Diagnosed with MS, she awaits the results of another anxiety-inducing MRI. She’s just walked away from Connor, “a fixer” but possibly the love of her life. And nearing the holidays, the sights and sounds of winter in South Dakota only prick memories of better years gone by. Then, on a December morning at the university where she works, jarring gunshots pierce the halls. In a temporary safe place and terrified, Simone listens and pretends this will all be over soon.As she waits for silence, her mind racing, Simone’s past year comes into focus. Falling in love and missing it. Finding strength in family and enduring friendships. Planning for the future, fearing it, and hoping against hope in dark places. Her life has been changing at the speed of light, and each crossroad brought Simone here, to this day, to endure the things she can’t control and to confront those that she can.

    At times you will weep.Dumped by her husband for a blindingly blonde twig, single mum Donna is getting on with her life, albeit not very confidently. In her dreams, she’ll meet a drop dead delicious hero who will love her and her three-legged dog without question. Alas, in reality, they don’t exist. Dashing policeman Mark does what men do: hides his hurt well. Mark has a lot riding on any sort of relationship he might enter into. He has a special needs son. But should he tell Donna, the quirky, sassy, caring woman he’s fallen in love with? Or will he scare her away?Could Mark be the hunk Donna needs? Could Donna be the rock Mark can lean on? If they look hard enough, can they find Somebody to Love?“Fabulous, funny, heart-breaking. If you are a fan of Jill Mansell you will love SOMEBODY TO LOVE!” – Brook Cottage Books“I was blown away by Sheryl’s beautiful writing.” – Reviewed The Book. “Somebody to Love is a fearless and humorous spin on a topic that everyone can identify with.” – Cosmochicklitan

    Although people with autism live in the same physical world and deal with the same `raw material' their perceptual world turns out strikingly different from that of non-autistic people. It is widely reported that autistic people have `unusual' sensory perceptual experiences that may involve hypo- and hypersensitivity, fluctuation between different `volumes' of perception and difficulty interpreting a sense.In this book, Olga Bogdashina attempts to define the role of sensory perceptual problems in autism identified by autistic individuals themselves. Often ignored by many professionals, this is one of the main problems highlighted by autistic individuals. This book singles out possible patterns of sensory experiences in autism and the cognitive differences caused by them. The final chapters are devoted to assessment and intervention issues with practical recommendations for selecting appropriate methods and techniques to eliminate the problems and enhance the strengths.Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome is vital to teachers and other professionals working with autistic individuals to fully comprehend sensory perceptual differences in autism. This book will help readers select appropriate methods for dealing with autistic individuals. In addition, parents of autistic individuals and autistic individual themselves will find the information will enable them to initiate relevant strategies and environmental changes to facilitate more effective learning.

    Seeming to criminalize disability and thus offering a visceral example of discrimination, these "ugly laws" have become a sort of shorthand for oppression in disability studies, law, and the arts.In this watershed study of the ugly laws, Susan M. Schweik uncovers the murky history behind the laws, situating the varied legislation in its historical context and exploring in detail what the laws meant. Illustrating how the laws join the history of the disabled and the poor, Schweik not only gives the reader a deeper understanding of the ugly laws and the cities where they were generated, she locates the laws at a crucial intersection of evolving and unstable concepts of race, nation, sex, class, and gender. Moreover, she explores the history of resistance to the ordinances, using the often harrowing life stories of those most affected by their passage. Moving to the laws' more recent history, Schweik analyzes the shifting cultural memory of the ugly laws, examining how they have been used--and misused--by academics, activists, artists, lawyers, and legislators.

    He spoke English – and Chicken. But the day he told his pet chicken Frightful that his body was trying to kill him, Andrew’s family and an entire medical community were launched into a decade-long quest for answers. This honest memoir of fierce and faithful parenting takes readers on a heartfelt journey through chronic illness and Asperger’s syndrome to discover the healing bond between a boy and his chicken. Navigating the complex landscape of modern medicine and genetics, through a rare diagnosis of Trisomy 8 Mosaicism and an experimental bone marrow transplant, readers venture to places where chickens talk, superheroes come alive, and a boy on the brink of death finds the courage to survive.

