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.
Embracing Hope — recognized for outstanding contribution to authorship and storytelling, and the significance of its work within the global literary landscape.
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
- International Impact Book Award winner — Outstanding Literary Achievement, Parenting–Special Needs Parenting category, January 2026
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.