👋🏻 Hello Reader!
I opened my Target app a couple days ago to place my Drive Up order for Tex-Mex Tuesday. It's the one day a week I don't have to stress about what's for dinner.
Right when I opened the app, I was hit in the face with dorm essentials and school supplies. My body immediately reacted — my stomach dropped and my neck tightened. My kids finished school 4 years ago, and my nervous system still gets triggered at the thought of school!
You get triggered too?
It all felt so out of my control... how my kid would be treated, if his accommodations would be followed, if he'd have a friend to sit with at lunch, if his boundless energy would be a disruption, if he'd learn anything, if he'd get his work done, if he'd even GO.
And I'm a therapist-certified control freak, y'all. I don't do zero control with any dignity.
After a few years of out-of-control school trauma, I realized that there were proactive things I could do to have at least some effect on school outcomes (i.e., some semblance of the control I desperately needed).
Things like:
✅ Addressing executive functioning struggles by creating visuals for things like morning and bedtime routines, and breakfast and lunch choices, and implementing a family command center
✅ Giving teachers a 1-page IEP or 504 summary at the start of a new school year
✅ Getting my advocacy docs organized and ready for meetings
✅ Mapping out my kid's strengths and weaknesses so I can address challenges with an effective, strengths-based approach
✅ Outlining and discussing proactive plans for felt safety around school
✅ Instituting rituals to make the day-to-day easier (like Tex-Mex Tuesday and breakfast options that can be eaten in the car)
Now, I figured all that out on my own through research and years of trial and error. But it would have been easier if I'd had a blueprint to follow, and way more fun if I'd had other parents to do it all with.
And that's exactly why I created Back-to-School Prep Week! To give you a blueprint, coach you through each step, and get things done with a village of support. You don't just finish Prep Week with personalized tools at the ready, you finish feeling supported and empowered (and ready to empower your kid). You finish with a nervous system exhale.
I want that for each and every parent of neurodivergent kids.
(Pre Week starts July 28th — click here to learn more and register. Replays will be yours to keep.)
So, sticking with the theme, this week on the podcast I’m sharing the top three things I wish I had known when my son was in school — the things that could’ve saved us from years of chaos, meltdowns, and overwhelm.
With lots of heart,
This Week on the Podcast
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320: Less Stress, More Success for Back-to-School
with Penny Williams
Is your back-to-school plan just a fresh stack of notebooks and high hopes? Let’s talk about what really makes or breaks a smooth transition for your neurodivergent child. In this episode, I’m sharing the top three things I wish I had known when my son was in school — the things that could’ve saved us from years of chaos, meltdowns, and overwhelm.
We’re ditching the myth that buying the right planner will fix everything. Instead, I’ll walk you through how to prep your systems (not just your supplies), how to create emotional safety in the daily routine, and how to build a true partnership with your child’s teacher — before the chaos starts.
This isn’t just back-to-school advice. It’s a whole new way of showing up for your complex kid with calm, clarity, and confidence.
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Parenting Quick Tip
Set the tone for a team-based approach, building trust, and creating the foundation for a better year — not just for your child, but for everyone.
Upcoming Events
FREE ONLINE CAMP FOR KIDS
Wacom Creativity Camp
Mondays, July 28 – August 18, 2025, 3:00-4:30pm PDT
In this free online workshop series, young creators and beginner artists can design their original characters for comics, games, anime, and more. Led by MCAD professor Lafe Smith, this 4-week Zoom series requires nothing but a pencil and paper — and gives participants insider tips from the pros.
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ONLINE SUMMIT
TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit)
August 15-18, 2025
It's a worldwide online event that gives you quick, step-by-step strategies to help a struggling student have a successful school year. You'll learn how to support your child's Executive Function from leading experts. Get game-changing ideas to help your child make school easier, and shine!
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>>> Complete the Tilt Parenting Survey to share how you can best be supported.
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This month, we're focusing on Sensory Processing & Regulation inside the membership, with:
✔️ A parent-friendly lesson on why sensory needs drive behavior
✔️ Playful activities to explore what calms or overwhelms
✔️ A Q&A replay with The Out-of-Sync Child author Carol Stock Kranowitz
✔️ Tools to respond with confidence, not confusion
If you’re ready for more calm and fewer meltdowns, this is for you.
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Need More Help?
Looking for more on raising or educating neurodivergent kids, teens, or young adults? I'm here to help!
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