David R. Cross

This book was written for parents of children from other countries, from troubled backgrounds and with special behavioral or emotional needs. It teaches you ways to deal with/handle situations with these children -- such as redirection, building trust, and disarming fear responses. We have a very very fearful child and I found value in their suggestions. It is written in a easy-to-read manner and doesn't take long to finish. Not sure that I would suggest buying it...but a great library find show more for those looking for a little extra information on extreme behaviors. show less

I thought this book had some great information in it. I think many of the tips and approaches would work for any family whether their children are adopted or not or whether they have special behavioral needs or not. There are chapters on disarming fear, dealing with defiance, teaching life values, how to nurture at every opportunity, and, my favorite chapter, proactive strategies to make life easier. At the end of this one, the authors include a daily Skills Practice Checklist, that includes show more the life values. I would recommend this book for any adoptive families. show less

"The Connected Child" by Karyn Purvis, David Cross and Wendy Sunshine" is filled with tips for those who adopt children who have special behavioral and emotional needs. They explain that more traditional responses such as isolating time outs, only serve to further isolate a child who already has trust and loss issues.

This excellent book is easy to read and lays out its suggestions in a really informative way. I definitely plan to incorporate some of its techniques into our home.

Great book! This is a must-read for adoptive and foster families of older children. Purvis includes lots of concrete tips and advice for helping your child cope with the emotional journey to a new family. Keep it on your bookshelf and refer to it often!