These five books are ones that I own or have owned. Listed in no particular order, they are the books I would recommend to start your home library for desk reference in the medical area.

I have utilized them all on a fairly regular basis, with bookmarks noting the pages I found relevant information.


1. The Merck Manual - this information is available free of charge online, but I prefer having the book to peruse at any time without having to print out pages. The Home Edition is a wonderful resource that I utilize on a daily basis. To search through The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy or The Merck Manual of Medical Information. This is the second edition, online version.

Just this morning I was reading through my Merck Manual under pneumonia, learning the different types to see if this might be something Matthew currently has. One of the symptoms listed was vomiting and muscle aches, so that rules it out at the moment.

A few months ago I learned my Father died and was able to learn about the plasma cell disorder that afflicted him. I have the pigment disorders section tagged and peruse it often since I have suffered most of my life with eczema and wanted to know more about Rosacea and how it differs.

Mental Health Disorders are covered, accidents, injuries and burns are listed, diagnostic procedures, charts for drug names and an extensive index to boot. Prior to getting a special eye test a year ago to determine if I had Glaucoma I consulted with The Merck Manual of Medical Information, Home Edition.





2. The Child with Special Needs by Stanley Greenspan. The book is comprised of three parts. Discovering unique strengths and developmental challenges, encouraging emotional and intellectual growth and family, therapy and school.

Chapters 8 through 12 covers the Floor-Time Approach, there is an appendix on food sensitivities and chemical exposures, a reference to floor time strategies plus an Index. You will learn about auditory and visual processing, obtain ideas for pretend play, encourage logical thinking, and a few short chapters that cover toilet training, eating and going to sleep issues.

This is also a book that can be read as issues arise instead of from cover to cover. It is a great reference book to utilize when you want to implement techniques or read through to help with communication skills, motor challenges and behavior issues.

The milestones section covers all six with charts to fill in the rating and age mastered. There are guidelines for parents with steps on discipline, counseling transitions, aides and ideas for parents to include their children in activities at school.



3. PDR - Physician's Desk Reference - Each year this gets updated and there are a few varieties. The one I have is the The PDR® Family Guide to Prescription Drugs This is a comprehensive guide for consumers. If you are considering medication for your child on the Autism Spectrum this is perfectly suited to learn what medications side effects are, which over the counter medicines cannot be utilized while on certain medications and the options for dosage. Since my son cannot swallow a pill this helps me see which medicines are available in liquid and capsule form.

At the back of the guide is Appendix A, safe medication use, with tips on talking with your doctor and pharmacist. Appendix B is a state listing of Poison Control Centers. The next index is for searching specific diseases and disorders. There will be a listing of which prescription drugs are used for this treatment and the page to read further.



4. DSM-IV - The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual, Desk Reference, Spiral Bound. Many children on the Autism Spectrum have more than one disorder. Some children later develop OCD, or may have Tourette Syndrome as well. There is also ADD, ADHD, PICA, Bipolar disorder and many other disorders that may show up later in life.

I had to sell my copy on ebay to make some cash, but did make copies of several pages to keep on hand. Last year when discussing various ailments with our Family Friends medical student volunteer I learned I was not the only one thinking I had disorders based on learning about them for my children. It seemed to be common for medical students when going over medical diagnoses. One year I thought I was developing Glaucoma based on what a nurse told me and then it seemed that I have Meneire's disease, and at one point due to my avoidance of driving freeways I even thought I had Agoraphobia.

It is good to have this manual to know the symptoms of disorders and make copies as needed to give to others to see if the signs are there in your child and just to have all the data in one place on what the disorder is. Usually you can find these books for sale on ebay from psychology majors that no longer need their books. Here is an online Listing of the codes for the DSM.




5. Is This Your Child by Doris Rapp. Actually any book by Doris Rapp is worth perusing. Dr. Rapp is an environmental medical specialist and pediatric allergist. This book covers chemical pollution, allergies, how to keep accurate records on eating and allergic reactions. There are charts on how to test for milk allergies, how to use a peak flow meter, allergy factors in the home or school. This also covers the symptoms of Tourette's Disorder, aggression in children that is due to allergies and discusses vitamins and food sources.

I have been reading through this lately to see if it is possible that either of my children will develop asthma since I have had it my whole life. Lately my face has become flushed and burning when I consume wine and alcohol. Is This Your Child delves into infant and toddler allergies before covering child allergies. This also mentions breast-fed inants with milk allergies and infants with severe eczema. I am a member of a few eczema list serves and many have parents of infant children that are suffering with eczema. This is a worthwhile book for any parent or about to be new parent - to read through the various sections to learn what might be troubling your baby or youngster.



The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies for Children

Educational Autism Tips for Families 71 page resourceful ebook for families entering the school system with a recent autism diagnosis. Find out what issues take place over the course of a school day and meet these challenges head on.