    Just as we celebrate diversity in nature and cultures, so too do we need to honor the diversity of brains among our students who learn, think, and behave differently. In Neurodiversity in the Classroom, best-selling author Thomas Armstrong argues that we should embrace the strengths of such neurodiverse students to help them and their neurotypical peers thrive in school and beyond.This innovative book focuses on five categories of special needs: learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders. For each category, Armstrong provides an in-depth discussion of * The positive attributes associated with that category, * Acclaimed neurodiverse adults who have excelled in their chosen fields, * Computer programs and applications that allow students with special needs to overcome obstacles and achieve success, * Rich networks of human resources both inside and outside of school that educators can draw upon to support the social and emotional lives of neurodiverse students, * Innovative learning strategies that are tailored to each student's unique strengths, * Future career paths for which a student's particular gifts might be a good fit, * Modifications in the school environment that allow for seamless inclusion of neurodiverse students in the regular classroom, and * Timely information about how to integrate the strategies and assessments for each category with the Common Core State Standards.It's time that we focused on celebrating rather than pathologizing our students with special needs so that they can fully realize their potential in school and life. This practical and thought-provoking book will inspire teachers and administrators everywhere to make sure that all students with special needs get the support and strength-based instruction they deserve.

     Ligaya is a quantum physicist working in a research lab at the University of Washington. She is seduced by the numbers and math with a drive that excludes everything in her life including social interactions. Emotions have always been hard for her to understand or express. When she meets an ex firefighter, Allison, she finds herself fighting to understand all the new feelings rising inside. Allison has a primal drive to help and protect people and Ligaya’s innocence is like a drug to her. With the the non-subtle meddling from the women at the Pike, Ligaya and Allison find themselves pulled inexorably to each other. (The Pike series is set in the same world as Music of the Soul and London Harmony, and can be read as a standalone book.)

    Her only saving graces, her brother Carson and her best and only friend Sierra, are both gone.  Life without them is just one horrible day set on repeat, but she’s determined to hold on even if it’s by the skin of her teeth, waiting for the day that she can escape her mother's hold.  On the one year anniversary of Sierra’s death, she is rocked to her core by cruelty that not even she expected from her mother. In her most desperate hour, Marjorie makes a decision that she can’t take back.  When she wakes up in the hospital after being found by her estranged brother, her life takes an even more confusing and tumultuous turn when she's sent to Brighton House for Troubled Youth.    There she meets a doctor who not only wants the best for her but gives her the motherly love and warmth she's wanted her whole life.And four people, who, like her, are struggling with demons of their own. Avery, a lesbian who was sent away from home by her ultra conservative parents. Malcolm, recent amputee and former All-American Texas football star struggling to find his new identity. Bodie, an alcoholic who uses jokes to deflect from his lack of confidence. And Zachery, who witnessed the murder-suicide of his parents after a tragic accident. With the help of these unexpected allies, she comes to terms with the demons that have plagued her her whole life, while dealing with the newly found and never experienced  love and desire brought on by her budding relationships forged through trials, tribulations, and trust. But just when she thinks she's getting a grasp on life, her world is upended, and she is forced to grapple with the repercussions of the familial bombshells that have been dropped on her.  Through it all, she and her chosen heartmates find their way to being who they were truly meant to be as they grow together and find love in a hopeless place. Finding Hope is a medium burn Reverse Harem/Why Choose novel with maturbatory and FF scenes. Finding Hope is not a dark or bully book but does deal with darker subjects that some may find triggering.

    With a small group study guide and "Ten Steps for Developing a Mental Health Ministry in Your Congregation," Blessed Are the Crazy is more than memoir--it's a resource for churches and other faith-based groups to provide healing and comfort. Part of The Young Clergy Women Project.

