(2010) A Coordinated Effort for an ‘In-Sync Child’, by Mari-Jane Williams

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Published November 4, in The Washington Post

In a hurry-up world in which doing more and doing it faster is often the goal for children no matter how old they are, authors Carol Kranowitz and Joye Newman are spreading a different message: Slow down.

Give children time to explore, play, engage in lots of physical activity and do things for themselves, and they will get the basic skills they will need for reading and writing, the Bethesda authors say in their recently published book, Growing an In-Sync Child.

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(2016) “The Out-of-Sync Child,” “The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun,” and “The Goodenoughs Get In Sync,” by Terri Mauro

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Reviews of books about and for children with special needs, on www.verywell.com

The Out-of-Sync Child (reviewed January 16):

In a nutshell: The Out-of-Sync Child was published when “sensory integration” was first being whispered about in parent support groups as an explanation for a grab-bag of confusing behaviors. [SPD] is now much more accepted as a diagnosis than it was then, and this book is revered as an essential parent resource.

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun (July 4):

“What can we do at home?” OTs have been giving parents informal answers to that question for years, jotting down lists so that the benefits of SI therapy can continue all through the week. The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun functions as a scrapbook for all those ideas, from “finger paint with shaving cream” to “fill a box with rice.”

The Goodenoughs Get In Sync (reviewed June 30):

Filibuster’s a dog. Darwin’s a boy. And the Goodenoughs are a family with a spectrum of sensory problems that make them perfect for explaining sensory integration to children and helping them feel better about the way their own bodies work. Kranowitz wrote this book for children ages 8-12, and it breaks things down pretty nicely for their parents, too, with smaller-print sections that kids can skip.

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(2016) The Long-awaited Follow-up to the Million-copy Bestseller

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Published May 24, on www.goodreads.com

The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up will be the new bible for the vast audience of parents whose children, already diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, are entering the adolescent, tween, and teen years, as well as those who do not yet have a diagnosis and are struggling to meet the challenges of daily life. This book picks up where The Out-of-Sync Child left off, offering practical advice on living with SPD, covering everyday challenges as well as the social and emotional issues that many young people with SPD face.

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(2010) Being an Editor: A Feast for All Senses, by Marian Lizzi

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May 4, published in Perigee Bookmarks: Improving Your World One Book at a Time

In my (gulp) twenty years as an editor of nonfiction, I’ve learned countless things from the authors I’ve worked with. Thanks to these amazingly varied and knowledgeable writers, I can hold my own in cocktail-party conversations about the differences between cirrus and stratocumulus clouds, how to carve a pumpkin using a power saw, the history of the phone book, and how to pop a Champagne cork with a sword — among many other topics (I could go on, and I often do, especially after a whiskey smash or two).

But one of the most fascinating things I’ve learned comes from what also happens to be the first book I edited when I came to Penguin in the summer of 2004 — the revised edition of a special-needs bible called The Out-of-Sync Child, which has sold more than 750,000 copies to date.

Here’s what I learned: We have seven senses, not five.

Sure, we’ve got sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. But we also have a sense of what our body is doing, even when we can’t see it (the proprioceptive sense), and a sense of balance (the vestibular sense). When the brain isn’t processing sensory information efficiently, these two senses, along with the others, can be a bit “out-of-sync.”

Working with an author like Carol Kranowitz – whose book has been translated into a dozen languages and has touched countless special-needs parents, educators, therapists, and of course kids – is truly a privilege, and a learning experience.

Now, twelve years after The Out-of-Sync Child was first published, I have the added privilege of working with Carol and her talented new co-author, perceptual motor therapist Joye Newman, on book that, we all hope, will touch an even wider audience.

The Out-of-Sync Child takes the principles of the first book to a new level, because it turns out that ALL kids, not just those with special needs, need to run, jump, roll, skip, and balance on their tip-toes. Why? Because these movements help the brain develop as it’s supposed to.

So take your kids to the park. And let’s go out for a cocktail sometime (but only one, or else my seven senses will start to get a little foggy).