Today, I’ve invited Sara Hartley onto the podcast for a conversation about raising neurodivergent kids. I really appreciate the work Sara is putting out into the world, including her new book series called Purposefully Me that helps kids navigate big feelings, embrace their differences, build resilience, and discover their unique purpose through affirmations and storytelling.
You’ll Learn:
Sara and I are both moms of neurodivergent kids, so you’ll get lots of real life perspective and examples in this episode. We also talked about Sara’s ALIGN Parenting Method™, which helps you handle those challenging moments when your kid gets out of bounds and you need a reset. I know you’re going to love her!
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Sara Lewis Hartley is a mom of two neurodivergent boys, a healthcare executive, and a certified ADHD & neurodiversity coach. Passionate about assisting families to choose connection over perfection, she inspires parents to approach challenges with compassion, confidence, and a strong sense of purpose.
As two moms of neurodivergent kids who are passionate about connected parenting, Sara and I feel like we’re speaking the same language.
I have one son who is highly gifted with ADHD and another with pretty severe sensory processing and an eating disorder. So between the two, I was constantly trying to figure out strategies that would work.
Sara shared her story of noticing that, at a young age, her oldest son was surpassing every cognitive milestone, but struggling with social-emotional and behavioral issues. It also brought some unique parenting challenges. Sara says, “I took positive parenting courses. I did all of those things, but it still wasn't working. Because his intellect was so high, he was outsmarting every strategy that we tried.”
Fortunately for Sara, she had a good friend who worked with neurodivergent kids and put her on the right track to getting some more information and support. Through assessment, they were able to narrow down what was going on with her son and get him into OT and play therapy to help with sensory issues and emotional regulation.
I had a similar experience with my oldest son. He didn’t really fit into any of the stages I read about when he was a toddler. As an 18-month old he may have fit in with behaviors of a 9-month old but cognitive abilities of a 3-year-old. I didn’t know what to make of it, and it was really confusing.
When you’re parenting a neurodivergent kid, you’re likely experiencing different challenges than other moms you know. You’re trying all kinds of strategies, but they’re not really working for you. It’s easy to wonder if you’re doing something wrong or if something is wrong with your child. And this can bring up a lot of anxiety, guilt, and shame.
You might worry about:
Many of these same concerns can also arise with neurotypical kids who struggle with emotional regulation, trauma, medical conditions or other issues.
One way to embrace the experience is to connect with other moms of neurodivergent kids. Sara shared that when her son was young, they became good friends with another family whose son also had ADHD. While there...
