Bringing up a Challenging Child at Home: When Love is Not Enough

27 years ago today my first baby was born. I was 23. My rapture at having such a beautiful 'perfect' baby soon turned to a gradual chilling realisation that something was wrong. Initially, health professionals refused to take my concerns seriously & treated me like a neurotic first-time mum. As I searched for answers and struggled to cope with my daughter's violent cyclic outbursts, epilepsy, general sickliness & bizarre behaviour I felt very alone. Not knowing what is wrong with your child is like being lost in the wilderness without a map. In 1999 I decided to write a book about my experiences with Chrissy called 'Bringing up a Challenging Child at Home: When Love is Not Enough,' published by Jessica Kingsley, London. My book aims to offer practical advice for other parents and to give a unique insight into what it is like to bring up a very complex & unique child, who we now know to have severe autism & an extremely rare chromosome disorder.