For parents raising neurodivergent children through diagnosis, school refusal and SEND battles, Dr Rosie brings compassion, practical tools and permission to stop blaming yourself.
When your child cannot get through the school gate, a professional lists the 'shoulds' of parenting, or another form asks you to list everything your child cannot do, it is easy to conclude that you are failing. You are not. You are parenting in systems that routinely mistake distress for defiance and need for inconvenience.
Clinical psychologist and mother of three neurodivergent children Dr Rosie Gilderthorp writes with candour, warmth and hard-won humour about autism, ADHD, diagnostic assessment, school avoidance and the exhausting work of securing support. From barricaded bedrooms and broken bedtime routines to education plans and the fierce relief of being understood, she names what SEND parenting can feel like behind closed doors.
Each chapter moves from lived experience to practical support: learning to understand labels without being limited by them; spotting gaslighting; responding to the inner critic; making space for grief; reducing demands; re-wiring your compass; and finding moments of rest when life feels impossible.

This is a clear-eyed companion for families building a life that fits their actual children - not the children the system expects.