Books about Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and Related Topics

Books and other materials specifically about Prader-Willi Snydrome

• Management of Prader-Willi Syndrome - The primary medical text on PWS and the only one of the books in this section that I have read. I have very mixed feelings about it. Some sections are good but its total dismissal of the very real possibility of a significant but at least partially treatable impairment of cellular energy metabolism in PWS is infuriating and reflects the fact that its compilation was funded by Pfizer (the manufacturer of Genotropin).
• Prader-Willi Syndrome (Resource Materials for Teachers Series), by Jackie Waters
• Prader-Willi Syndrome: Development and Manifestations, by Joyce Whittington, Tony Holland
• Prader-willi Syndrome: Coping With the Disease - Living With Those Involved, by Urs Eiholzer
• Prader-Willi Syndrome: Effects of Human Growth Hormone Treatment (Endocrine Development, Vol. 3), by Urs Eiholzer
• Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, And Annotated Research Guide To Internet References, by Icon Health Publications
• 21st Century Complete Medical Guide to Prader-Willi Syndrome, Authoritative Government Documents, Clinical References, and Practical Information for Patients and Physicians (CD-ROM), by PM Medical Health News
• My rag doll: A mothers journal of raising and loving a child with Prader-Willi syndrome, by Cheryl Couch (not available at Amazon.com as of 08/31/06, but you might be able to find it elsewhere)

Early stimulation

• Pediatric Massage Revised for the Child with Special Needs, by Kathy Fleming Drehobl.
• Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents, by Vimala Schneider Mcclure.
• Baby Massage: Soothing Strokes for Healthy Growth, by Suzanne P. Reese.
• The New Book of Baby and Child Massage, by Robert Toporek.
• Baby Massage: A Practical Guide to Massage and Movement for Babies and Infants, by Peter Walker.
• Baby Massage: The Calming Power of Touch, by Alan Heath.
• Loving Hands: The Traditional Art of Baby Massage, by Frederick Leboyer.
• Baby Massage Therapy: Newborns, Infants & Toddlers DVD
• Yoga for the Special Child: A Therapeutic Approach for Infants and Children With Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Learning Disabilities, by Sonia Sumar
• Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better, and Grow Stronger, by Helen Garabedian
• Yogababy : Exercises to Help You Bond With Your Baby Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually, by DeAnsin Goodson Parker Ph.D., DeAnsin Goodson Parker, Karen W. Bressler

Language and communication

• Baby Talk: A Guide to Using Basic Sign Language to Communicate with Your Baby, by Monica Beyer.
• Teach Your Baby to Sign: An Illustrated Guide to Simple Sign Language for Babies, by Monica Beyer.
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Baby Sign Language, by Diane Ryan.
• Baby Sign Language Basics, by Monta Briant.
• Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, by Linda Acredolo.
• Baby Signing: How to Talk with Your Baby in American Sign Language, by Andrea Fixell.
• Note that there are a number of web sites about baby sign language - click here to search for them at Google.

Learning disorders

• Bridging the Gap: Raising a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder, by Rondalyn Varney Whitney - wonderfully compassionate and useful book written by a pediatric occupational therapist with a son with NLD, a learning syndrome that has many commonalities with the cognitive, emotional and behavioral features of PWS.

Diet and hunger management

• Neanderthin: Eat Like a Caveman to Achieve a Lean, Strong, Healthy Body, by Ray Audette, Troy Gilchrist, Raymond V. Audette, Michael R. Eades - Excellent, quick-reading introduction to the diet that millions of years of evolution have designed humans to eat.
• The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat, by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.
• Metabolic Man: Ten Thousand Years from Eden (The Long Search for a Personal Nutrition From our Forest Origins to the Supermarkets of Today), by Charles Heizer Wharton
• Life Without Bread, by Christian Allan, Ph.D., and Wolfgang Lutz, M.D.

Traditional Chinese pediatrics

As a former Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner and mother, I know from my own experience that TCM and in particular Chinese pediatric massage (tui na, tuina) can be exceptionally effective for children. I have read all of the books listed below and can recommend each one.

• Chinese Massage For Infants And Children: Traditional Techniques for Alleviating Colic, Colds, Earaches, and Other Common Childhood Conditions, by Kyle Cline.
• Chinese Pediatric Massage Therapy: A Parent's and Practitioner's Guide to the Treatment and Prevention of Childhood Disease, by Fan Ya-Li.
• Infantile Tuina Therapy: Traditional Chinese Therapeutic Exercises and Techniques, by Luan Changye.
• Chinese Pediatric Massage: A Practitioner's Guide, by Kyle Cline.
• A Handbook of TCM Pediatrics: A Practitioner's Guide to the Care & Treatment of Common Childhood Diseases, by Bob Flaws. I don't particularly agree with some of Bob's dietary advice (particularly regarding the use of cereals as first foods for infants), but aside from that this is a solid introduction to TCM pediatrics.
• Essentials of Traditional Chinese Pediatrics, by Cao Jimin.
• Pediatrics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, by Zuo Yanfu.

Mindfulness meditation

• Each Breath a Smile - secular and suitable for preschoolers.
• Peaceful Piggy Meditation - secular and suitable for preschoolers.
• Baby Buddhas: A Guide for Teaching Meditation to Children - Buddhist.
• Dharma Family Treasures: Sharing Mindfulness With Children - Buddhist.

Miscellaneous

• Natural Hormonal Enhancement, by Rob Faigin - haven't read this yet but it looks interesting; not sure how it would fit in with an evolutionary diet.