#22 A healing journey. Autism, PDA, and life beyond school, with Eliza Fricker

My guest today is Eliza Fricker. Eliza has a 14-year old daughter who is autistic, PDA, and who struggled hugely with school. Eliza spent many years attempting to navigate the education system and advocate for her daughter, but after much frustration and despair, finally decided that leaving mainstream education was the only option. Eliza has published a book called Missing the Mark, in which, through her illustrations, she shows her process of trying to navigate a confusing, system which often fails to embrace neurodivergent children for who they are, focusing instead on the fixing of the child. She has also published The Family Experience of PDA, and a four-part podcast on her family's experiences, and now works to help families who are in a similar position. Today, Eliza shares how life has looked since her daughter left school, and how they embarked on the slow process of healing. Among other things, we chat about the enormous importance of being in the right environment, and how our own deschooling is key to accepting our children just as they are. And, we dream a little about how effective, inclusive learning environments could actually look. I hope you enjoy the conversation. If you'd like to find out more about Eliza or connect with her, you can find her at https://missingthemark.blog/If you'd like to support the podcast and the sharing of these stories, you can do that here.   Thank you!The Parent's Handbook to Unschooling Yourself. A Mindful Guide to Embracing a New Way of Living and Learning With Your ChildYou can sign up for weekly resources around unschooling and mindful parenting at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onSubstack: https://substack.com/@estherjonesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.beyondschoolFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace