Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child: Your Guide to the Essential Systems, Services, and Supports

This helpful debut guide from Coleman draws on her experiences raising a son with an undiagnosed genetic syndrome (supporting diagnoses include autism, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability) to offer advice on caring for children with disabilities. The guidance is largely structured in a q&a format. For instance, Coleman responds to the question, “Do I need a diagnosis?” by noting that while some parents believe labels are limiting, she finds that they “open up doors to therapies, services, allies, and insurance coverage.” Elsewhere, she tackles how to coordinate care providers, navigate insurance and government benefits, choose the right education pathway, and afford care, explaining that tax-advantaged ABLE accounts can be used to pay for disability-related expenses and that a special needs trust can provide funds for a disabled individual without “affecting that person’s eligibility for government benefits.” Coleman’s conversational and empathetic tone is a balm (“Remember when you had all those plans? Sigh,” she writes on adjusting expectations after a child’s diagnosis), and interviews with disability rights activists and medical professionals provide expert insight on, among other topics, the benefits of starting therapies early and the importance of working with educators on a child’s education plan. Caregivers for children with disabilities will want to check this out. Photos. Agent: Laurel Symonds, Bent Agency. (Mar.)