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Alyssa Bayus

Alyssa Bayus
My Story​

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My parents divorced when I was born, so I grew up moving between homes, routines, and emotional climates.
 

From an early age I had to read the room fast—tone shifts, tension, who needed what but wasn’t saying it.
 

That constant translating between worlds became its own training ground. It taught me how to track nervous systems, notice overwhelms, and respond in ways that actually calm a situation instead of inflaming it.
 

Now, as a parenting therapist and coach, that same skill set helps me quickly sense what’s happening underneath a child’s behavior, a parent’s frustration, or a family’s conflict—and then translate it into practical steps you can actually use at home.
 

That’s where this work started for me—inside a real family, not a textbook.

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Motherhood: Immersed in Neurodiversity

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I’m the parent of three wonderful kids: a 17-year-old and twin 15-year-olds.
 

Having three kids that close in age—each with their own needs, personalities, and developmental stages—means we’ve lived through overlapping homework, emotions, social drama, sleep shifts, and constant schedule juggling.

There’s no “off-season.” When one child finally settles, another one is ramping up.
 

ADHD is the loudest drumbeat in our home—time blindness, task initiation, emotional intensity, sleep chaos, school demands, and the constant need to right-size expectations so we’re not living in permanent disappointment.
 

We’ve chased accurate diagnoses, weighed medication trade-offs, and rebuilt routines again and again as they’ve grown.
 

Autism is also part of our extended family, so I understand the sensory and communication layers that shape daily life: noise, clothing battles, food textures, transitions, shutdowns, and the toll it takes on parents who are “on” all the time.
 

I don’t treat neurodiversity as theory; I live it.

How I Help Parents of Autistic & ADHD Kids​

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Parenting a neurodivergent child isn’t just “regular parenting plus a few tips.” It’s a whole different operating system.
 

My work focuses on helping you trade shame and “shoulds” for fit and function—systems that match your child’s actual nervous system and your actual energy.

What we map together
 

  • Your child’s nervous system: what ramps them up, what shuts them down, and how their brain processes demands.
     

  • Meltdown and shutdown patterns: early warning signs, escalation paths, and realistic prevention.
     

  • Executive-function load: what your child can’t yet do alone, and what you’re currently trying to will into existence.
     

  • Parent stress: how depleted you are, how much you’re masking “I’m fine,” and what will quietly break if nothing changes.
     

  • Sibling dynamics: who is over-functioning, who is disappearing, and how to rebalance without blaming anyone.
     

What we build
 

  • Scripts for hard moments so you’re not improvising in the heat of a meltdown.
     

  • “Good enough” routines for mornings, homework, bedtime, and transitions that don’t require superhuman consistency.
     

  • Behavior plans that respect your child’s nervous system instead of punishing their neurology.
     

  • Repair rituals for when things go badly (because they will) so shame doesn’t set up camp in your home.
     

  • Agreements between caretakers so you’re not fighting each other on top of everything else.

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School, IEPs, and Systems That Actually Work​

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Many families I work with are exhausted from being their child’s full-time case manager.
 

I help you:

  • Translate your child’s needs into clear language teachers and schools can use.
     

  • Prioritize IEP/504 requests so you’re not fighting for everything at once.
     

  • Create simple, sustainable homework and study rhythms that match your child’s energy—not the school’s fantasy child.
     

  • Set boundaries with school when they push responsibility back on you in ways that aren’t realistic or fair.
     

The goal isn’t perfection; it’s making school survivable and, when possible, supportive.

Supporting You, Not Just Your Child

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A lot of parents of autistic and ADHD kids feel invisible: all focus goes to the child, while you quietly burn out.
 

In our work, your nervous system matters too.
 

We’ll look at:
 

  • Your internal critic and the stories you tell yourself about “good parenting.”
     

  • Grief, anger, or resentment you may not feel allowed to admit.
     

  • How to share the load more evenly between adults without constant arguments.
     

  • Ways to preserve your identity outside of being a parent and advocate.
     

You are not a parenting robot. You’re a human being in a hard situation. I take that seriously.

Money, Stress, and Family Life

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Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a financial planner and advisor.
 

I saw over and over that the biggest problems weren’t math—they were meaning: safety, control, freedom, fairness, respect.
 

Add neurodiversity into the mix—therapy costs, evaluations, time off work, executive-function differences around budgeting—and the pressure can spike fast.
 

What we can work on
 

  • Building a shared language around money: not “you’re too controlling” or “you’re too impulsive,” but specific agreements and limits.
     

  • Separating values from methods so you can both agree on what matters (stability, opportunities for your child) even if you disagree on how to get there.
     

  • Protecting the relationship from financial stress with clear roles, check-ins, and repair conversations when things go off track.
     

The point is not perfection. It’s lowering the temperature so money doesn’t become one more battleground.

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Personal Interests​

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Golf keeps me present and honest. Pickleball brings energy and fun. Horseback riding sharpens the nonverbal listening I use every day with kids and parents.
 

I’ve fostered over 50 dogs, and I love all animals—especially the “too much” ones that other people don’t quite know what to do with.

Credentials & More

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