As a mother of a child with "special needs", I found this book to be quite inspiring. In the introduction, it is recommended you read a few essays at a time. While the information can be overwhelming at times, they are also joyous. I read the entire book in two sittings. It was so wonderful to see how these parents overcame their own fears and depression so they may enjoy their children.
You will truly realize "You are not alone" after reading these collective essays. There is also a wonderful place at the end of the book for parents to turn to for help and support.

I am a Genetic Counseling student and this book was a great read before I started my program. It really inspired me and reminded me of why I was going to go into this field.
I bought it to keep on my book shelf in my future office so that I may share some of these stories with patients if I feel they would benefit from them.
It is a book of hope, caring and emotion.

Perhaps I'm taking the title of the book "You Will Dream New Dreams" a bit too literally. This collection of stories written or dictated by parents of children with disabilities offers information, insights, anecdotes, and snippets from their lives and experiences.

Many of the chapters are indeed sobering and deliver a welcomed jolt of optimism and hope. Some recount the efforts required to get the medical professionals to get off their high horse and focus on the evidence they either cannot grasp or discount. Many recount the work, progress, and advocacy that are required as parents have to become social, educational, legal, and even medical icebreakers that plow through the morass of societal obstacles imposed on anyone outside the narrow confines of what is deemed "normal." Some of the best advice here is that parents let go of guilt and blame about unchangeable events---advice that mirrors some of the Buddhists texts I've read as well.

A few stories fail to convince me that those involved are not still legitimately in denial, particularly those that convey sentiments such as "we would not change anything," or "we would not be given anything we could not handle." I'm also bothered a bit by assertions of gratitude toward a disabled child for helping a parent gain insight, strength, or wisdom because all children potentially should provide these opportunities.

Overall, this is quite valuable book for families who are coming to terms with the death of their dreams while new dreams are being fomented. The sage advice to focus on abilities not disabilities rings true, again, as much for "normal" children as for those without a disability. In that regard, this book should probably be required reading for anyone who plans to have a family and who is naïve about the way the genetic lottery works

Moreover, without delving too deeply into this subject, the focus of this book, in my opinion, is not to diminish the lives, experiences, or contributions of anyone who has any sort of disability, but to convey the idea that matters beyond anyone's control do affect and transform others. No judgment should be implied or inferred by such recognition about the intrinsic value of any person.

So do I dream new dreams? Sometimes, at some levels, I do when I'm awake. But dreams during sleep have their own odd reality, and when my daughter appears in those dreams free from her disabilities, what am I to make of the incongruity of reality and hope?

As a sibling of a child with special needs, You Will Dream New Dreams helped me evaluate the dreams I have had for my brother in the past, and how I should change them for the future. It also helped me better understand my parents, and how they have coped with having a child with a special need.

I would highly recommend this book to parents, and older siblings of children with special needs, and to professionals that are planning on working with children with special needs. I feel that this book would provide parents a feeling of support and hope for their child and their child's future. I think that this book would help older siblings understand their parents better, and why they have done things in life in a certain way. As for professionals, I feel it allows them an insight into the types of families they may be working with, which will allow them to empathize with the family rather than sympathize for the family.

As a sibling of a child with special needs, You Will Dream New Dreams helped me evaluate the dreams I have had for my brother in the past, and how I should change them for the future. It also helped me better understand my parents, and how they have coped with having a child with a special need.

I would highly recommend this book to parents, and older siblings of children with special needs, and to professionals that are planning on working with children with special needs. I feel that this book would provide parents a feeling of support and hope for their child and their child's future. I think that this book would help older siblings understand their parents better, and why they have done things in life in a certain way. As for professionals, I feel it allows them an insight into the types of families they may be working with, which will allow them to empathize with the family rather than sympathize for the family.

Many of these reviews are quite long, so I'll try to make this short. As a mother of a 19 month old baby with cerebral palsy it was a great help to me. Sometimes it is hard to pick up because it hits so close to home.

