Differently Wired

April 1, 2018

When Reber's son was diagnosed as "2e" (twice exceptional), with the trifecta diagnosis of ADHD, Asperger's, and gifted, the author was introduced to the "lonely and difficult" journey of parenting an atypical child in a "conventional" world. A YA novelist (Language of Love) and nonfiction (Doable) writer, Reber made a career shift and started TiLT Parenting, a website, podcast, and social media company for parents of differently wired children as a result of her experience with her own son. Reber asserts that parents need to start by powerfully changing their thinking and action to transform the dynamics in the family and help their children to be the best version of themselves. Instead of hoping they outgrow their wiring and working on building on a child's weaknesses, Reber encourages embracing their strengths and adopts the term neurodiversity to discuss neurological differences. She suggests seeking out like-minded parents, letting go of time lines and expectations, and making self-care a priority. VERDICT A valuable resource for parents, teachers, and family members of exceptional children of all types.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 2, 2018
Reber (What Smart Girls Know) brings the optimistic, child-centered approach of her Tilt Parenting website and podcast, which focus on raising neuroatypical children, into the self-help book format, but doesn’t have much advice that’s particularly original. Reber posits that “today’s increasingly large population of atypical children may actually be a modern-day evolution,” before launching into complaints about schools with one-size-fits-all approaches ill-suited to students with conditions like dyslexia and autism. Leaning heavily on her own experiences with Asher, her son diagnosed with ADHD, who struggled in school until her decision to homeschool him, Reber offers 18 “tilts”—practical shifts in behavior or attitude to improve family life. Many are similar to ideas offered to overwhelmed parents generally, such as avoiding becoming isolated from one’s peers, not being concerned with the judgments of others, and practicing self-care, though some, like parenting “from a place of possibility instead of fear” and letting children exist “on their own timeline,” are more targeted to atypical kids. Though Reber’s upbeat voice may be inspiring for some parents, her advice on subjects like dealing with schools and building community tends toward the generic, preventing her manual from standing out amid the host of books covering the same topic.

July 1, 2018

When Reber's son was diagnosed as "2e" (twice exceptional), with the trifecta diagnosis of ADHD, Asperger's, and gifted, the author was introduced to the "lonely and difficult" journey of parenting an atypical child in a "conventional" world. A YA novelist (Language of Love) and nonfiction (Doable) writer, Reber made a career shift and started TiLT Parenting, a website, podcast, and social media company for parents of differently wired children, as a result of her experience with her own son. Reber asserts that parents need to start by powerfully changing their thinking and action to transform the dynamics in the family and help their children be the best version of themselves. Instead of hoping they outgrow their wiring and working on building on a child's weaknesses, Reber encourages embracing their strengths and adopts the term neurodiversity to discuss neurological differences. She suggests seeking out like-minded parents, letting go of time lines and expectations, and making self-care a priority. VERDICT A valuable resource for parents, teachers, and family members of exceptional children of all types.-Julia M. Reffner, North Chesterfield, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.