The Parent's Notebook offers opportunities for parents, siblings, caregivers, friends and other important family members to learn new ways of managing challenges related to raising a child with developmental disabilities and special health care needs. Surprisingly, there are very few books that are specifically written to help parents, who often find themselves struggling, and suffering alone, without the benefit of camaraderie, connection, and understanding. So I offer my stories, opinions, and resolutions to you in the hope of bridging this chasm. Parents and families should know they are not alone, that others feel similarly, and that there are solutions to the difficult situations we all encounter. The circumstances I have written about in The Parent's Notebook include the following: An unexpected future and how to come to terms with this; the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty about what, if anything, is really wrong with our child; wanting to be understood by family, friends and the general public and realizing that this is not the case; family balance and handling increased demands of medical and educational processes; the loss of the feeling of being a "typical" family; losing family privacy when in-home supports arrive with their curious lack of boundaries; the difficulties of comparing one child to another and the outcome of that; feeling victimized by the circumstances of having a child with special needs; having to advocate for your child, family and yourself through the medical and educational systems; protecting yourself from fraud and impatient purchases that you think will solve a big problem for your child. The writing and arts activities in this book are based in Creative Arts Therapy. I became a Creative Arts Therapist after receiving my Masters Degree from Wesleyan University in 2003 and used Creative Arts-endorsed activities for years to help me work through personal struggles. My favorite activity was writing and drawing in my notebook every day. It gave me the ability to release my feelings in a productive manner and turn emotional turmoil into an art project. In this book, you will find guidelines for writing and drawing in a notebook along with suggestions on how to begin. More Creative Arts activities are listed at the end, with instructions, objectives for each project, plus supplies needed. And the best part? These activities are actually fun to do and offer lasting benefits for the whole family. The larger message in this book is that raising Christian filled my life with significance; something beyond ordinary life. He showed his love and happy spirit to everyone he came in contact with. He was a person overflowing with love. I encourage readers to write about their child's significance in their life and the lives of others that are in contact with that child on a daily basis, remembering that their child is a gift to them and this gift is theirs to love and appreciate.
About the Author: Susan E, Rosano is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, Consultant and Educator, Master Teaching Artist and Pastoral Counselor with a Master's Degree from Wesleyan University. She brings educational support programs for parents of children with developmental disabilities and special healthcare needs to conferences, workshops, schools, hospitals, libraries, and many other venues. She is a winner of the Guilford Arts Center "Year of the Child" Award for her consultancy work initiating arts programs and support services for organizations such as The Kennedy Center, Yale Children's Hospital and various hospice programs.