DAY 3 (REPRISE!!)

A Low Demand Parenting Journey:

Trusting Your Child, Honoring Yourself

ANEI REYES

Anei Reyes shares their personal journey with implementing low demand parenting in their family, highlighting the challenges and rewards of this approach. They discuss initial struggles with burnout and the realization that their previous caregiving dynamic needed to change. Anei emphasizes the importance of trust and safety in their parenting journey, particularly after experiencing a breakdown in trust with their older child. They discuss the process of reestablishing trust and connection through forgiveness, understanding, and acceptance, along with a radical willingness to change.

Key Points:

• Low demand parenting is about giving autonomy and ownership to children, allowing them to feel safe and empowered in their choices.
• Building trust and connection with children requires a deep understanding of their needs and experiences, as well as a willingness to apologize and learn from mistakes.
• Navigating criticism and judgment from others can be challenging, but setting boundaries and prioritizing safety and well-being are crucial.
• Hope is maintained through trust in oneself as a problem solver and a willingness to face worst-case scenarios with resilience and compassion.

MEET ANEI

Anei Reyes is a non-binary, full-time dad of two. They have a background as a Marriage and Family Therapist which they draw on as they implement a low demand life for their family. 

Low Demand Parenting 101: A Beginner's Guide 

BROOK MADERA

Join Amanda Diekman and Brook Madera of “No Pressure PDA” in a transformative conversation about getting started with low demand parenting. Discover practical tips and insights for beginners, as Brook shares her personal journey and expertise. Learn how to create a nurturing environment for your child, focusing on understanding and supporting their unique needs.

Key Points:

• Focus on understanding your child's unique needs and neurodivergent traits.
• Practice patience and flexibility in your parenting approach, allowing room for mistakes and growth.
• Create a supportive environment at home that minimizes demands and maximizes accommodations.
• Seek out resources and communities that align with low demand parenting principles.

MEET BROOK

Brook Madera is PDA, autistic, and ADHD and started No Pressure PDA in 2022. She is a single mom of three PDA boys and spends her free time working on a book with SallyCat’s PDA alongside running multiple PDA support groups. Brook also volunteers for PDA North America. Her passion is spreading awareness of the PDA profile to all families, especially those within the U.S.

Follow Brook

How Do We Drop Demands With OCD? Accommodations, Exposures & Healing

CHERYL QUIMBA

Cheryl Quimba shares her inspiring journey of living with OCD and her healing journey, offering valuable insights for parents hoping to support their children. She discusses her family's story, including adopting two children and the challenges they faced with their daughter's behavior, eventually leading to an autism diagnosis. Cheryl also highlights the importance of a low demand approach in their parenting journey, sharing how it positively impacted their family's well-being.

Key Points:

• Collaborate with your child in decisions related to their OCD treatment and support.
• Create a sense of safety and autonomy for your child to help them manage OCD symptoms.
• Educate yourself and seek support from trained professionals in OCD treatment.

MEET CHERYL

Cheryl Quimba is the founder of WhatHelps.Me, a place for individuals and families navigating OCD, Scrupulosity, and PDA. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Counseling, training certifications in Pathological Demand Avoidance, is the parent of a PDAer, and has decades of study and personal experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Scrupulosity. Cheryl, her husband, and two children live in the PNW as a multi-racial, twice adoptive, unschooling family.

Follow Cheryl - OCD

Follow Cheryl - PDA

PARENTING AT THE INTERSECTIONS

JAYA RAMESH & PRIYA SAARAL

Join host Amanda Diekman, with authors Jaya and Priya, in this insightful conversation on the complexities of parenting at the intersections. Delve into their personal journeys as neurodivergent parents raising neurodivergent children of color, exploring themes of intersectionality, love, resistance, and radical acceptance. Gain valuable perspectives and practical insights for navigating the challenges and joys of parenting in a world shaped by systemic oppression.

Key Points:

• Jaya and Priya share their personal and professional journeys as neurodivergent parents raising neurodivergent children of color.
• They discuss the concept of intersectionality in parenting, highlighting how race, neurodivergence, and other marginalized identities intersect to create unique challenges and experiences.
• Throughout the discussion, there's a focus on the importance of love and resistance in parenting, as well as the ongoing process of radical acceptance and transformation.

MEET JAYA

Jaya Ramesh, MA LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice on the unceded and stolen lands of the Duwamish, Coastal Salish, and Stillaguamish, colonially known as Seattle. She is a caste privileged, neurodivergent Indian immigrant navigating what it means to disinvest from the colonialism, supremacy, and capitalism. In her private practice, she supports people in having more generous and generative relationships. A seasoned facilitator, Jaya also supports organizations and groups in building liberatory cultures. 

MEET PRIYA

Priya Saaral is a neurodivergent mother, play therapist, and parenting coach based in the Greater Seattle area. Saaral co-authored the book "Parenting at the Intersections: Raising Neurodivergent Children" with Jaya Ramesh, focusing on the unique challenges faced by neurodivergent children of color and providing insights for parents in similar situations. Saaral specializes in the emotional well-being of neurodivergent children and parents by helping them reconnect to their playful spirit amidst personal and structural adversity.

Follow Parenting at the Intersections

Cultivating Confident & Supported School Advocacy

KEISCHA PRUDEN 

In this engaging talk with psychotherapist and advocate Keisha Pruden, we explore the vital role of advocacy in supporting neurodivergent children within the school system. Drawing from her 25 years of experience navigating the educational landscape for her own children and clients,

Keisha emphasizes the importance of understanding children's holistic needs, with practical strategies for fostering collaboration between parents and educators, creating supportive environments, and navigating IEP and 504 plans. Keisha's insights empower parents to advocate confidently for their children's educational rights, emphasizing the importance of building strong support networks.

Key Points:

• Understand your child's unique needs and strengths to advocate effectively.
• Foster open communication and collaboration with educators to create supportive environments.
• Educate yourself about IEP and 504 plans to navigate the system with confidence.
• Build a strong support network to empower yourself and advocate for your child's educational rights.

MEET KEISCHA

Keischa Pruden is a self described “country girl” who wears many hats. She is a wife of 29 years to husband Paul, mother to two amazing sons Aaron and Bryant, psychotherapist, autism advocate and consultant. Mrs. Pruden’s passion as an autism advocacy began organically. Her oldest son, Aaron is on the autism spectrum. As she began advocating for him in the public school system, she began to advocate for her autistic clients as well. Keischa believes in collaboration and accountability when it comes to facilitating services for her clients.

In addition to being a therapist and autism/special needs consultant, Keischa is also a published author. Her first published work, Walking With Moo and Other Adventures of Faith, is a daily devotional designed to help those who need encouragement in their daily lives to keep striving forward. Keischa shares her own struggles and experiences in this devotional, mainly her walks with her youngest son Bryant, nicknamed “Moo”.  Her latest published work, Aaron and Me, Our Journey on the Spectrum, shares her family’s experience with autism, as experienced by Keischa’s youngest son Bryant.

Recording: Unschooling Through a Neurodiversity Paradigm

MARNI KAMMERSELL

This conversation explores the topic of unschooling and self-directed learning. Marni Kammersell, a doctoral student in education focusing on self-directed education and neurodiversity, shares her personal experience and research in this field with Amanda. They cover various aspects of unschooling, including defining unschooling and self-directed education, adapting to the needs of different children, dropping demands and trusting children, and exploring interests and learning opportunities. The conversation emphasizes the importance of trusting children's autonomy and providing a supportive environment for their learning journey. 

MEET MARNI

Marni Kammersell is an Autistic educator, parent, and educational researcher. She is passionate about the neurodiversity paradigm, self-directed education, non-coercive relationships, and understanding experience through the lens of the nervous system. Marni is also a doctoral student at Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education. She has over 15 years experience working in alternative education in a variety of settings, including homeschooling, unschooling, community education, democratic schools, and forest schools.

Follow Marni on Substack