The Guides You Wished
You Had From the Start
Two groundbreaking books — one for parents, one for churches — that finally bring ASD, ADHD, FASD, and trauma together in one practical, compassionate framework. Written by two dads who lived every page.
What Sets These Books Apart
Pioneering Work. Practical Wisdom. Real Hope.
The First to Include FASD
Every other guide leaves out Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. These books are the first to bring FASD into the neurodiversity conversation alongside ASD, ADHD, and trauma — because your child deserves a complete picture.
Written by Two Dads Who Lived It
Not theory. Not clinical distance. Carl Young and Joel Sheagren are fathers who have sat in IEP meetings, navigated meltdowns, and found what actually works — then backed it with evidence-based research.
One Integrated Framework
ASD, ADHD, FASD, and trauma aren't four separate problems. These books treat them as the overlapping, interconnected realities they are — so you stop chasing separate solutions and start seeing the whole child.
Embracing Hope
Innovative Strategies to Empower Parents Raising Neurodiverse Teens
by Carl Young & Joel Sheagren
You've tried the consequences. You've read the articles. You've sat through meetings where everyone agrees your child is "challenging" — but no one can tell you why they do what they do.
What if the missing piece isn't a new strategy — it's a new lens? Embracing Hope gives you that lens. It translates cutting-edge neuroscience into the kind of plain language that finally makes your child's behavior make sense. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll walk away equipped.
- 20 deep-dive chapters covering the neurodevelopmental skills behind behavior — from impulse control and social cues to self-regulation and sensory overload
- Symptoms vs. behaviors — understand what's driving the moment before you respond to it, so you stop the cycle of frustration on both sides
- Real-world strategies tested in real homes, refined through lived experience, and validated by leading researchers including Dr. Jerrod Brown, PhD
- The first guide to include FASD alongside ASD, ADHD, and trauma — so no child gets left out of the conversation
Available in paperback, ebook, and audio · ISBN 979-8-9924785-0-1
"Carl and Joel have created the first comprehensive parent guide that recognizes autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and trauma together under one umbrella of neurodiversity. This book stands out for making complex brain science easy to understand and apply in everyday parenting."
— Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S.
Professor & Researcher, Forensic Psychology & Nutritional Neuroscience
Embrace Neurodiversity
A Church Resource for Supporting Neurodivergent People and Families
by Joel Sheagren & Carl Young
Your church genuinely wants to welcome everyone. But there's a gap between wanting to include and knowing how. Families with neurodiverse children often feel seen on Sunday — until they're quietly not coming back.
Embrace Neurodiversity is the resource that closes that gap. It moves beyond labels and behavior management into true understanding, practical support, and life-giving connection — equipping your leaders, volunteers, and families to build a community where neurodivergent people don't just attend, they belong.
- Groundbreaking, faith-filled framework that moves your congregation from inclusion language to inclusion culture — so every family feels seen, not managed
- Lived experience + pastoral wisdom — drawn from real ministry application, not just theory, so your leaders know exactly what to do when it matters
- The hidden strengths within ASD, ADHD, FASD, and trauma — reframing neurodivergent people as vital image-bearers with purpose and gifts to offer the church
- A compassionate lens that changes your perspective, deepens your empathy, and compels you to act — with clarity, not guilt
Available in ebook and paperback · Book 2 in the Embraced series
Which Book Is Right for You?
Both books share the same core framework. The difference is audience and application.
Embracing Hope
For parents, caregivers, foster families, educators, and advocates supporting neurodiverse teens at home
- You're raising a child with ASD, ADHD, FASD, or trauma — or a combination
- You want to understand the why behind the behavior before you respond
- You're navigating school systems, IEPs, meltdowns, and daily life strategies
- You want science-backed insight delivered like a kitchen-table conversation
- You're ready to move from frustration to understanding — and stay there
Embrace Neurodiversity
For church leaders, ministry teams, faith communities, and anyone building inclusive spaces for neurodiverse people
- Your church wants to welcome neurodivergent families — and keep them
- You want a framework that goes beyond Sunday morning accommodation
- You're equipping volunteers, leaders, and families with practical tools
- You believe neurodivergent people are image-bearers with gifts to offer
- You're ready to move from well-meaning to genuinely equipped
Start with the Book.
Change How You See Everything.
Parents around the world — Canada, England, France, the Netherlands, Mexico, South Africa, and throughout the US — have found in these pages what they couldn't find anywhere else: a clear, compassionate explanation of their child's mind. You can too.
