Parenting Different - by Sarah Hayden (Paperback)

About the Book

Parenting can be hard. Parenting a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical world can be even harder. But know you are not alone - all the reassurance, guidance and support you need is right here. Sarah Hayden, social worker, mother and neurodivergent human herself, helps you unlearn everything you thought you needed to know about parenting neurodivergent kids. Covering diagnosis, family life, siblings, schooling, puberty, therapy, food, peer relationships and so much more, Sarah provides new ideas and practical tools on how to support your child to be their best and most authentic self. Equipped with both professional expertise and hard-earned learnings from her own parenting journey, she also shares the story of her daughter Chloe Hayden's autism and ADHD diagnoses and how that transformed her expectations and parenting. There are insights from Chloe herself, Q&As addressing the questions Sarah is most commonly asked by parents and Sarah's own story of adult diagnosis. With warmth, humour and just a little bit of sparkle, Parenting Different shows you how to help your neurodivergent child not just survive but thrive in a neurotypical world.

Book Synopsis

"This is the book l wish l'd had when my daughter was diagnosed autistic. The book l wish l'd had when l was parenting any of my children as they faced challenges or didn't fit the 'norm.' I've written it for every parent who wants to encourage and affirm their children for who they are, not who they're meant to be."

Parenting can be hard. Parenting a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical world can be even harder. But know you are not alone - all the reassurance, guidance and support you need is right here.

Sarah Hayden, social worker, mother and neurodivergent human herself, helps you unlearn everything you thought you needed to know about parenting neurodivergent kids. Covering everything from autism presentation, diagnosis, family life, siblings, schooling and puberty to therapy, food and everything in between, Sarah provides new ideas and practical tools on how to support your child to be their best and authentic self. She also shares the story of her daughter Chloé Hayden's journey to receiving an autism diagnosis, how that transformed her own expectations and parenting, and how a family's love ensured their child had a place in the world where the spotlight was on their strengths rather than their perceived "deficits."

With warmth, humor and just a little bit of sparkle, Parenting Different shows you how to help your neurodivergent child not just survive but thrive in a neurotypical world."

About the Author

Sarah Hayden is a qualified social worker and equine-assisted psychotherapist. Sarah's professional expertise focuses on autism, neurodivergence, adoption, fostering, and complex family dynamics. She is also mom to five amazing kids, including world-renowned actor, author and autism advocate Chloé Hayden, and her youngest two were adopted through intercountry adoption from Taiwan. Sarah and her husband have fostered 55 children over a period of five years and, as a dedicated volunteer, Sarah has counselled refugees and asylum seekers. She also provides emotional support and psychological first aid to disaster-affected people particularly during bushfire seasons. Sarah is neurodivergent herself, having finally (and not surprisingly) been diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 48.