In order to experience positive growth and fulfillment, parents of severely handicapped children need to move toward self-growth and acceptance of the child, facilitate productive consultation with professionals, and coordinate communication between agencies and services. (CL)

The directory lists 88 parent-to-parent support programs for parents of children with disabilities mostly in the states of Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (DB)

Guidelines are offered for helping deaf children understand and cope with death. Implications for children under 3 to 10 and over are noted. Counseling suggestions are listed for helping bereaved children. (CL)

Fifteen suggestions for adults talking with children about the terrorist attacks include taking the time to listen, separating fact from fiction, stressing the senselessness of violence, recognizing the impact of their own reactions on children, and addressing religious and moral concerns. (DB)

This article offers suggestions to help children with disabilities cope with terrorism. It stresses recognition of triggers and cues to anticipate rather than react to stress and offers tips for specific populations including autism; cognitive limitations; learning disabilities; visual, hearing or physical limitations; and severe emotional…

The newsletter article examines the impact of a handicapped child on siblings and offers parents suggestions for handling sibling relationships effectively. The article notes differences in the emotional adjustment process between older and younger siblings of a handicapped child. This report also explains typical sibling reactions of regression,…

The parent of a child with a physical disability that has not been conclusively diagnosed recounts the family's frustrations in seeking medical diagnosis and treatment. (DB)

The article examines the potential impact upon the family of traumatic brain injury to a child and the complex array of factors related to effective family coping and adaptation. Considered are stages in family adaptation, sources of family stress, and coping with stress. (Author/DB)

The organizer of a national support group for fathers of children with disabilities discusses the special interests and concerns of fathers and offers examples from support group meetings. (DB)

A parent recounts the process of grieving following the birth of her brain damaged son including denial and anger, guilt, depression, and the elusiveness of complete acceptance. (DB)

Parents of a child with muscular dystrophy recount their reactions to learning of the diagnosis, their gradual acceptance, and their son's resistance, which was gradually lessened when he was provided with more information and treated more normally as a member of the family. (CL)

A father recounts experiences in selecting and sending a handicapped eight-year-old child to a summer camp. Stressed are the family reactions to the child's camping experience. (DB)

The mother of a handicapped child recounts her development of assertiveness skills in the interests of her child. She discusses needing to be constantly alert during her child's infancy, dealing with her own feelings of grief and guilt, fighting for her son's rights against bureaucratic obstacles, and learning the appropriate times to exercise…

A counselor describes feelings and attitudes of two young adults who see their marital problems as having begun with the birth of their severely disabled child. Counseling led to improved communication, better coping, and shared planning for the future. (DB)

Guidelines for helping children following a trauma or disaster address possible reactions in elementary, middle school, and high school students; possible reactions in teachers; guidelines for teachers of either high school, middle school, or elementary school students; and guidelines for parents of elementary, middle, or high school students. (DB)