487 gal. of coffee & a lot of hope.
Welcome to Embracing Neurodiversity
For a long time, it felt like we were trying to understand a world that didn't come with instructions, at least not ones written for us.
If you’re a parent, a caregiver, or a family navigating the weight of raising a neurodiverse child, you know that the search for answers can be hard-fought. When you go searching for help, too often you find resources that are overwhelming, clinical, or just disconnected from the reality of your everyday life or interventions that do not work for our neurodiverse children.
Our blog and website have been built for finding the answers to the complexity related to the four overlapping symptoms of autism (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and the impact of trauma.
Who We Are
We’re Carl Young and Joel Sheagren—two dads, co-authors, and fellow travelers on the journey of supporting neurodiverse kids.
Our partnership started by chance at a conference in Minneapolis nearly ten years ago. Today, our families live a few hundred miles apart—Joel in Minnesota and Carl’s in North Dakota—but we’ve stayed connected by a shared goal.
Our work didn't start in a lab. It started in real, honest conversations. The kind that happens when you’re trying to make sense of challenges that don’t have easy answers, while still holding onto hope. To get those conversations onto paper, it took us 18 months of daily Zoom calls and the occasional existential crisis. Most importantly, it took 487.5 gallons of coffee. We caffeinated our way through a marathon of creativity to bring our book, Embracing Hope, to life. Behind every page is a pot of coffee and a commitment to support parents walking these same paths.
Why This Matters
We know what it feels like to be handed information that is technically accurate for a different population but practically unusable for our families. We’ve sat with the frustration of trying to translate jargon into real-life decisions. We’ve felt the isolation that comes when others don’t understand what neurodiversity looks like inside a home or a community.
But we’ve also seen something else: Hope.
Not the kind that ignores the hard parts, but the kind that grows when understanding deepens. It’s the hope that arrives when children are seen for who they truly are and not just a diagnostic label but a person of potential, resilience, and unique gifts to offer the world.
What You’ll Find Here
Embracing Neurodiversity is a space for:
Real-Life Stories: Reflecting the lived experiences of families like yours.
Practical Strategies: Tools you can actually use in everyday situations.
Perspective: Encouragement for the days when things feel overwhelming.
Faith-Informed Resources: Navigating neurodiversity within church and community settings.
Clear Insights: Information without the unnecessary jargon.
Our goal is to make complex ideas understandable and usable, so you feel more equipped and a lot less alone.
Understanding Changes Everything
We believe that understanding changes the way we live. When we begin to see behaviors through the lens of brain development and sensory needs, our responses shift. Our expectations adjust. And our relationships begin to grow in new, meaningful ways.
This doesn’t mean the journey becomes easy, but it does become more navigable.
An Invitation
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, unsure, or isolated—you’re not alone. If you’re looking for practical tools, honest conversations, and a perspective rooted in both compassion and clarity, you’re in the right place. We’re glad you’re here.
This space is for you.
Carl & Joel