I have read a lot of Chicken Soup for the Soul books, but when I was sent a new book for review called Raising Kids on the Spectrum I knew that this would be one of my favorite.  I do not have a child on the spectrum, however, I did work with these children for 10 years.  I loved them and would not change those 10 years of my life for anything.  Each teacher and each child in the classroom had difficult days, but by the end of the day everything we had dealt with that day was worth it.  After teaching these children for 10 years, I knew what to expect at school, but I didn’t know what life was like at home.  Some of the parents seemed delighted by their children, some of them seem frazzled and some of them were still in denial.  The children I taught came into my classroom at the age of 3 and were typically with us until they were 5.  The relationship that we built with what I called “my babies” was unbelievable.

After reading each and every story in Chicken Soup for the Soul Raising Kids on the Spectrum I was able to step back into some of the lives of the children I taught and actually understand what the parents were trying to tell us.  As teachers we were never judgmental, but it was hard to understand how the children could be so different at home than they were at school.  I also didn’t understand until I had a child of my own.  One of the stories in this fantastic book states that “every” child has at least one special need of there own.  The author of that story could not have been more right.  A child diagnosed with special needs may have more needs than other children, but the children who are not diagnosed with special needs have needs of their own.  As a parent, I have no right to judge any other parent.  We all deal with situations differently.  I have days when I am so frazzled and stressed out that I feel like I could just break at any point.  Parents with children, no matter the need or diagnosis, all go through similar emotions and we should all be there to support one another.

If you are interested in stepping into the world children on the spectrum please check out Chicken Soup for the Soul Raising Kids on the Spectrum.  It is a great read!  You can also find more information about Chicken Soup for the Soul on Facebook and Twitter.

Win It: 3 US or Canada residents will win a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul Raising Kids on the Spectrum.

Lori