    From P.T. Barnum's albinos and "Siamese" twins, to the traveling oddity museums linked to circuses and carnivals, to a whole new generation of "carny kids," Carny Folk reveals the strange, fantastic, and misunderstood world of the side show attraction. This captivating anthology pulls back the curtain on fifty of the most famous side show celebrities of all time, revealing the astounding, the curious, and the little-known facts behind such subjects as: - Joseph Carey Merrick: "The Elephant Man" claimed that his deformities were caused by the shock his pregnant mother experienced when she was crushed under the feet of an elephant.- Melvin Burkhart: The "father" of "human blockhead" acts, he could actually drive a spike or an ice pick into his head without flinching.- Bettie Lou Williams: Born with two bodies--one head, four legs, and three arms--she made her debut in Robert Ripley's first "Believe-It-Or-Not" Odditorium at the 1934 World's Fair in Chicago.- Tom Thumb: Discovered by P.T. Barnum in 1842, the singing, dancing sensation stood 25 inches tall and weighed a mere 15 pounds.

    Rough receives the test results that confirm she is a carrier of the genetic condition "hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia," or H.E.D., it propels her on a journey deep into her family's past in the American West.At first glance, H.E.D. seems only to be a superficial condition: a peculiar facial bone structure, sparse hair, few teeth, and an inability to sweat. But a closer look reveals the source of a lifetime of infections, breathing problems, and drug dependency for Bonnie's grandfather Earl, who suffered from the disorder. After a boyhood as a small-town oddity and an adulthood fraught with disaster, Earl died penniless and alone at the age of 49. Bonnie's mother was left with an inheritance that included not just the gene for H.E.D., but also the emotional pain that came from witnessing her father's misery.As Bonnie and her husband consider becoming parents themselves, their biological legacy haunts every decision. The availability of genetic testing gives them new choices to make, choices more excruciating than any previous generation could have imagined. Ultimately, Carrier is a story of a modern moral crisis, one that reveals the eternal tension between past and future."

    The funniest book I've read in years.' DAVID WALLIAMSLee Ridley won the hearts and minds of the nation on Britain's Got Talent. Now the much-loved comedian opens up about what it's like to be him.I'm Only In It for the Parking is a wonderful romp through Lee's extraordinary life, by way of the people who like to pray for him, the comparisons with Stephen Hawking, some perilous falls, some epic fails and more information about Lee's private life than you probably need.This is the wickedly funny story of the stand-up who struggles to stand up, but who learns to finds his feet. The Geordie without the accent. The entertainer who really can't speak at all, but who has something important to say.- 'Hilarious.' The Sun- 'A unique and brilliant comic voice.' Ross Noble

    But his legendary focus changes when a woman rescues a little boy while Jeff is lifeguarding.This most interesting, captivating, complex woman tempts him beyond belief. And she comes with two of the most adorable “strings” he’s ever met. When faced with that combo, he’s tempted to throw caution to the wind.Kiera Ashley, a former para-Olympian swimmer, turned social worker never expected to encounter the man of her dreams in the middle of a lake. Their first meeting was awkward. When they start dating, he claims it’s love at first sight. As much as Kiera would love to believe in fairytales, they just don’t happen to her.But meeting Jeff isn’t like diving into the deep. That she can handle. But when he struggles with the effects of his childhood trauma, she wades in. Can she overcome her own insecurities and commit to going all-in?When a crisis hits home, the two of them struggle to stand together until the stars fall from the sky. If you love fiery heroines and unlikely heroes, you’ll love Until the Stars Fall from the Sky. This clean and wholesome romance with a healthy dash of family will keep you on the edge of your seat. Until the Stars Fall from the Sky is the first novel in the Hidden Beauty Series. It can be read as a standalone.

    Nussbaum crafts a multifaceted portrait of a way of life hidden from most of us. In this isolated place on Chicago's South Side, friendships are forged, trust is built, and love affairs begin. It's in these alliances that the residents of this neglected community ultimately find the strength to bond together, resist their mistreatment, and finally fight back. And in the process, each is transformed.

    Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in one tumultuous moment. In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect.