Nancy Rushing

Hello, I'm glad you're here!​

 

Parenting a Neurodivergent Child

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…is hard. 

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I want to thank you for taking this first step and realizing that you are struggling and want to make some changes in your relationships—whether that’s with your partner, child, or self.

 

You might be feeling defeated, disappointed, shame, guilt, loss, fear, or alone in this journey. 

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You are not alone.

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Your feelings are valid, and raising a neurodivergent child is challenging when we are unfamiliar with the territory. There are various ideals and expectations that are inherently placed upon us by family, culture, friends, social media, and even ourselves.

 

These unseen pressures operate subtly, and we may not be aware of how they influence our behavior and perspective.  

That is a lot of pressure to live up to. 

 

It can be difficult to see the gift of neurodivergence when our perspective is clouded with negative thoughts, feelings, and sometimes fear that prevent us from seeing and accepting the whole picture and unveiling what really lies behind the clouds.

 

With neurodivergent children, there is usually more than what we see, because oftentimes we tend to view our children with a lens that societal pressures have created based on neurotypical behavior.

 

We may even be ignoring our own needs and views due to feelings of wanting to fit into the same societal expectations and have fears of rejection or ridicule. 

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This behavior reflects our clouded perspective, known as masking.  

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Neurodivergence unveils something when the clouds clear – an outside-the-box thinker, high creativity and innovation, empathy, sensitivity, deep focus and passion, authenticity, and the list goes on. 

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Unmasking is scary. 

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This is the start of a new beginning, and it is okay to feel scared. Everyone has a desire to receive and give love, but sometimes our love languages can become lost in translation. 

 

My vision is to support you in navigating the unfamiliar territory of your child’s neurodivergence, providing guidance and understanding to help you manage these challenges with confidence, ultimately empowering you to confidently navigate the complexities of neurodiversity. 

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My Story

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I am a child of Chinese Immigrant parents, born and raised in the south—specifically Louisiana and Texas. My neurodivergent journey started when I lost my mom in 2019 and discovered that she had undiagnosed mental health issues and was also neurodivergent.

 

Witnessing the disconnect and misunderstandings that happen in a neurodivergent relationship helped me realize that every person wants to be loved and wants to love others.

 

Every person deserves to be loved and longed for, the way they need and understand love to be. 

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Since childhood, I have been extremely curious and inquisitive by nature and have a passion to learn about and understand others.

 

I am a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) and was late-diagnosed ADHD during graduate school while I was studying about neurodiversity and discovered that my perceived anxiety was an excess of complex thoughts in my mind that was misdiagnosed as generalized anxiety.

 

It took the right therapist to connect me to this understanding and acceptance. 

 

My passion is to support others on their neurodivergent journey—to help them discover their authentic selves embrace their unique differences and build meaningful connections in their relationships. 

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I have been living in the Bay Area of California for 17 years, married for 13 years, and have two neurodivergent children who are 7 and 9 years old. When I am not spending time with my family, I enjoy teaching yoga, exercising, cooking, having meaningful conversations and experiences with others, and being an avid animal lover. 

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