Parent Resource
Library
A calm, practical guide for parents who want to better understand, support, and advocate for neurodiverse children. Twenty chapters — one at a time.
Each chapter below is drawn from Embracing Hope by Carl Young & Joel Sheagren — the first parent guide to bring ASD, ADHD, FASD, and trauma together under one roof. These resources are here to help you feel less alone, more informed, and more equipped. Start wherever you are.
A Different Kind of Parent Guide
If you're new, start with the Introduction and Chapter 1. They'll orient you to how the book works and why this approach is different.
of Parent Guide
Why This Guide is Different
Written by two dads who live this journey every day, this introduction explains what makes this resource unique — and why understanding your child's brain changes everything. Start here if you're new to the book.
Read Introduction →This Book
CBT vs. Metacognition
Not all approaches work the same for neurodiverse kids. Chapter 1 unpacks the difference between CBT and metacognition — and why that distinction matters before you try any strategy in this book.
Explore Chapter 1 →The Complete Resource Library
Each chapter resource is designed to be used on its own. Jump to what's most urgent for your family — or work through them in order.
Child's Brain
A plain-language guide to what's actually happening neurologically — so you can respond with understanding instead of frustration.
Explore Chapter 2 →Neurodiversity
What neurodiversity really means — and why shifting this lens changes how you see your child, their behaviors, and their future.
Explore Chapter 3 →Four Profiles
ASD, ADHD, FASD, and Trauma — why these four overlap, and why understanding them together is the key to real support.
Explore Chapter 4 →Adaptive Skills
Your child may be smarter than any test shows. Learn the difference between intellectual potential and adaptive skill gaps — and why it matters.
Explore Chapter 5 →Self-Esteem
How neurodiverse teens experience self-worth — and the subtle ways parents can build it up or unknowingly undermine it.
Explore Chapter 6 →Dev vs. Chronological
Why your 16-year-old may function like a 10-year-old — and why that's not defiance. It's neurology. And it changes everything about your expectations.
Explore Chapter 7 →The Hidden Language
Why reading a room feels impossible for many neurodiverse kids — and practical ways parents can help decode the invisible social world.
Explore Chapter 8 →Trouble with Change
Change is hard for everyone — but neurologically different. Here's why transitions trigger big reactions, and how to make them smoother.
Explore Chapter 9 →Danger Zone
When your child gets stuck on a thought, topic, or behavior — what's actually happening in the brain, and how to navigate it safely and with compassion.
Explore Chapter 10 →Is it True?
Why your child confidently tells "untruths" they fully believe — and how to respond when you can't always tell what's real vs. what's confabulated.
Explore Chapter 11 →Who's Adam?
Concrete thinking is the norm for many neurodiverse kids. Learn how to communicate in ways that actually land — and stop the "why won't they just get it" cycle.
Explore Chapter 12 →Does What I Do Matter?
When consequences don't connect, traditional discipline fails — and everyone gets frustrated. Here's why cause-and-effect thinking breaks down, and what actually works.
Explore Chapter 13 →Resisting the Urge
The brain science behind impulsive behavior — and practical strategies to help your child pause before acting, without shame or punishment.
Explore Chapter 14 →Internal Pressures
Why meltdowns, shutdowns, and emotional floods happen — and how to build real regulation skills rather than just managing crises when they arrive.
Explore Chapter 15 →Mastery of Disguise
Your child may hide their struggles better than you realize. Learn to see through the "I'm fine" mask — and how to respond with compassion when the mask falls.
Explore Chapter 16 →Slow Down!
Why your child seems "behind" in conversations and tasks — and how deliberately slowing down actually helps them keep up and participate fully.
Explore Chapter 17 →A Stimulus-Rich World
Sounds, textures, lights, and crowds that feel overwhelming — and how to create environments at home, school, and beyond where your child can truly thrive.
Explore Chapter 18 →& Exercise
The three foundational factors that affect everything from mood to behavior to learning — and why they're too often overlooked in neurodiversity conversations.
Explore Chapter 19 →Respect
Building a home culture of mutual dignity — where your neurodiverse child is genuinely seen, heard, and valued. The chapter that ties the whole journey together.
Explore Chapter 20 →Everything in This Library
Starts with Embracing Hope
The book that started it all — written by two dads with lived experience, grounded in evidence-based research, and built to be used at the kitchen table. Every chapter resource here connects back to the book.
