Sarah Dean SPED 561 Book Review

1. Sarah DeanSPED 561Book Review Something’s not Right: One family's struggle with learning disabilitiesBy: Nancy Lelewer

2. Summary • Something’s not Right is a mother’s personal account of the challenges she and her family faced when dealing with learning disabilities. The story centers around the childhood of Brian, a young boy with behavioral and learning problems. Brian’s mother (the author), perseveres through extreme adversity to help him learn and live a healthy life.

3. Personal Reaction #1 • Sense of admiration for Nancy, the mother • This book demonstrates the amount of time, effort, and money that is required to make sure that a child with special needs is getting the proper services. • From the time of Brian’s birth, Nancy drew from all of her resources to help Brian’s struggles. • Even through the angry outbursts, damage to the house, and emotional turmoil that Brian caused, Nancy continued to have only feelings of unconditional love for Brian. Additionally, she always focused on his strengths, rather than his weaknesses.

4. Personal Reaction #2 • Recognition of historical context of when this book was written • Brian was born in Boston in 1962, where psychoanalysis was still a dominant force in psychology. The doctors at the Wilder Center, where Brian was diagnosed as severely emotionally disturbed, explained that Brian and his mom would have to undergo therapy (Lelewer, 1994, pp. 58). This was due to the thought that family dynamics had caused Brian’s problems. • Due to the lack of knowledge of learning disabilities at the time, many doctors assessing Brian could not find a specific problem. • Since Brian’s schooling took place before PL-94-142, PL-99-457, and IDEA, he was not guaranteed an education, nor did his family receive any funds or at-home services to help them cope with his disabilities. Brian might not have received a quality education focusing on his individual needs if his family did not have the numerous resources to help him.

5. Personal Reaction #3 • This book illustrates the role of genetics in learning disabilities • Nancy introduces this book by telling the reader about her first reading test in school. A dyslexic herself, Nancy describes her feelings of “total panic” when she received the test (Lelewer, 1994, pp 16). • Throughout the book Nancy shares that three of her four children all have learning disabilities. • Nancy says that she is “keeping a close watch” on her five granddaughters to determine if any of them have learning disabilities (Lelewer, 1994, pp. 154).

6. Connection to Education • Something’s not Right is a useful tool for educators to get a firsthand perspective of the challenges that parents and families face when they have an exceptional child. • This book can help educators understand the stages of acceptance that parents go through when first told that their child has a learning disability. These stages include: shock, disbelief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance (Lerner, 2006, pp. 155). • The experiences of Nancy and her family highlight the importance of school psychologists being sensitive to families when diagnosing a child and being aware of their specific needs. • Since the 1960’s, there have been huge strides in special education. The current outlook for students with a learning disability is much more hopeful than it has been in the past. The passing of No Child Left Behind calls for Adequate Yearly Progress for all subgroups of children (Heath, 2003, pp. 2), including those being served in special education.

7. Parental Application • Reading Something’s not Right will help parents in their quest to find others who can relate to what they are going through. • Nancy provides a list of resources for parents to use in helping their child with a learning disability. While this list is a little out-dated (no internet sites), it is still a great starting point for parents wishing to conduct research on their child’s disability. • This book demonstrates the importance of family members supporting one another through these struggles. • Nancy and her husband Jay eventually divorce. The stress of Brian’s disability added to their marital discord. In many parts of the book, Nancy comments on his lack of support of her efforts.

8. References • Heath, S. (2002). A parent’s guide to the No Child Left Behind Act. Available from Wrightslaw web site, www.wrightslaw.com • Lelewer, N. (1994). Something’s not right: one families struggle with learning disabilities. Acton, MA: Vanderwyk & Burnham. • Lerner, J. (with Kline, F.). Learning disabilities and related disorders: characteristics and teaching strategies (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.