJob huntingFinding the right college or trade schoolEstate planningAlso included are a comprehensive resource guide and exclusive interviews with prominent professionals who have surmounted their learning disabilities: CEO's Sir Richard Branson, John Chambers, David Neeleman, and Charles Schwab, and former governor Gaston Caperton.
Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy
by David Kirby“One of the most thoroughly researched accounts of the thimerosal controversy thus far. The book for medical professionals and concerned parents to read.” —Publishers Weekly, starred reviewReported autism cases among American children have risen from about 1 in 10,000 in 1987 to a shocking 1 in 166 today. This trend coincided with the addition of several new shots to the nation’s vaccination schedule. Most of these shots contained a preservative called thimerosal, which includes a quantity of the toxin mercury.Evidence of Harm explores the controversy over what many have called an “epidemic” of afflicted children. Following several families, David Kirby traces their struggle to understand how and why their once-healthy kids rapidly descended into silence or disturbed behavior, often accompanied by severe physical illness. These families sought answers from their doctors, from science, from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines, and finally from the Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration—to no avail. But as they dug deeper, the families also found powerful allies in Congress and in the small community of physicians and researchers who believe that the rise of autism and other disorders is linked to toxic levels of mercury that accumulate in the systems of some children.From closed meetings of the FDA, CDC, and drug companies, to open hearings held by Congress, this book shows a medical establishment determined to deny “evidence of harm”. As research demonstrates, the questions raised have significant implications for all children, and for those entrusted to oversee our national health.“A thoroughly researched, well written, and important book.” —Bernard Rimland, director of the Autism Research Institute and founder of the Autism Society of America
Raising Blaze: A Mother and Son's Long, Strange Journey into Autism
by Debra GinsbergWhen you have a child that doesn't fit in, what do you do? Debra Ginsberg knew that her son, Blaze, was unique from the moment he was born in 1987. What she didn't know was that Blaze's differences would be regarded by the outside world not as gifts, but as impediments to social and academic success. Blaze never crawled. He just got up and walked when he turned one. He called his mother 'Zsa Zsa' until he was three. By kindergarten, he loved the music of Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald. He fears butterflies and is fascinated by garbage trucks. With the same honesty that made Waiting a success, Raising Blaze: Bringing Up an Extraordinary Son in an Ordinary World chronicles Debra's experience in raising a child who has defied definition by the host of professionals who have sought to label his differences. Ginsberg introduces us to a remarkable child and her own unusual childhood. She writes about a family which shows us the redemptive power of faith, humour and love.
Autopsy of War: A Personal History
by John A. ParrishOn the outside, John Parrish is a highly successful doctor, having risen to the top of his field as department head at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Inside, however, he was so tortured by the memories of his tour of duty as a marine battlefield doctor in Vietnam that he was unable to live a normal life. In Autopsy of War, the author delivers an unflinching narrative chronicling his four-decade battle with the unseen enemy in his own mind as he struggled with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Parrish examines his Southern Baptist childhood and the profound influence of his father, a fire and brimstone preacher turned Navy chaplain, while offering a candid assessment of the "God and Country" ethos that leads young men to rush wide-eyed into war. He describes the unimaginable carnage and acts of cruelty he witnessed in Vietnam, experiences that shattered his world view leaving him to retreat from his family upon his return stateside. Living virtually homeless at times, he visited veteran shelters and relived the horrors of war in a series of harrowing flashbacks as he dealt with suicidal thoughts. The author writes honestly and probingly of his episodes of infidelity and battles with sex addiction. Readers follow his steady journey toward recovery and his professional contributions in the field of medicine and technology, as well as a joint program with the Boston Red Sox and Massachusetts General Hospital to aid returning veterans. Perhaps most poignantly, Parrish speaks of his quest to discover the identity of one particular solider in Vietnam he could not save—and whose memory has haunted him ever since.Autopsy of War is a soul searching memoir that is both an intensely personal narrative and a universally relevant trip through the world of war and recovery.
Super Smutty Sign Language
by Kristin HensonLearn more than 200 dirty, explicit, and downright disgusting ASL words and phrases in this book from the creator of YouTube’s Dirty Signs with Kristin.There are plenty of books and Websites that teach you basic sign language phrases like “Hello,” “Thank you,” and “I love you.” Some even dip into crass vocabulary with “asshole,” or “bite me,” but Super Smutty Sign Language is the only book that delivers truly obscene and offensive insults, sex terms, and pop culture phrases including “Suck a bag of dicks,” “Bitch, please!” “You motorboating son of a bitch!” and “Blumpkin”. Whether you want to tell someone off or pick someone up, Super Smutty Sign Language gives you a comprehensive crash course in getting foul in ASL. Now you can say:- Cum dumpster- I lost my virginity, can I have yours?- There’s a party in my pants, and you’re invited- Gargle my balls- You cum-guzzling ass-pirate!- Let’s play leap-frog naked!-And more!
Selling Out the Spectrum: How Science Lost the Trust of Autistic People, and How It Can Win It Back
by Liam O'DellWhen trust breaks down, how do we begin to fix it?Set against the controversial history of genetic research into autism, from the Spectrum 10k study led by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen to the legacy of the Andrew Wakefield MMR scandal, this book explores the ways in which autistic people have been let down by science and what needs to be done to build more effective partnerships in the future.Written by leading autistic journalist Liam O'Dell, Selling Out the Spectrum takes a thorough, balanced deep-dive into the issues surrounding the relationship between science and the autistic community, can explores how past damage can be effectively and meaningfully repaired.