The Exceptional Child in the Family: Helping Parents of Exceptional Children

Abstract

Although no child is completely normal or fails to present problems to his parents, there are some groups of children who deviate so greatly from the average that they create special difficulties. The crippled, the blind or deaf, the mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed, as well as adopted children or the unusually gifted, all require special attention and may be described as exceptional. While their problems vary, they have in common the quality of being unusual and the consequent insecurity felt by themselves and their families. Alan Ross, a child psychologist, wrote this book as a guide for the professional personnel—doctors, nurses, social workers, educators— who must advise the parents of exceptional children. What doctor, regardless of specialty, does not occasionally have this difficult task? Ross does not attempt to discuss all the problems of each type of handicap, or to answer such specific questions as whether bright children should