Parenting When You're Autistic - by Pooky Knightsmith (Paperback)

About the Book

This clear, supportive guide explores the joys and challenges of parenting as an autistic person. Clearly-structured sections including self care, special interests, meltdowns and shutdowns, building relationships, avoiding burnout and more help you to navigate the tough parts of raising children and enjoy the rewards.

Book Synopsis

Parenting is hard. It's one of those universal constants, like water being wet or grass being green. And being neurodivergent can add an extra layer of tricky to the whole thing. So what can you do?

Speaking from a wealth of experience as both a mental health expert and an autistic parent, Pooky Knightsmith guides you through the joys and challenges of raising children in a neurotypical world. From self-care and special interests to meltdowns and managing conflict, the tips and strategies in this book will help you to build a positive relationship with your child, whether they're neurotypical or neurodivergent, all while looking after your own mental health.

Always authentic, always practical, sometimes funny, and never judgemental, this book is an essential read for ADHD and neurodivergent parents (and future parents!) looking for advice from someone who's been there and made it work.

Review Quotes

Praise for Things I Got Wrong So You Don't Have To:

Such a valuable and practical guide to taking care of your most precious asset - your mental health. Filled with immediately relevant advice, based on a disarming and always honest reflection on life, this book will help huge numbers of people.

--Pete Wharmby, autistic author and advocate

This is a great book for any neurodivergent parent! Full of realistic ideas and self-reflection prompts in bitesize chunks so you can come back to it again and again.--Courtney Freedman-Thompson, AuDHD somatic coach, Chameleon Coaching

As an autistic parent myself I felt the double whammy of pressure when I had children. The pressure to fit in as a human being and then ticking the boxes of being a parent. In order to be accepted and deemed a good enough parent we and our children need to follow the textbook neurotypical expectations. What Dr Pooky has offered us here is an unapologetic, authentic, validating acceptance of ourselves. Recognising, normalising and supporting our needs without any judgement. This book offers safety to us parents who are made to feel bad and judged for having needs and doing things differently. It feels like a warm validating loving firm hug!--Jodie Clarke, autistic parent and autism specialist

The book every neurodivergent parent will wish they had discovered earlier - filled with neurodiversity-affirming, positive but also realistic advice on navigating parenthood, and topped off with the experiences of 100 other neurodivergent parents too so you KNOW it will be relatable.--Cathy Wassell, CEO of Autistic Girls Network and Author of Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person

Praise for Things I Got Wring So You Don't Have To:

This book is a gift for anybody struggling with their mental health or self-esteem. It's full of lessons in learning and growing, and most importantly in forgiving ourselves for living imperfect lives. Pooky shares so much wisdom, and the exercises at the end of each chapter help to personalise the learning we can take from Pooky's wealth of experience, both personal and professional. A truly wonderful resource for anyone hoping to overcome their imposter syndrome and be kinder to themselves.

--Cara Lisette, mental health campaigner and writer, registered mental health nurse and children cognitive behavioural therapist

About the Author

Pooky Knightsmith has a PhD in child mental health from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. She is the author of several books, and is a former chair of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition and a managing director at Creative Education. Pooky is autistic; a late diagnosis has helped her to thrive following many years of anorexia, depression and anxiety. She has a YouTube channel which is a source of Continuing Professional Development for many educators in the UK and beyond.