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Caregiver Burnout in Sensitive & Neurodivergent Parents
Caring for a neurodivergent child takes a lot, and sensitive and neurodivergent parents often feel it sooner and more intensely. Here's why burnout might hit differently for you, and what helps you refill and potentially prevent burnout from happening again.
Helping or Enabling? Accommodating Neurodivergent Kids
Let’s say you’re asking your kid to brush their teeth and it's an immediate meltdown. You hold the line and insist...and 25 minutes later you’re exhausted and so is your kid...but you know they know how to brush. When our kids are attempting to navigate our expectations or are struggling with a task or demand, we as parents are faced with a tough judgement call: would helping or removing the demand support them, or would it interfere with their ability to develop independence? How do we tell?
This month I spoke with Real Work Therapist Janelle Stuvland, LPC, who works primarily with neurodivergent kids and parents here, to help unpack this dilemma and to learn what helps parents navigate this.
Back-to-School Mixed Feelings: The Brain Science.
Excited and nervous. Ready and not ready. Back to school brings mixed feelings for kids and parents alike. Here's what's happening in the brain when two feelings show up at once, and how to make room for both.
What to Say When Your Child Asks "Am I Fat?"
When a child asks, "Am I fat?", they're often asking a much deeper question about belonging, safety, and self-worth. In this research-informed guide, therapist Mick James explores how parents can respond in ways that foster a healthy body image, reduce weight stigma, and strengthen connection. Learn practical, developmentally appropriate strategies for talking with children about body size, health, and self-esteem without shame while helping them build a lifelong relationship of trust with both their bodies and the adults who care for them.
Helping Boys With Anger: A Neurodiversity-Affirming Guide
Boys often learn early that anger is the one feeling they're allowed to show. Therapist Collin Alteneder, LMFT, explains how to help boys understand their brains and emotions from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective.
What Emotional Regulation Really Means for Kids
Regulation doesn't mean your child is calm and quiet. It means their nervous system can move through big feelings and come back. Here's what regulation looks like in real life, and how co-regulation with a safe adult helps kids get there.
Slowing Down as a Parent: Acceptance and Regulation
When we override our internal signals, we disconnect from ourselves. Slowing down and accepting those signals helps us respond more intentionally.
What Advice Would You Give Parents About Slowing Down and Acceptance?
Kimia reflects:
“The more we try and reject who we are and our needs, they find a way to get louder and harder to ignore. I would advise parents to see a child’s behavior as their way of trying to get a need met. If their body is knocking into you, are they trying to find a way to physically connect to you? And is there a way to accept and offer a way that works for both of you?”