Parenting a neurodivergent child in a world that loves compliance, neat boxes and “good behaviour” can feel like mission are you joking me. Especially if you’re neurodivergent yourself. Especially if school feels like a daily battle. Especially if your child’s magnificent, fiery, curious brain is constantly being misunderstood as “oppositional” or “difficult.”
I support parents who want to raise their children with connection, autonomy and deep respect, not control.
Parents who don’t want to replicate the patterns they grew up with.
Parents who know their child is struggling—with school, with sensory overwhelm, with emotions, with demands—but don’t want to shame or break their spirit to make life easier for adults.
This work matters because children aren’t possessions to manage.
They’re people. Complex, evolving, learning-in-real-time people.
My Approach to Parenting Support
Low-Demand, Connection-First Parenting
I help parents shift from constant battles over behaviour to understanding what’s underneath.
Low-demand isn’t permissive, it’s responsive. It’s about reducing unnecessary friction so your child’s nervous system can stabilise, learn, and reconnect with you.
Supporting Autonomy (At Every Age)
Younger kids need practical, hands-on support.
As they grow, what they need shifts into emotional scaffolding, which can be even more intense and mysterious.
I help parents recognise and encourage healthy independence without pushing their child into overwhelm.
Treating Children Like Whole Humans
When a child refuses to comply, we’re so quick to treat it as a problem to fix.
In reality, it’s often a sign of healthy self-trust, especially for neurodivergent kids trying to navigate a world that constantly tells them to fit into a mould.
My work helps parents see behaviour as communication, not defiance.
Understanding the Real World Pressures
Schools, social norms, extended family expectations — they all push hard for conformity.
I help parents balance what’s required “out there” with what’s needed “in here”: connection, safety, belonging, and room to grow into themselves.
Growing Up Neurodivergent is Hard
Many of us weren’t taught how to think, only what to think.
That mismatch creates friction early and often.
My goal is to help parents protect their child’s sense of self, rather than unintentionally squash it in the name of “making life easier.”
In addition, we know neurodivergent brains develop at a different pace, and children might show some very mature traits in some areas and not in others. Our brain reach ‘maturity’ closer to 31 than 25. This is not a doom story, this is a hopeful one. If we allow ourselves to understand our stages or growth, we can adapt expectations, pressures and goals to a kinder, more supportive and positive journey.
What Our Work Together Might Look Like
- understanding your child’s nervous system
- reducing family overwhelm and daily power struggles
- learning low-demand strategies that calm rather than escalate
- supporting school relationships (or navigating alternatives)
- helping your child build self-confidence without masking
- making space for autonomy, agency and self-advocacy
- exploring your own neurodivergent patterns and triggers
- reconnecting when everything feels fraught or frayed
- building a family life that actually works for your brains
This is gentle, shame-free, practical support, tailored to your child, your home, your history and your hopes.
Why This Work Matters to Me
Because I know how hard it is to parent neurodivergent children in a world that misunderstands them.
Because connection is the heart of everything.
Because watching a child reclaim their sense of self is one of the most beautiful things I get to witness.
And because parents deserve support too, not judgement, not pressure, not twelve conflicting online articles at 2am.
Parenting differently takes courage.
Supporting you through it is one of the most meaningful parts of my coaching.
Sam B, parent
“Katherine’s guidance has been invaluable for us in navigating the ups and downs of supporting a neurodivergent child. Her advice is clear, practical and non-judgemental — she really understands the daily challenges and offers realistic ways to make things work better for everyone in the family. We’ve felt more confident and better equipped since working with her.”
Katherine Mengardon 