It's Good to Be Different Time to Thrive is a workbook for parents and caregivers of autistic children...especially those recently diagnosed. The purpose of the book is to help reflect and explore. The approach is one of curiosity, openness, and a willingness to fully acknowledge and accept our children, and maybe ourselves, too! Coming from a place of curiosity, openness and acceptance, you'll find out how to best support your children. The goal of Time to Thrive is not to change your child. It's to help you and your child learn to recognize their joys, strengths, and challenges. Each chapter offers information, as well as reflective exercises to apply to your specific situation. It is a counter-narrative to the typical pessimism offered to families of newly diagnosed children. They are not broken or deficient. They are fascinating and different. We cannot change the way our neurodivergent children's brains experience the world. Nor would we want to! What we can do is create the most supportive environment possible, teach our children to recognize and advocate for their needs, and help them learn to thrive.
Holly Ketchum lives in the Ozarks region of the United States, where she works as a Parent Educator. She has a degree in Child and Family Education and has been in roles as teacher, home visitor, or parent educator for many families, including many families with autistic children, since 2010. Her professional background is practical, based on years of experience directly working with families to support environmental and relational change. Prior to her professional work in the fields of early childhood education and family education, Holly was a stay-at-home parent and home-educated her child. She has also been a foster parent, a short-term volunteer in an orphanage in Guatemala, and a peacebuilder in Cambodia where she was part of the program development for a family violence reduction program. She enjoys the outdoors, reading, cuddling her cats, and spending time with her spouse and now-adult child. Holly has also written three children's books.
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Play and Connection with Your Autistic Child Chapter 2: Recognizing and Supporting Sensory Needs Chapter 3: Closing Communication Gaps Chapter 4: Dealing with Feelings Chapter 5: Thinking Throughout the Day: Supporting Executive Function Through the Use of Routines Chapter 6: From Strength to Strength: Recognizing, Celebrating, and Building on Strengths in Yourself, Your Child, and Your Family Chapter 7: Advocacy for Child, Self, and Family Chapter 8: Caring for the Caregiver Conclusion Appendices Sample Visual Schedule, Sample Visual Routine, Sample Choice Board/Cards, IEP Meeting Preparation Checklist, A Cycle of Needs, Glossary Bibliography
