Different Minds author comes to Looe Festival of Words

“A teacher tells you ‘no’ and suddenly you’re ten years old again.”

That’s how author Pete Wharmby described going in to school to advocate for his autistic child, when NeuroHappiness went to hear him at this year's Looe Festival of Words.

Schools can assume you’re asking them to redesign the entire system, and that there’s nothing they can do. It’s a familiar story, but nothing is further from the truth. They can adapt, and there’s plenty within their gift to change.

In his new book, Different Minds: How we can help our autistic school children thrive, Pete gives parents the information to help teachers understand their child’s autistic experience — and the confidence to go into those meetings and ask for what their child needs.

As well as being father to an autistic child and being diagnosed himself AuDHD later in life, Pete is a former teacher turned campaigner, speaker, and author. His work now focuses on making the world a better place for the neurodivergent community.

Different Minds is packed with information on what it's really like to be autistic in school today and why so many children are misunderstood.

It’s not a silver bullet, but if you’re a parent trying to find a way forward with school, get this book. Then, when you’re done with it, pass it on to your child’s teachers. Grassroots. That’s where change starts.

All of the work we do at NeuroHappiness is grounded in the real experiences of neurodivergent people like Pete and his neuro affirmative approach.

As you can see, our copy has already been well read and well thumbed! Plenty in here we'll be sharing in our parenting programmes.

If you are parenting an autistic child and are looking for support, we currently have free places available on our six week live, online, coaching programme, which starts the first week of November. You can reserve you place here.

Different Minds: How we can help our autistic school children thrive is NeuroHappiness recommended 10/10.