Differently Wired: A Parent’s Guide to Raising an Atypical Child with Confidence and Hope Paperback – January 21, 2020

Reading this book and leaning into the community Debbie Reber has inspired with her honesty, integrity and wisdom has helped me more than anything else I have done in the past three years of struggling with the positive and negative intensity/challenging behaviors of my now 13 year old child. Her website and resources have become a daily practice for me. Her focused questions and reframing, and lens shifting, along with very practical advice for navigating through this overwhelming space continue to give me the hope and confidence I have been seeking to parent a child wired so differently from my other more neurotypical child. I am so grateful to her for writing the book and for all the energy, commitment, structure and support she provides with her ongoing podcasts, deep dives into specifics, book reading and parent support groups and advocacy in this space. Finally, I truly appreciate her openness and curiosity and her tone which is somehow deep and philosophical yet genuine and funny- and always compassionate and practical- all at the same time!

My 6 year old son recently got diagnosed with level 1 autism and ADHD. I love how this book has taught me how to get out of my comfort zone and learn how to be that advocate my son needs. How to find “my people” and most importantly how to align with my husband through all of this. It’s been a long 6 year journey figuring out my son and the way his brain works. I put my son in public school this year and he was doing great! Learning all the things! But his behavior was not good every single day. This book taught me that he was on sensory overload every day all day at school. It was too much for him. I pulled him out and now homeschooling him, he’s much happier and does way better!! Thankful for “Differently Wired”!! My kid learns better and behaves better when learning at his own pace!

This book is a MUST-READ for any parents or loved one involved in raising a child who learns and experiences the world with cognitive differences. I read this book just a few months after learning that my son is a 2e learner (ADHD and gifted), and it has completely reshaped and deepened my understanding of his diagnosis. Having other close friends and family members with ADHD, I always thought they were some of the most interesting, dynamic, and creative people in my life. But after my son's diagnosis, I began researching ADHD more thoroughly with some of the classic texts, which I was shocked to find out are rife with discussions about how things are "wrong" with the differently wired brains of children with ADHD. Thank heavens for AMAZON! Debbie Reber's book--along with her amazing podcast--has literally reframed my thinking about the journey of parenting and neurodiversity. Debbie's voice is authentic and intimate, sharing many of her own struggles, successes, and insights from her personal journey as a mother to a differently wired kid. Her discussion draws from a broad panel of experts and parents, whose professional and personal experiences inform her "tilts," recommendations for retooling your parenting approach with fresh perspective and a greater sense of intentionality. I really can't imagine how anyone wouldn't be a better, wiser parent from reading this book; but especially for the community of parents to differently wired kids, it's a rich and wonderful resource that enables us to realize that we are not alone and that we're on an amazing journey.

I'm not actually done with this book yet, but so far I've thoroughly enjoyed the content and have found it reassuring and helpful. There is a lot of information with mention of resources for further research on specific topics, and lots of tips regarding parenting approaches to possibly shift one's parenting style of an atypical child. In addition, I appreciate the focus towards embracing individuality in our kids and the encouragement of blocking out the judgement of others as a parent. Very affirming and supportive.

I cried through the first quarter of this book. A lot of it is pretty common sense, but there are a few good tips in here, plus a ton of empathy. Also, for those starting on this journey, there is a lot of justification of what you're feeling. I wish it had more info on how to educate the reluctant educators in your child's life (the author ended up home schooling her child) but otherwise, it's very helpful and I love the "let's make this a movement" attitude -- it's right on!