In Watching Sarah Rise, you share with readers your experiences parenting a daughter with special needs and the way your family embraced a child-centered approach to autism therapy. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I wanted to share my experience with the Son-Rise Program so that more parents could know about it and how transformational it can be for all involved. I also wanted to help other people (parents and non-parents) know that any and all of their feelings are ok, even the ones they might judge as being too terrible to admit to. I often receive feedback that my honesty about my experiences and feelings that I write about in my blog is helpful for others, so I’m hoping that the book is helpful in the same way and can reach a bigger audience than my blog has so far.

I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?

The hardest thing was figuring out how to share the story in a way that would make sense for others because I felt like I could write chronologically or focus around different topics. I wanted to do both at the same time, and I think I sort of managed to do so, but that was difficult and took the help of my editor and husband to make it all work. Writing about difficult experiences and my feelings wasn’t difficult. That part comes easily for me and helps me accept and understand myself and Sarah more. Every time I reread the book, I learn things from my past self about how to really love and connect well with Sarah.

What is one misconception you think many people have about parenting a child with autism?

The idea that kids with autism have trouble recognizing the emotions of others. Sarah has a keen sense of how others are feeling. She definitely knows when I am stressed or sad, or upset about anything. She will either ask me why I’m sad, listen attentively and wipe my tears away, or feed off of my stress if I’m feeling anxious. That makes for two anxious and upset people so I’m really working on how I can keep myself on more of an even keel.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your family’s experiences?

You don’t have to know all of the answers or be a perfect parent to make a world of difference for your child.

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