This is not a story about fixing a child. It is a story about learning how to fight for one.
When Riley began showing signs of neurodivergence at age three, his mother was thrust into a fragmented system of complex labels, conflicting guidance, and unanswered questions. What followed was a near decade-long journey of advocacy—navigating therapies, schools, medical decisions, and the emotional weight that comes with raising a neurodivergent child.
Spanning Riley’s early childhood through pre-adolescence, this memoir blends raw, honest storytelling with practical, hard-earned insight. Written for newly diagnosed parents, long-term caregivers, educators, therapists, and professionals, it offers perspectives that can’t be found in textbooks—only through lived experience. At its heart, this is a story of resilience, fierce love, and the determination to show up again and again when the path forward feels uncertain.
About Kristen:
Kristen Durham is an author, mother, and advocate living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She holds a master’s degree in Psychology and is a former licensed massage therapist. Now a writer and aspiring day trader, Kristen brings adaptability, analytical thinking, resilience, and persistence to her work. Her writing offers clarity, validation, and hope to those supporting neurodivergent children.