WHAT CAN WE DO WHEN SCHOOL’S NOT WORKING?

An Illustrated Handbook for Professionals.

An increasing number of children are struggling to attend school. The conventional approach prioritises a rapid return to their setting. For some children, this simply doesn’t work. They are stuck, not attending school but not learning out of school either. What happens then - and what can we do about it?

This illustrated guide lifts the lid on the experiences of children and families who are struggling within the school system and explores how we can work with these young people to maximise their chances of a positive and fulfilled life.

The book encourages professionals to take a new perspective and to consider what can be done differently. It explores the ways in which difficulties with school are understood by children, parents, and professionals, and shows how things can go wrong (and right), using real-life examples from a range of settings. Chapters delve into common interventions and the impact these can have in practice, before introducing alternative approaches which have the child at the centre. The voices of young people are foregrounded throughout, shedding light on their struggles with attendance - including when placements have completely broken down – and, importantly, showing how they have gone onto success. Original illustrations are included to bring these ideas to life.

Placing authentic experiences at the core, this book offers a valuable insight into the lives of children and families when school has gone wrong and will leave you with new ideas as to how to turn things around. What Can We Do When School’s Not Working? is essential reading for professionals working with children who are struggling with school attendance, from SENCOs and educational support workers to educational psychologists, senior leadership teams, and local authorities.

CO-WRITTEN BY DR ABIGAIL FISHER & DR NAOMI FISHER.
ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED APRIL 2025.
ROUTLEDGE PUBLISHERS.

THE TEENAGER'S GUIDE TO BURNOUT

A new illustrated guide for teenagers that feel burnt out from the pressures of school and life, offering practical tools and support for recovery.

Lacking in energy and feeling that your life has lost its sparkle
Feeling like you can't ever quite relax
Unable to sleep despite being exhausted all the time
Finding that you don't really enjoy anything anymore, even things you used to love
Feeling that everyone is irritating and no one understands
Finding going to school really hard or not possible at all anymore

Does any of this sound like you? These are signs that you are experiencing burnout - your battery has taken a battering and you are running on empty. Many people think burnout only happens to adults, but it's something lots of teenagers experience too.

This book will help you to understand what burnout is, how you got there and what you can do to get back to a life you enjoy.

We've written it to help you work out if you might be burnt out, and if so, what you can do about it. It will help you identify some of the ways that you might be getting stuck when you're trying to get better. You'll get some ideas as to what is and isn't helping. And if you decide that you aren't really burnt out but you're heading that way, this book has some ideas to stop it from happening in the future.

Available to pre-order now, published 5th December 2024.

CO-WRITTEN BY DR NAOMI FISHER & ELIZA FRICKER.
ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024.
ROBINSON PUBLISHERS.

Naomi and Eliza have produced an accessible, engaging book that is a welcoming combination of personal stories, exercises and lovely illustrations that clearly addresses this common yet rarely discussed problem.

Dr Russell Hurn
Chartered counselling psychologist

Naomi and Eliza weave in personal stories from their own and other people's lives, which makes it a warm, relatable and hopeful reading experience. You will come away understanding more about what burnout is, the factors that contribute to it and importantly, with a pathway for positive recovery.

Dr Jo Coombs
BPS chartered psychologist and consultant HCPC-registered clinical psychologist

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PARENTING

"Our story is a story that's happening right now, to other families in systems around the world. To those families, I want to say: I see you, and I want shine a light on your experiences so you know you are not alone."

In this heart-warming and supportive new book, The Sunday Times bestselling author and illustrator Eliza Fricker lifts parents of neurodivergent kids from the dark days of grappling with impenetrable, underfunded systems, and shows them how life can become brighter - often by finding joy in the things that may seem small to everyone else but are huge milestones for our children.

Honest, full of humour and laced with advice that can be implemented into hectic day-to-day life, this is the little shot of hope that will keep you going when times seem toughest.

WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

Eliza condenses the most powerful feelings into such simple words and images...She encourages us to have faith in ourselves, to trust our instincts and to look for connection. An honest, inspiring book that I hope will be both a support to parents as well as a call-to-arms for professionals.

Dr Emma Svanberg
Clinical Psychologist

Eliza Fricker is the companion you'll want if you find yourself walking this exasperating journey. A story told with moving words, gripping drawings, and lashings of compassion.

