In My Sister is Special, My Sister Has Down Syndrome, Olivia prepares for the birth of her sister. She practices caring for a baby using her special doll. Her parents have prepared her for her role as a big sister, yet when her sister is born, all is not as Olivia presumed it would be. She is not allowed to help care for her sister. There are no celebrations of her sister's birth. Her family is sad. Her mother cries a lot. Each time that Olivia asks questions she is only told to go to play with her doll. As the story concludes Olivia reminds us all of what we should already know, a child is more than a diagnosis. My Sister is Special, My Sister Has Down Syndrome showcases the resiliency of children who can come to a place of acceptance so much sooner than adults. When a child is born with a disability, parents mourn what could have been. They may be in shock and grieving, needing time to adjust. When there are other children in the family, parents may be too involved in their own grief to understand the impact that this unexpected occurrence is having on the other children. Children see the adults grieving and stressed and may not understand what is happening. They too may have been preparing for the birth of their sibling and what may be taking place is not what they expected either. It is important for adults to remember that children need reassurance, an explanation and to know that they are loved and included. This book is written by a Child Development Specialist to assist families in similar situations.

Rachel describes both the love and the frustration she feels in dealing with her sister, Alicia May, who has Down syndrome.

Even the closest brothers and sisters don't always get along or understand each other. Add a disability like Down syndrome to the mix, and that sibling relationship gets even more complicated, especially for teenagers. Fasten Your Seatbelt is the first book written exclusively for teens with a brother or sister with Down syndrome. In an easy-to-read, question & answer format, it tackles a broad range of their most common issues and concerns. Nearly 100 questions--all posed by teen siblings--are grouped into the following categories: Facts and stats about Down syndrome How people with Down syndrome learn Handling parent and family conflicts Dealing with your sibling's frustrating behaviors Managing uncomfortable situations Sorting out your feelings Becoming an advocate What the future holds for you and your sibling Finding local and national resources Thoughtful, knowledgeable answers are provided by Brian Skotko, the brother of a young woman with Down syndrome, and Sue Levine, a social worker focused on sibling issues for the past 30 years. Fasten Your Seatbelt gives teens the green light to explore their own feelings and questions about their sibling with Down syndrome and how their relationship may change in the future. Wondering whats on their minds? Here are a few sample questions from the book: Why does my brother always have temper tantrums? How can one extra chromosome make someone so different? Can my sister with Down syndrome marry someday? Will my brother be able to live on his own as an adult?

A little boy learns compassion and patience as he cares for his "special" little sister, who has Down's Syndrome.

A young boy explains how his sister is different and special because she has Down syndrome. Includes Information to help parents discuss this topic from a Christian perspective.

Australian Women’s Weekly Great Read Shortlisted Indie Book Awards for Debut Fiction Woman & Home Books of the Year Shortlisted MUD Literary Prize​ Shortlisted ABIA Award for General Fiction Shortlisted ABIA Matt Richell Award New Writer of the Year ‘Hannah Bent’s outstanding debut is a wise, wondrous celebration of life.’ – The Australian ‘Hannah Bent has created a literary heroine of such pure beauty she takes your breath away.’ – Australian Women’s Weekly ‘Read it if you like: Your sister, anything by Trent Dalton, having a good cry, and My Sister’s Keeper.’ – Mamamia Marlowe and Harper share a bond deeper than most sisters, shaped by the loss of their mother in childhood. For Harper, living with what she calls the Up syndrome and gifted with an endless capacity for wonder, Marlowe and she are connected by an invisible thread, like the hum that connects all things. For Marlowe, they are bound by her fierce determination to keep Harper, born with a congenital heart disorder, alive. Now twenty-five, Marlowe is living abroad when she receives the devastating call that Harper’s heart is failing and she is being denied a transplant by the medical establishment. Marlowe rushes to her childhood home in Hong Kong to be by Harper’s side and soon has to answer the question – what lengths would you go to save your sister? When Things are Alive They Hum poses profound questions about the nature of love and existence, the ways grief changes us, and how we confront the hand fate has dealt us. Intensely moving, exquisitely written and literally humming with wonder, it is a novel that celebrates life in all its guises, and what comes after. PRAISE FOR WHEN THINGS ARE ALIVE THEY HUM ‘When literature is alive it hums, and rattles and warms and hurts and heals. Hannah Bent and her wondrous Harper and Marlowe have changed the way I’ve been going about my days. What a gift.’ – Trent Dalton, author of Boy Swallows Universe and All Our Shimmering Skies ‘A simply beautiful novel.’ – Good Reading ‘...what stayed with me was the achingly beautiful portrayal of the love between the two sisters. If I had a sister, that is how I would like to feel.’ – Nicole Abadee, Sydney Morning Herald ‘heartbreakingly beautiful’ – Family Circle

This is our family story of having a child with down syndrome in our lives. It covers what we went through prenatally all the way up to today. Our daughter Isabelle was born in November 2015. Every day she smashes our expectations of what we think a person with down syndrome should be able to do. She has made our lives infinitely better by being them. Come here her story and that includes early intervention, buddy walks, friendships and being on billboards. We hope you will find her story inspiring and that it will give you hope for your loved one.