Advanced parenting Advice for helping kids through diagnoses, differences, and mental health challenges

Nearly one-third of children in the U.S. are living with a chronic medical condition, writes Fradin, and while there is a wealth of parenting information out there, most of it is written for parents with typical children facing common childhood problems. Drawing on her years of experience as a complex-care pediatrician, Fradin provides an outstanding guide for parents seeking more advanced help: the skills and strategies to support children with more serious, complicated health challenges. Her advice, notably compassionate and inclusive, encompasses just about any concern a family might face, from researching their situation to building an effective care plan that considers a child's developmental stage and the reality of family resources. Those looking for more information will find extensive notes and lists of readings and pertinent national organizations. Parents who are often stressed, overwhelmed, and even stigmatized by their child's health challenges will welcome this authoritative, commonsense resource. A must-have for parenting collections.

In this helpful guide, pediatrician Fradin (Parenting in a Pandemic) serves up advice for parents of children who face such health challenges as organ transplants, severe allergies, sensory disorders, or mental illness. She focuses on how to stay resilient through hard times and what parents should know about the medical system, explaining how pediatricians allot their time (10-minute appointments for sick children vs. 25 minutes for the healthy, who are usually seeking annual physicals that require comprehensive health assessments) and how insurance reimbursements affect their priorities (emails, school forms, and prescription refills are usually low priority because they are unpaid). To educate oneself about a child's condition, Fradin recommends readers start by consulting their doctors, after which they might seek out information from an advocacy organization or read up on the publications of a "scientific or educational leader in the field of interest." The author also offers suggestions on coping with the emotional consequences of a diagnosis, encouraging parents to fight burnout by keeping a fulfilling social life and to make sure one's child feels comfortable opening up about bullying related to their medical condition. The advice manages the difficult feat of providing specific guidance while applying broadly to the myriad conditions a child might face. Thoughtful and practical, this delivers. (Apr.)