Three years ago, magazine editor
Denise Brodey's precocious
four-year-old son, Toby, was
diagnosed with a combination of
sensory integration dysfunction
and childhood depression. Struggling to make sense of her
new, often chaotic, often lonely
world, the thing she found most
comforting was talking with
other, hopeful, and insightful
parents of kids with special
needs, and learning how they
coped with the feelings they
encountered throughout the day.
In The Elephant in the Playroom,
parents from across the country
write in an honest and intimate
way about the joyful highs and
disordered lows of raising
children who are "not quite
normal". Laying bare the
emotional, medical, and social
challenges they face, these
stories address issues ranging
from if and when to medicate a
child, to how to get a child who
is overly sensitive to the
texture of food to eat lunch. Eloquent and honest, the voices
in this collection will provide
solace and support for the
millions of parents whose kids
struggle with ADD, ADHD, sensory
disorders, childhood depression, Asperger's syndrome, and
autism, as well as the many kids
who fall between diagnoses.
Author: Denise Brodey
Pages: 256