Review Of Wonder By R. J. Palacio

Wonder Essay: Care of Children with Special Needs A child with special needs has no ordinary life and may experience more challenges throughout his or her daily life. These needs do not only affect the child, but the family system as a whole. McKinney, James, Murray, Nelson, and Ashwill (2013) state that families have to be resilient “through normalization, making necessary changes in their lives and adjusting to the presence of chronic illness” (p. 895). The parents a child with special needs give a vast amount of time and support to their child, while the siblings must adjust and cope with the sibling’s special needs and the extra attention the child receives by their parents or other family members.

Literature Review In Wonder by R. J. Palacio (2001), Auggie, a ten-year-old with facial deformity, narrates his life as he starts attending school for the first time. He narrates the difficulties of being different from other students and the struggle to fit in to be seen as ordinary. Other perspectives are also narrated by the kids who know Auggie. The novel does an amazing job at showing how his parents and his sister, Via, cope with

Both knowledge (from the textbook) and empathy (from the novel) are needed in the field of nursing. This story influences my future nursing practice because I can compare it to other children with chronic illnesses. Children with Type One Diabetes also need to cope with the differences in their lives. A mother states, “maybe they could talk about what it was like to be the only one in their family to have to check blood sugars…and understand what it’s like to feel different” (The Beginning, 2015). This novel helps me empathize and care for families and patients with special needs; it also lets me know that resources for support are very important for all members of the