Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below, but these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally read. Please read my disclosure page for more info.
Down syndrome Book Resources: some parents feel like they can never get enough.
That makes sense, given the fact that Down syndrome is still not fully understood, and that for most of us parents, our child with Down syndrome is our entry into the world of Down syndrome, Development Disability and sometimes Special Needs*(see note below).
Our child is our guide, and wanting to understand more, we seek out all of the books we can get our hands on.
I myself purchased or reviewed all of the books listed below.
The ones that I most highly recommend I have put an * before.
Your local library should offer most of these books, and/or your local Down syndrome Association.
Most are also easily available through Kindle (on Amazon) or Nook (Barnes and Noble). The medical/education books may be available through your child’s school or you can request them to purchase it as a part of your child’s IEP.
Please add your own recommendations in the comments.
Down syndrome Book Resources
Practical/Skills/Training/Medically Oriented
* Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome
* Gross Motor Skills in Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
Fine Motor Skills for Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents And Professionals
Teaching Children with Down syndrome About Their Bodies, Boundaries and Sexuality
Early Communication Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents’ Guide
* http://downsyndromepregnancy.org/the-pregnancy-book/ – free downloadable book + ripping site with resources
Education
* Teaching Math to People with Down syndrome and Other Hands-On Learners
* Teaching Reading to Children with Down syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers
Collections
* The Parent’s Guide to Down syndrome: Advice, Information, Inspiration, and Support for Raising Your Child from Diagnosis through Adulthood
* Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives – 10th Anniversary Edition (updated, with more stories) – this is a MUST-read
Gifts 1: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives
Gifts 2: How People with Down Syndrome Enrich the World
Memoirs/Personal Stories
* Up Syndrome (a memoir by a woman with Down syndrome)
* The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery
* Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic
* The Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family, and the Stories We Inherit
From Grief to Celebration, How One Family Learned to Embrace the Gift of Down Syndrome
Good and Perfect Gift, A: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny
Road Map to Holland: How I Found My Way Through My Son’s First Two Years With Down Syndrome
Choosing Naia: A Family’s Journey
My Heart Can’t Even Believe It: A Story of Science, Love and Down syndrome
Fiction:
The Unfinished Child
Read Book Reviews:T21 Writers Alliance
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* Note: “Special needs” and “disability” are commonly used interchangeably. This is incorrect.
A “special need” is an educational term referring to an individual’s unique educational need, as defined through an IEP. A “disability” is a way of seeing, hearing, speaking, thinking, behaving, moving, feeling that is less common than most. A person may have a “special need” and no disability; likewise a person may have a disability and no educational “special need”.
The words are NOT interchangeable, and the word “disability” is not a bad word. Please use it to refer to your child’s Down syndrome, and use “special need” to refer to their unique educational needs, if any.
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