TarcherPerigee; 2006

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My husband and I met our two-year-old daughter, Natalie, in the playroom of an orphanage halfway around the world. We instantly knew she was ours, but we were stunned by her developmental delays. She could barely walk. She couldn’t speak a word. She rubbed the photo album we brought her against her face, not knowing she was meant to look at the pictures inside.

What would life be like for her? How would our lives change after Natalie joined our family? I recently discovered a new resource to help answer those ongoing questions: A Parent’s Guide to Developmental Delays. Laurie LeComer, M. Ed., offers clear descriptions of cognitive, speech and language, social and emotional, motor, and sensory integration disorders. Her easy-to-read book provides checklists of red flags, summarizes treatment options and educational support, and advises parents about how to interact with doctors and other professionals. I found her Test of Three method for determining when to seek professional help particularly useful: Write down three specific concerns you have about your child (i.e., He can’t remember how to dress himself), decide how you’ll address each one (i.e., I will make him a picture chart to show step-by-step how I would like him to dress himself), and use your interventions daily for three weeks. If you see no improvement, you may want to consider professional intervention.

And what is Natalie’s life like? Our daughter, who could barely walk at age two, now loves gymnastics and swims like a fish. With the help of caring teachers, therapists, doctors—and now, LeComer’s book—we’re getting a clearer picture of our daughter’s challenges and of her numerous strengths.

Reviewed by Kay Marner, a mother by birth and adoption. She lives with her family and works at the public library in Ames, Iowa.