Praise for the First Edition:'A warm feeling of positive reassurance and guidance runs throughout the book. [It] offers practical and emotional help, not only to a child's family, but equally to health and educational workers starting out within this field. This book should have a prominent place in every toy and leisure library as well as within childcare agencies.'- Play Matters'This very useful and readable book provides a wealth of resource ideas to support parents of young children with special needs.'- Downs Syndrome Association (UK)'This is a very practical book, full of common sense and simple ideas. Although intended for parents this book will also be an invaluable resource for anyone working with children with special needs.'- Let's PlayWhen young children are diagnosed with conditions such as Down Syndrome, autism or other forms of developmental delay, there is much that parents can do to help. This new edition of the award-winning Small Steps Forward includes up-to-date research and practice, providing parents and carers with the information they need and a host of ideas to encourage their child's development. The games and activities use toys and materials which most children will already have, and involve no special preparation. They are also fun to play.Sarah Newman divides skills into six areas - cognitive, linguistic, physical, sensory, social and emotional - for convenient reference. She deals with general issues, such as behaviour management, toilet-training and sleep management, which may be encountered by parents of children with any form of disability - physical, learning or sensory. She also provides an outline of child development so that parents can place their child's progress in context, and gives practical advice on coping with stress of having a child with special needs.This book is an essential guide for parents of young children with developmental disabilities and will also be invaluable to anyone who works with children with special needs.

Sarah Newman worked for ten years as an administrator in higher education after gaining a degree in history at Oxford. Her first child was diagnosed as developmentally delayed at the age of one and as autistic at three. She has two other children and lives in the New Forest. She has also chaired a local charity for families of children with special needs.

Acknowledgement. Preface. 1. How to Survive. 2. What Everyone Needs to Know. 3. Cognitive Development. 4. Language Development. 5. Physical Development. 6. Sensory Development. 7. Social development. 8. Emotional Development. 9. Everyday Living: Behaviour, Sleep and Toileting. 10. The Support Your Child Should Expect. 11. Resources. Index.