The Elephant in the Playroom. Ordinary Parents Write Intimately and Honestly About the Extraordinary Highs and Heartbreaking Lows of Raising Kids with Special Needs

Editorial Review
Candid, passionate, personal, and heartbreakingly funny, a view from within the whirlwind of parenting a child with special needs

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. As she struggled to make sense of her new, often chaotic, often lonely world, what she found comforted her most was talking with other harried, hopeful, and insightful parents of kids with special needs, learning how they coped with the feelings they encountered throughout the day.

In The Elephant in the Playroom, moms and dads from across the country write intimately and honestly 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, their 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.

Offering readers comfort, community, and much-needed perspective, The Elephant in the Playroom is sure to become essential reading for parents of special needs kids.
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Customer Reviews

Like a handheld support group!

2007-11-08
I never write reviews but felt the need for this one. I recommend this book for any parent who is struggling with the ups and downs of raising a special needs child. This book has many stories about many real people, stories you relate to, or make you cry in happiness, or even sadness when you look at the gravity of your own situation. The strength of other parents is inspiring. This is a great book. I wish there were more of these!

Special!

2007-11-05
This book, "The Elephant in the Playroom" is a true portrayal of exactly how "special" all these kids are! Each family and child described is wonderfully unique and interesting. As a special education aide, I laughed, commiserated, and understood each of these stories! This book is a valuable resource for anyone in contact with special needs children!!

A lifeline

2007-10-05
After an emotionally draining morning with my daughter, I was feeling guilty, alone, and incompetent. I picked this book up on a whim before I picked her up from school, and sat in the car reading it, tears streaming down my face. For the first time in several years, I felt I wasn't alone. It's a wonderful collection of honest, real, and oh-so-familiar accounts.

Great!

2007-08-24
Great book! Very eye-opening to the experiences of caregivers and parents. Love that it was set up so you could read the whole book or just the sections you wanted.

great book

2007-08-22
An insightful, heartfelt exploration of parenting special needs children. This is life on the inside-- way on the inside.
Anyone who is a parent should read this book and be enlightened. Denise Brodey and the parents who write for her tell it like it is and the reader goes through the experience with them and comes out the other side with new understanding and respect for what these parents and their children are going through, every hour of every day.
Moving. Inspiring.

Candid

2008-07-10
I loved this book! The stories were wonderful. It takes bravery to be so open and honest. Every story had something I could relate to as a parent and as a parent of special needs children. It was wonderful!

A must read!

2008-05-21
If you are looking for an honest book and not a sugar coated foo foo book, this is for you! The title says it all - The extraordinary HIGHS and heartbreaking LOWS...it's all covered. I have read this book, highlighted, circled, folded pages and bookmarked sentimental excerpts. I keep it handy for the rough days and lend it out to other parents who need a little reassurance that they are not alone. No matter what hand you've been dealt, there is something written in this book by someone like you. You will smile as recognize the rewards other parents have experienced and cry because you have been there. This is my personal bible, exactly what I need to pick me up on the hard days and remind me how blessed I am on the good days.

Mostly good, room for improvement

2008-05-04
As the mother of a special needs, medically fragile child, I appreciate the honest writing of the essays in the book. Most of them are great. However I found a couple offensive--and I'm not easily offended. A couple parents assume that having kids with physical and easily recognizable disabilities is easier than having a child with an "invisible" disability. Even going so far as to say it's easy for schools to accommodate a child in a wheel chair. Anyone whose dealt with the public school system knows that's not true. I know there is a tendency to feel like your child's disability is worse than any other and that the grass is always greener. But we are one big special needs family and perhaps divisive essays should not have been included.

A Must Read

2008-02-29
As a parent who contributed a personal story to this book, I was so delighted to read what all the other parents who contributed had to say. I could find a piece of myself or my child in every story. I agree that this should be required reading for all educational professionals before they enter a classroom.

Lorie B.

Outstanding Book

2007-12-27
This book is a must have for any parents with special needs kids. The stories are riveting and triumphant and heartbreaking all at the same time. True to life stories of how parents deal with these kids. You go from one story to the next. I found it impossible to put down and I don't even have children!

Gerard Zemek
husband of author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"