Parenting a High-Functioning Autistic School-Age Child. Neurodivergence Series, #2

Your child started school. And something shifted. The child who managed beautifully at home is falling apart after school. The mornings have become battles. The teacher keeps telling you they're doing fine - and you know that's not the whole story. The IEP meetings leave you feeling outnumbered and under-prepared. The friendships your child wants so desperately aren't forming the way you hoped. Nobody told you the school years would be this hard.
Parenting a High-Functioning Autistic School-Age Child is the practical, honest guide for parents navigating the years between five and twelve - the stage where the challenges become invisible, the stakes get higher, and the system was never designed for your child. Written in the same warm, non-clinical voice as the bestselling Parenting a High-Functioning Autistic Toddler (4.7-star, thousands of parents), this book gives you: A clear picture of what school is actually costing your child - the sensory load, the masking, the after-school collapse - and why the teacher saying "they seem fine" is not the end of the story A complete guide to the IEP and EHCP process: how to read one, how to fight for one, how to make the school actually follow it Scripts and language that work - real words for the teacher conversations, the IEP meetings, and the moments when you've been dismissed Practical strategies for the daily battlegrounds: mornings, homework, transitions, meltdowns, and shutdowns Sensory tools for the classroom - what to request, what to pack, and what to teach your child Honest guidance on friendships, social scripts, online connection, and what to do when your child is being excluded or targeted A framework for helping your child understand their autism - age-appropriate disclosure scripts for ages five through twelve What to do when the school gets it wrong: escalation pathways, mediation, exclusion rights, and when to consider moving schools A chapter on your own mental load - the burnout, the guilt, the grief - because you matter in this equation too This book covers both the UK (EHCP, SENCO, local authority) and US (IEP, Special Education, school district) frameworks, so wherever you are, the guidance applies.
You are not imagining the struggle. It is real. And this book will help you navigate it. Whether your child has just started school or you are several years in and looking for the language and strategies you've been missing - everything you need is here. Book 2 in the Neurodivergence Series. Also available: Parenting a High-Functioning Autistic Toddler.