Description

Embracing Hope: Innovative Strategies to Empower Parents Raising Neurodiverse Teens
This comprehensive guide by Carl Young & Joel Sheagren addresses parents raising neurodiverse teens with ASD, ADHD, FASD, and trauma-related challenges. The authors, both fathers with lived experience, bridge the gap between neuroscience and practical parenting strategies.

Revolutionary Approach
The book breaks new ground by:

First to explicitly include FASD in neurodiversity discussions alongside ASD, ADHD, and trauma
Dual-father perspective combining personal experience with evidence-based research
Integrated framework treating these four profiles as interconnected rather than separate conditions
Core Philosophy
The authors emphasize that neurodiversity isn’t about “fixing” children but understanding their unique brain wiring. They translate complex neuroscience into “kitchen table wisdom” – practical strategies tested in real homes and validated by research.

Key Framework: Brain Domains
Using the Canadian 10-domain model, the book explains how different brain functions impact daily life:

Executive Function (planning, organizing)
Attention (focus and filtering)
Affect Regulation (emotional management)
Memory, Language, Motor Skills, and others
Core Conversations (Chapters 5-19)
Each chapter addresses critical challenges through:

Real-world scenarios with fictional characters (Zak, Q, Shay, Kennedy)
Scientific explanations in accessible language
Practical home-based interventions
Brain-based insights for professional advocacy
Sample Topics:
Intelligence vs. Adaptive Skills: Understanding the gap between what children can do versus what gets done daily
Self-Esteem: Building confidence through celebrating small wins and strength-based approaches
Dysmaturity: Recognizing developmental versus chronological age differences
Social Cues: Teaching the “hidden language” of human interaction
Transitions: Supporting children through changes and reducing anxiety
Practical Tools
The book provides 72+ intervention strategies, including:

BUILD Method: Base on strengths, Understand goals, Implement gradually, Leverage interests, Document progress
Visual tools like mind maps and emotion charts
Social stories starring the child as hero
Breathing techniques and redirection strategies
Understanding vs. Judgment
A central theme is reframing “behaviors” as symptoms of underlying neurological differences.