Dr Suzanne Zeedyk
Developmental Psychologist

I adore Eliza's words, especially paired with her illustrations which offer a glimpse into the intricate dynamics of raising sensitive children in the modern world. She simplifies grand concepts allowing them to land directly into my heart.

Kirsten M. Cobabe
MSW, Family Coach, Teen Whisperer

There are so many parents navigating thorny educational systems who might feel exhausted, misunderstood, unheard, frustrated, alone and much more. This book speaks to some of those parents. It is written in an accessible and engaging way by a parent for parents to offer them a much needed sense of solidarity, support, and understanding.

Dr Karen Treisman MBE
Clinical Psychologist

WHEN THE NAUGHTY STEP MAKES THINGS WORSE

Some children just haven't read the parenting books. The harder you try, the worse it gets.

There's a hidden contract at the heart of parenting. It's the idea that if parents just get it right, their children can be made to do what they want. Manuals explain how to make it very clear to your children what you want them to do - and how to respond when they don't cooperate.

With the right rewards and consequences in place, parents are meant to ensure that their children stay under control. That's Time Out and the Naughty Step (for the little ones) or grounding and withdrawing screen privileges (for the older ones). If that doesn't work, parents are told to be more consistent. But what happens if your child is even more consistent than you?

For every so often, along comes a child who hasn't signed the contract. They don't buy in. When they are put on the Naughty Step, they refuse point blank to stay there. Promises of stickers and rewards get you nowhere at all. Take their iPad away and they say, 'Fine, but I'm still not doing that'.

These are the children who rip up the rule book. Their parents are left floundering. The more they try to bring their children under control, the clearer it is that they aren't haven't any of it. The firmer the boundaries, the worse their behaviour becomes. Things can go downhill fast.

This down-to-earth, illustrated guide is for parents who need something different. It's for those who are fighting battles where they didn't know battles could be fought. It's for those who suspect that what they are doing isn't helping - but they don't know what else to do. It's for families who need a better way to live and who want their children (and themselves) to thrive.

Available to pre-order now, published 3rd October 2024.

CO-WRITTEN BY DR NAOMI FISHER & ELIZA FRICKER.
ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024.
ROBINSON PUBLISHERS.

Naomi and Eliza offer hope and a gentle way forward. I feel heard, like somebody understands, and they have really saved my son's life... he has a future and I see the sparkle returning.

Kirsty
Mother

This is going straight to the top of my recommendations list, and I can't wait until it is more readily available in every library!

Dr Anita Marsden
child clinical psychologist

I experienced a tremendous sense of relief and vindication after years of battling between my instincts and mainstream beliefs of reward/punishment. It is liberating to be given the green light and to realise that my gut has been right all along

Kate
Mother

This book is a breath of fresh air for parents who feel left behind by traditional parenting advice. It is insightful, compassionate and long overdue. I highly recommend it to all parents navigating the complexities of raising neurodiverse children

Dr Olivia Kessel
host of the SEND Parenting Podcast

THE TEEN'S GUIDE TO PDA

Being a teenager is tricky at the best of times. Your body is changing and hormones are raging around your body - adding PDA to the mix makes this even harder! You may often feel misunderstood by others, and find it hard to understand yourself too.

Whether you've just been diagnosed with PDA -or are a seasoned PDAer keen to know a bit more - this warm and wittily illustrated guide will give you a better understanding of your amazing brain and why you are so good at some things, but find other things tricky. It will help you to advocate for yourself better, understand your anxieties, manage rejection sensitivity dysphoria, explain to your family and friends and others what you need (and what drives you up the wall) - and navigate school or alternative education.

WRITTEN BY LAURA KERBY.
ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED JUNE 2024.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

Together Laura and Eliza have created something so very special and I highly recommend every parent of a PDA teenager buy this book.

Viv Dawes
Autistic advocate

This guide has truly been a guiding light, providing invaluable support in my role as an emotional mentor.

Reece Archibald
Mentor at MindJam

Written in a voice which very obviously understands PDA and treads that difficult line of being accessible and teen-friendly without being patronising or unintentionally demanding.

Cathy Wassell
CEO Autistic Girls Network charity

From the first moment I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down! I am 16 years old, and autistic (with a need for autonomy and self directed learning), and everything in this book made so much sense.

Sam
Avid Beats

THUMBSUCKER An illustrated journey through an undiagnosed autistic childhood

Spoilt. Weirdo. Fussy. Hypochondriac. Chatterbox.

Eliza spent her childhood being told she was all of these until her autism diagnosis as an adult revealed why she had experienced the world so differently. But what does it mean to grow up knowing you are different, misunderstood, 'difficult'?

Funny, witty and tender, Sunday Times bestselling author and illustrator Eliza Fricker, uses her own memories of growing up in the 80s to explore how neurodiversity presents itself in everyday life and what neurodivergent children really need from the people who love them.

WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

Thumbsucker is a deeply moving and powerful book about what life can be like for children who don't quite fit inside society's rigid boxes...I adored it.

Caro Giles
Author of "Twelve Moons"

A warm, funny and thought provoking account of growing up and feeling different.

Georgia Pritchett
Writer and co-executive producer of "Succession"

Eliza Fricker shows us the complicated and often painful experiences that too-easy labels allow the people around us to dismiss, when what is needed is understanding.

Joanne Limburg
Author of "Letters to my Weird Sisters"

CAN'T NOT WON'T A story about a child who couldn't go to school

Eliza Fricker gets it. Her compelling, hard-hitting and irreverently humorous illustrations follow a family through the early days of school avoidance, the process of accessing support and the challenges of coping in the meantime. Can't Not Won't illuminates the absurdity and frustrations that often arise when dealing with health, social and educational systems, and will help any parent in the same boat feel seen. This guide acts as a way to communicate these difficult circumstances with others.

Wonderfully relatable, the book also includes written guidance for parents and professionals on what works best when it comes to managing school avoidance.

Can't Not Won't is featured on the University of Cambridge Reading List and was an instant entry in the Sunday Times Bestseller List.

WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2023.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

Such an important book for families but also education and social care professionals - an insight into a slice of life they never imagined.

Cathy Wassell
CEO of "Autistic Girls Network" charity

I cannot imagine any family in this situation, who cannot recognise this painful and often harmful, journey. Beautifully conveyed in so few words.

Lisa Cherry
Researcher & Consultant in Trauma Informed System Change

Eliza's words and thoughts deeply resonate with me as a parent. Each afterword beautifully articulates what a good school that values autistic pupils would do and importantly addresses how the issue can be carelessly avoided.

Dr. Ruth Moyse
Director of "AT-Autism"

THE FAMILY EXPERIENCE OF PDA An illustrated guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance

Eliza Fricker describes her perfectly imperfect experience of raising a PDA child, with societal judgements and internal pressures, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, resentful and alone. This book's comedic illustrations explain these challenging situations and feelings in a way that words simply cannot, will bring some much-needed levity back into PDA parenting. Humorous anecdotes with a compassionate tone remind parents that they are not alone, and they're doing a great job. If children are safe, happy, and you leave the house on time, who cares about some smelly socks?

A light-hearted and digestible guide to being a PDA parent covering everything from tolerance levels, relationships and meltdowns to collaboration, flexibility, and self care to dip in and out as your schedule allows to help get to grips with this complex condition.

This book is an essential read for any parent with a PDA child, to help better understand your child, build support systems and carve out some essential self care time guilt free.

WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
FOREWORD BY RUTH FIDLER.
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2021.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

Perfectly imperfect, quirky and always en pointe, Eliza will make you nod and smile with her descriptions and illustrations whilst also providing you with a tonne of practical ideas without once seeming preachy

Dr Pooky Knightsmith
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Expert

We learn the power of softening the edges of restrictive parenting...We learn that a gentler less demanding, accepting, and positive playful parental strategy will lead to more cooperative behaviours and mutually rewarding co-regulatory interactions.

Stephen W. Porges, PhD
Professor Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Educator's Experience of Pathological Demand Avoidance Bookcover

THE EDUCATOR'S EXPERIENCE OF PATHOLOGICAL DEMAND AVOIDANCE An illustrated guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance and learning

During Laura Kerbey's time teaching autistic children, she had a sudden realisation that those with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) are children like no other! None of her tried and tested autism strategies would work to help them focus or learn and most of her time was spent wondering, what am I doing wrong?

If you feel the same, this short, easy-to-read guide is here to teach you everything you need to know from one educator to another. With an introduction to what PDA is followed by PDA tailored advice on how to connect with your student and create an autonomous, spontaneous environment that is personalised for you both, this guide is here to ensure that you and your PDA student thrive!

Illustrated by the popular Eliza Fricker and packed with entertaining anecdotes (including one about Jabba the Hut's poo), this go-to-guide contains everything you need to start implementing PDA friendly learning to help you connect with your student and help them make the most of their learning experience.

The Educator's Experience of Pathological Demand Avoidance was awarded a "Highly Commended" honor in the SEND category of the Teach Secondary Awards 2023.

WRITTEN BY LAURA KERBY.
ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED APRIL 2023.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

This positive and lively guide to working with children with PDA will become an essential part of every educator's library. Easy to dip into, entertaining and yet also full of important truths.

Dr Naomi Fisher
clinical psychologist

A really clear picture of what it is like to have PDA and some excellent ideas of how to help in school and college. Every teacher should own a copy of this book.

Caitlin
16 year old PDA'er

Because of the lived experience and personal stories, (both of successes and failures), and the language used, (omg plus those awesome images!), this is an incredibly important tool in supporting those in education to begin to reframe and rethink their approaches and education styles.

Tigger Pritchard
Autistic/PDA Advocate, Consultant and Trainer

of great help to educators who are new to PDA. The writing is digestible, which combined with the format’s ‘on point’ illustrations, makes for a very enjoyable and insightful read.

Rebecca Leek
Teach Secondary Awards

Nurturing Your Austistic Young Person bookcover

NURTURING YOUR AUTISTIC YOUNG PERSON A Parent’s Handbook to Supporting Newly Diagnosed Teens and Pre-Teens

As the parent of a child recognised as autistic as a pre-teen or teen, it can often feel difficult to find the answers you need. Children who make it to late primary/early secondary age before being picked up by the system tend to present with traits that are harder to spot, meaning it can be harder to engage professionals in the diagnostic process and gather the necessary support.

Cathy Wassell, CEO of Autistic Girls Network, has tailored this handbook to support parents with older children or teenagers who are at the identification stage, walking them through the basics in an engaging and accessible manner. She addresses key challenges for this age group, including co-occurring conditions, puberty, and safeguarding, as well as looking to the future, advising on schooling options, and beyond.

Designed to help parents become fully informed and ensure a nurturing and positive environment for our autistic young people, this is a guide with a focus on difference - not deficit.

WRITTEN BY CATHY WASSELL.
ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
FOREWORD BY EMILY BURKE.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2022.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

This wonderful book provides the answers needed by parents or teachers of a newly identified autistic child or young person. Accessible and comprehensive, full of practical examples and strategies.

Dr. Mary Doherty
Founder of "Autistic Doctors International"

I would put it in the bracket of imperative reading for any parent of an autistic child - and anyone who wants to have a better understanding of autistic children. I have rarely read such a superb autism-related book.

Luke Beardon
Senior Lecturer in Autism at Sheffield Hallam

No stone has been left unturned in this wonderfully accessible, comprehensive cornucopia guide for parents and carers...this book is a must have for anyone wishing to support their late diagnosed teen or young adult.

Ellie Costello
Director "Square Peg CIC"

A DIFFERENT WAY TO LEARN Neurodiversity and Self-Directed Education

Neurodivergent children experience and interact with the world differently to many of their peers. Standard educational systems often fail to adapt to their unique strengths and ways of learning. School, and even the act of learning, can become a source of great anxiety and trauma. Self-directed education offers an alternative to traditional schools that can help neurodivergent children develop at their own pace and thrive.

Blending theory, practical advice and lived experience, clinical psychologist Naomi Fisher introduces the world of self-directed learning and tailoring the learning environment to your child.

This comprehensive overview of self-directed learning is packed with ideas on how to implement it at home and includes interviews from parents of neurodivergent children on how you can make learning differently work for you and your child.

WRITTEN BY NAOMI FISHER.
ILLUSTRATED BY ELIZA FRICKER.
PUBLISHED JUNE 2023.
JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS.

A really important book giving a platform to the many 'SEND' families who have been largely unheard in the education debate.

Kezia Cantwell-Wright
Founder "East Kent Sudbury"

I wish that I had read this book before becoming a parent and a teacher! She is a passionate voice for all children not just those defined as neuro-diverse.

Derry Hannam
Retired Deputy Headteacher and Inspector

It should be required reading for all educators, young people and their parents and carers - anyone who has ever wondered if another way is possible. Because it's not just possible. It's already happening...

Dr James Mannion,
Director "Rethinking Education"