This is an indispensable handbook for parents of children who were born with the variations of sex development that typically lead to medical attention and/or medical intervention. It contains invaluable information about how to talk with children, family, teachers, and medical care providers, and how to manage the day-to-day challenges of parenting a child with a sex development anomaly. My favorite part are the humanizing pictures of what people with these variations actually look like. I’m really proud of this document, as are the other contributors. You can download and print it at no charge by going to www.dsdguidelines.org.

The original draft of this document was written several years ago by social workers Sallie Foley and Christine Feick. With funding from the California Endowment and the Arcus Foundation as provided to ISNA, I took that draft, reworked it, and sent it out for review to several dozen people, including mostly (1) adults born with the sex development variations discussed in the book; (2) parents of affected individuals; (3) clinicians who work with these patients and their families.

The contributors to this document did amazing work, including often providing me with their own stories and pictures to share with other families. My sincere thanks go out to all of the contributors who worked so hard to make this much-needed handbook a reality.

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Handbook for Parents of Children with Disorders of Sex Development