The mother of a daughter who has dysautonomia, a hereditary disturbance of the autonomic nervous system, uses her experiences to offer advice to similarly situated parents. (GW)

The excerpt from "Saving Money and Getting Help: Advice for Families of Children with Spina Bifida" (Lynn Rosenfeld) provides guidelines for parents concerning health insurance, health maintenance organizations, and questions to ask concerning health insurance coverage and filing claims. (DB)

The article excerpts letters of eight parents whose children have cerebral hypotonia, an early symptom of brain damage characterized by a defective muscular condition. The problems which accompany hypotonia (such as feeding problems, retardation, respiratory distress, and seizures) are touched on. (SBH)

A case history describes the effects on a family of a child whose cleft palate required frequent medical attention. Adjustments required by a completion of surgery are noted to have unsettling effects on the 10-year-old brother and his mother and father. (CL)

Parents of severely disabled or chronically ill children need to find competent baby-sitters for respite as well as opportunities to spend time with other family members. Baby-sitters, who may be found among supportive professionals, community groups, and college sutdents, may be trained to deal with specific child care concerns. (CL)

Reviewed are the history and organization, purpose and programs, and public services of the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association, an organization geared toward eradicating Tay-Sachs disease (a hereditary disorder affecting primarily Jewish infants which generally leads to deterioration and death by the child's fifth year). (SBH)

A young woman diagnosed as having Tourette Syndrome as an adult recounts the years of misunderstanding and humiliation prior to correct diagnosis and therapy. The importance of parents sharing family medical history with children and physicians is emphasized. (DB)

The mother of a child with chronic kidney disease describes how selfishness--in the form of taking care of herself--has enabled her to survive and her son to develop independence. (CL)

Services provided by the Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America, Inc. are briefly noted. (CB)

A mother reflects on the ordeals faced by her infant son who has heart and intestinal disorders and discusses the characteristics needed by mothers of disabled and chronically ill children. (CL)

A mother relates the first 2 years of development and treatment of her son with cystic hygroma, a rare condition which affects the lymph glands and causes tumors in the neck, tongue, and in more serious cases, the lungs. (SBH)

The parent of a young child who required major open heart surgery shares his suggestions for coping with a young child's hospitalization including parent visitation, relating to the hospital staff, getting answers to questions, and utilizing available services. (DB)

The mother of a 7-year-old boy with osteogenesis imperfecta describes arrangements made with an elementary school to place the boy in a regular first grade class. (KW)

The parents of a severely asthmatic junior high school student with learning problems seek counseling concerning marital problems, conflicting approaches to child rearing, and their child's educational needs. (DB)

The problems facing an epileptic eight-year-old girl following a seizure in the classroom are discussed. The girl's epilepsy, in this instance, served to exaggerate an already existing conflict between the mother and father. Family counseling was implemented to help resolve the problem. (PHR)