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Different Minds

byPete Wharmby

How We Can Help Our Autistic School Children Thrive

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'This is the book I'll be recommending to every parent who tells me their child is struggling' – Anna Mathur, psychotherapist and bestselling author

'A book I wish I had years ago. Every parent and teacher needs to read this' – Lisa Lloyd, Sunday Times bestselling author and SEN parent

'A bible for parents of school-aged autistic children' - Annie Ridout, author, journalist, poet

'One of the most important voices on autism and education today' – Jessie Hewitson, SEND agony aunt, The Times and the Sunday Times, and author of Autism: How to Raise a Happy Autistic Child

'Different Minds asks the forgotten question at the heart of modern education: are the kids alright? Compassionate, urgent and deeply validating.' – Leanne Maskell, author of AuDHD: Blooming Differently and ADHD an A–Z: Figuring it Out Step by Step

If you have an autistic child in school, you may be painfully aware that mainstream education wasn’t built with them in mind.

In Different Minds, former teacher and neurodivergence campaigner Pete Wharmby reveals what it’s really like to be autistic in school today and why so many children are misunderstood. Through a blend of storytelling, impassioned polemic and empathetic advice, Wharmby exposes the inadequacies of the current system, reveals how differences are mislabelled ‘challenging behaviour’ and explains how to bridge the gap between the autistic and non-autistic worlds.

Galvanising, validating and important, Different Minds empowers parents, teachers and carers to take a stand for our children and create the conditions they need to truly thrive.

Different Minds is a book I wish I had years ago when my autistic child first started school and it's a book I wish my parents had to help them to understand my anxiety around school. Not only does it help parents feel less alone when navigating the school system with a child with SEND, but it also helps you to step into your child’s shoes and see the world through their eyes. This is a book that every parent and teacher needs to read and a book that will help so many to understand why children are not coping at school.

Lisa Lloyd, Sunday Times bestselling author and SEN parent

About Pete Wharmby

Pete Wharmby was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 34. Shocked by the statistics around depression, anxiety and life expectancy for autistic people, Pete has immersed himself in working to improve neurodiversity awareness, acceptance and making the world a more suitable place for the neurodivergent community to live in. Pete was diagnosed as ADHD in April 2024. He has written two books on autistic experience: Untypical and What I Want to Talk About: How Autistic Special Interests Shape a Life.
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Details
  • Imprint: Vermilion
  • ISBN: 9781785046223
  • Length: 272 pages
  • Price: £17.99
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