Compassionate guidance for parents of neurodivergent children and teens navigating autistic burnout
Beyond Authoritative Parenting: A More Human Way to Raise Neurodivergent Children Rehumanising Parenting is a response to a culture that has slowly reduced parenting to technique, compliance, and optimisation. It is a return to relationship, nervous system awareness, and shared humanity. To understand why this matters, we need to look at the models many of […] Read more…
Rewriting the Rules When Your Neurodivergent Child is Struggling When my children were little, I saw a Facebook meme that nearly broke me. It said: On the surface, it felt so positive. So aspirational.And to a mother who had already done significant healing from her own childhood, it felt like a dream come true. Without […] Read more…
Why Friendships Unravel When Your Neurodivergent Child is in Burnout I was recently reading a Substack post by The Autism Doctor about how many women are not diagnosed as autistic simply because they“have friends.” In the post, she explains that the outward presence of friendships does not necessarily mean those relationships foster genuine connection or […] Read more…
(And Why There Isn’t Anything Wrong With You) When my neurodivergent teen went into burnout, my world fell apart, and in its place, a smaller, more constricted reality emerged. It was like having a newborn in the family again, except this time, the stakes felt terrifyingly high. Her needs were loud, all-consuming, and urgent. I […] Read more…
What Nobody Tells You About Advocating for Your Neurodivergent Child During the Holidays There’s a reason saying “We won’t be coming to Christmas lunch this year” makes your entire body tense…Or why asking to leave early feels like you’ve done something wrong…Or why protecting your child’s capacity feels like you’re breaking a sacred family rule. […] Read more…
What the Pikler Approach Taught Me About Connection, Sovereignty, and Burnout Recovery I began my career serving families as a teacher more than 25 years ago.Like many teachers of that time, I was trained in the behaviourist approach, a model inspired more by dog training than by human development. As a young teacher in my […] Read more…
It’s been a bittersweet week for me. My daughter, the one who started our family’s burnout journey, just finished her first year of university. And you know what the very first thought was that crossed my mind?“I’d better not tell anyone… what if it all goes wrong?” Something tells me you might understand this if […] Read more…
For parents who don’t know where to begin You’re Exhausted, Unsure, and Wondering, “Why isn’t my child recovering from burnout? What am I missing?” If you’re here, you’ve probably already tried to lower demands, read the advice, maybe even fought your way through countless professional appointments—yet your child still seems stuck in burnout. And underneath […] Read more…
For parents overwhelmed by everyday meltdowns, shutdowns, and reactivity Does this sound like you? If this is your reality, you are not failing.You simply may not have the tools you need yet. Parent-to-Parent Reflection: “I used to feel so guilty every time my child melted down, like I was doing something wrong. Now I know […] Read more…
For parents processing loss, identity shifts, and deep emotions The Grief No One Talks About in Parenting When your child is in burnout, it’s not just their world that changes; it’s yours too. You may find yourself grieving the life you thought you’d have, the parenting journey you imagined, or even the child you hoped […] Read more…