A Special Education: One Family's Journey Through the Maze of Learning Disabilities

by Dana Buchman, Charlotte Farber

Overview

The celebrated designer Dana Buchman knew almost nothing about “learning differences” when her daughter, Charlotte, was diagnosed with disabilities as a toddler. She soon discovered that the hard work and determination that had taken her from the Ivy League to her own fashion label wouldn't be enough to deal with Charlotte's disabilities; she would have to acquire a new skill set-to be able to see Charlotte as a person with unique abilities. A moving mother-daughter story, A Special Education is an inspiring account of one mother's journey to acceptance and understanding, as well as a family's triumph over daunting circumstances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738210896
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	02/27/2007
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Popular American fashion designer Dana Buchman lives in New York City with her husband and their youngest daughter, Annie.

Charlotte Farber, co-author of A Special Education, now attends college in New England.

Editorial Reviews

An inspiring account of one mother1s journey to acceptance and understanding as well as a family1s triumph over daunting circumstances.

Family Therapy

The famous clothing designer recounts with tremendous candor her difficult and transformative acceptance of her daughter's lifetime of learning difficulties. At 35, newly married, pregnant and offered the chance to start her own knitwear label, Buchman was a hard-driven, perfectionist New Yorker determined to "have it all." But Charlotte, her first born, soon exhibited slow growth in movement and language, and at age four underwent a battery of tests that revealed she suffered from dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and a host of other developmental difficulties. Buchman and her husband were faced with coming to terms with having a "disabled child"-requiring not only special schools and a herculean patience but the courage to overcome the shame and guilt associated with acknowledging publicly that their life wasn't perfect. Moreover, Buchman recognized she tended to favor her needier child over her second "normal" child, although the siblings eventually excelled in areas that didn't compete with each other. With therapy and specialists to prepare her for the larger world, Charlotte, now in college, is well on her way to a productive life. Buchman's forthright memoir (and list of resources) will go far in lightening the pall surrounding children with special needs. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Good reading for parents facing any level of special need in their children...Uplifting.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This intensely personal memoir tells the story of a daughter's and a mother's struggles with learning disabilities. When she was a 35-year-old newlywed and mother to be, Buchman took on the challenge of running her own fashion line. The difficulties of operating a new business, however, would not compare to raising her firstborn Charlotte, who began to show signs of dyslexia and attention deficit disorder, along with developmental disabilities. Tests and the search for proper schools and doctors followed, while Buchman embarked on her own path to self-discovery. The perfection-seeking New Yorker eventually came to see Charlotte as a person with unique abilities (in fact, she's attending college in New England). Kudos to Buchman for her forthright memoir, which should go a long way toward lifting the stigma of learning disabilities. Highly recommended for all public libraries.-Walter J. Cegelka, St. Thomas Univ., Miami, FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal