The Brain Forest

“I love this book. It’s such a simple and positive introduction to neurodivergence. I was struggling to figure out how to talk to my son about his diagnosis that would create understanding and not trigger shame or a sense of being problematically different. As we read he was calmer than he had been in any other conversation that we’ve had around the subject.I was struggling to figure out how to talk to my son about his diagnosis without triggering shame. At some point I pointed to a tree and said ‘this is my kind of brain.’ Without anxiety he pointed to another and said ‘this is mine.’ It was so heartwarming.” - Jamiz

“What an incredible resource! A beautifully written and illustrated book that made it a joy to share with the young people I work with!” - Loren. W

“Wonderful! Love the language used/my 7 yo could understand and thoroughly enjoy this book! Great that dual diagnosis was included. Sandhya is a treasure I have learnt so much from her” - Bec. F

“Highly recommended! This is one of the best books I’ve ever seen for explaining this to kids in a way that is clear, embracing of all, and neurodiversity-affirming. Thank you for writing this incredible resource! I want every child in the world to read it!” - Lauren D.

Sandhya Menon (she/her) is a neurodivergent paediatric psychologist of the Autistic/ADHDer/Synesthete flavour. She has worked with autistic children and their families for over 14 years across a range of presentations and support needs. Sandhya longs to bring high-quality, neuroaffirming narratives into the conversation, that help children - and adults alike! - have a simple way of accessing positive identity in ways that don’t dismiss their co-occurring challenges. Aaaand what better way to do this than with books? So very apt given she used to be the kind of girl who would sneak away from a party to read a book in a quiet corner somewhere.