CHICAGO, IL - - Just in time for the height of the winter teasing season (experts claim that teasing occurs more often in winter than in any other season), editors can purchase excerpts on teasing and other timely topics from Tribune Media Services, Inc. Tribune Media is offering these excerpts (teasing, school questions, the power of advocacy and grieving) from the widely acclaimed parenting guide, Special Kids Need Special Parents, by Judith Loseff Lavin.
Lavin (www.parentingchallenges.com), the mother of a daughter with special needs, is a nationally recognized author, educator, journalist and speaker who has appeared on NBC-TV's Today show, the CBS Radio Networks and PBS-TV. Her book is also featured in the February 2003 issue of QUEST, the national magazine of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and in the New York Daily News (1/5/03).
The segments, which are for immediate release, can be purchased through March 2003 and published at any time, according to Eve Becker, managing editor-news and features for Tribune Media Services. [For further information, e-mail Jan Bunch (jbunch@tribune.com) or call 1-800-637-4082.]
“Special Kids Need Special Parents is a terrific book with valuable information, which is often hard to find,” said Becker. “Judy Lavin writes with warmth, compassion and knowledge and provides a wealth of information that is essential to convey to the public.”
Government statistics reveal that more than 20,000,000 American families (nearly one in three) have children with special needs (physical, emotional or mental) and educators report that 15 percent of all students have such challenges. In addition, according to a University of Maryland study reported in the 1/14/03 Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, psychiatric drug prescriptions (i.e., antidepressants and stimulants) for children nearly tripled from 1987-96.
Lavin’s 307-page resource guide, which may be the only one of its kind, is now in its fourth printing and will soon be published in German. Offering insights, support and advice on a wide variety of topics, her book has become a particularly popular gift item for holidays and special occasions. In addition to teasing, schools and grieving, Lavin discusses chronic pain, frequent hospitalizations and stress, marriage (ideal for Valentine’s Day), therapy, healthy siblings, grandparents and depression.
