Celebrating Families

This collection of short vignettes describe families’ experiences in Illinois early intervention. Readers can learn about the EI team, advocating for your child, and the importance of connecting with the right resources.

In a love letter to his daughter, who was born with Down syndrome, a sports columnist for the “Cincinnati Enquirer” chronicles her childhood and her journey to find happiness and purpose in her adult life, showing how she inspires those around her to live better and more fully.

The author of the Asperkids series offers an intimate memoir about her life and her diagnosis with Asperger’s syndrome, sharing her struggles and her journey of self-discovery, and dispelling myths about life on the autism spectrum.

A special needs diagnosis can mean the loss of dreams for some families. Author Amy Mattson knows that heartache and wants you to discover true joy along your uncertain journey as a parent of a child with special needs.

This book interweaves lyrical prose and stunning four-color photography as she recounts the story of the first year of her daughter Nella–who has Down syndrome–and celebrates the beauty found in the unexpected, the strength of a mother’s love, and, ultimately, the amazing power of perspective.

Little Bear feels the world around him. All around him he hears the familiar refrain: “Can bears ski?” Then Dad Bear takes him to see an audiologist and they learn that Little Bear has been experiencing deafness. With new hearing aids, he discovers that “Can bears ski?” is actually “Can you hear me?” His new world is loud and will take some getting used to, but with the love and support of Dad Bear, Little Bear will find his way.

When Delly Duck lays an egg, she is excited for it to hatch. But she doesn’t really know how to keep an egg safe, or how to look after her chick when he hatches. See how a concerned goose tries to help Delly to learn how to care for her chick, in this touching adoption story.

There is lots to learn about the new girl at school. She does not like beans. She does not like to tell jokes. And, she has a physical disability. Join Mimi’s classmates as they ask questions about different abilities and make a new friend.

Rescue thought he’d grow up to be a Seeing Eye dog. When he gets the news that he’s better suited to being a service dog, he’s worried that he’s not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she’d imagined it and needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. It turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time.

This book explores contemporary family diversity with a focus on nine different national contexts

Five years after David Finch married Kristen, the love of his life, they learn that he has Asperger syndrome. The diagnosis explains David’s ever-growing list of quirks and compulsions, but it doesn’t make him any easier to live with. Determined to change, David sets out to understand Asperger syndrome and learn to be a better husband with an endearing yet hilarious zeal.

A normal pregnancy followed by a normal birth unexpectedly led to a questionable survival prognosis. Extensive testing revealed a rare genetic muscular disorder, congenital fiber type disproportion. In this inspirational memoir, Caden’s grandmother describes the days, weeks, and months that follow this devasting diagnosis.

An emotional, revealing memoir of one family’s life in seclusion–and the love, strength, and faith it took to save it.

Auggie enjoys the company of his dog, Daisy, and using his imagination, but painfully endures the taunts of his peers because of his facial deformity.