We have discussed this book in my parents group and almost everyone found something they could relate to.

My favorite thing about this book is that it is written for everyone, not just the very religious.

I have borrowed this book from a local orginization twice and am buying it today.

Love your children, but don't forget to love yourself
Carye

Many of these reviews are quite long, so I'll try to make this short. As a mother of a 19 month old baby with cerebral palsy it was a great help to me. Sometimes it is hard to pick up because it hits so close to home.

We have discussed this book in my parents group and almost everyone found something they could relate to.

My favorite thing about this book is that it is written for everyone, not just the very religious.

I have borrowed this book from a local orginization twice and am buying it today.

Love your children, but don't forget to love yourself
Carye

It's been 22 years now since my son was a seemingly normal, happy toddler. It's been eighteen years since I first heard the word "autism" used to describe my baby. It was a grief from which I thought I would never recover--never feel good again--unless he recovered and had a typical life. It took me two years before I could get the word "autism" out of my mouth. Like the other 62 writers in You Will Dream New Dreams: Inspiring Personal Stories by Parents of Children With Disabilities, my life was suspended in time. Hope was in short supply. When my life resumed, I had a new and uncertain calendar before me which unfolded with my son's condition.

I can recall the first time I saw a copy of Exceptional Parent magazine in a doctor's office. I was afraid to open it. I was terrified to consider that I might become a regular reader. Months later, I did open that magazine and closed it nervously after glancing at its table of contents, mortified that I could possibly belong to the club of its subscribers. Eventually, I did read it a little at a time and I found guidance and comfort there. What really helped was the first person accounts by other parents who had survived the crisis.

I noticed that these were people who had rejoined time, found hope and even joy again, and discovered who they had become. That magazine has given voice to so many parents over the years. In fact, it helped me years later to develop my own voice as a father, in the Fathers' Voices Column edited by James May of the National Fathers' Network. Eventually, I met the founder and former editor-in-chief of Exceptional Parent, Stanley D. Klein, Ph.D., who together with Kim Schive has brought us a new and I believe a lasting contribution. Stan has been a colleague and a friend who has helped me to develop my work further as he has done with numerous parents and people with disabilities. I am an admittedly biased reviewer, and so be it.

In You Will Dream New Dreams, readers will find real-life stories by mothers and fathers of kids with cerebral palsy, juvenile diabetes, autism, mental retardation, and a host of other life-altering chronic conditions and injuries. Their messages resound with courage, encouragement, and hope. Like the other essay writers, I am proud to have my words included in this volume--proud to be part of something bigger and more important. Pick it up, if you are a parent, and in each essay you are drawn to, you will revisit and discover a part of your story. Stay with this process and you can put together your story and develop it further as life goes on with your family. Find a piece here and a piece there that resonates deep within.

There is a Native American proverb that advises that you cannot understand another person unless you walk a mile in his or her moccasins. So listen to life inside these moccasins, if you are a professional, and you can learn how to listen better to parents. They will tell you their stories, and in doing so will be able to eventually dream new dreams. This is a valuable book for relatives and friends to help hem understand the treacherous emotional landscape for a parent whose child has special needs.

Now 62 other parents have a voice. When you have a voice, you have dignity. When you have a voice, you can make yourself understood. When you have a voice, you can connect with others; you can speak and listen patiently with your spouse. When you have a voice, you can command respect. You know when you have power, and you can accept when you are powerless. And maybe most of all, when you have a voice, you can heal your broken heart.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that "The only true gift is a portion of thyself." In You Will Dream New Dreams, Stan Klein and Kim Schive have brought us a gift from 62 mothers and fathers. Take a look, open it up, you won't be sorry.

Finally a book that understands and can help you to understand and cope. It is like finding a new best friend on every page! You will go away feeling better about yourself, understanding your feelings and loving your special child even more! Welcome to Holland!