Cocoa's Collar

There is a wealth of information written for children regarding death but very little information for a large number of children who have special needs. Even very young children experience grief. Understanding death at any age is difficult. Explaining death to a child with very little functional language is even more of a challenge. This book is designed to help parents and early childhood specialists give a child with limited language skills the information and support to deal with the death of a loved one. The goal of the book is to combine simple speech strategies with grief coping methods to assist a child who is functioning at or below the developmental age of three years. Using this information parents can create a social story regarding the circumstances facing their child.Garyanna Stalick is a retired early childhood specialist with an undergraduate degree in psychology and a masters in special education. She has worked with children who have special needs and their families for many years. She is currently the vice chair of the Linn County Commission on Children and Families in Oregon. Read more