Raising Riley, My Enigma

This is not a story about fixing a child. It is a story about learning how to fight for one. When Riley began showing signs of neurodivergence at age three, his mother was thrust into a fragmented system of complex labels, conflicting guidance, and unanswered questions. What followed was a near decade-long journey of advocacy-navigating therapies, schools, medical decisions, and the emotional weight that comes with raising a neurodivergent child. Spanning Riley's early childhood through pre-adolescence, this memoir blends raw, honest storytelling with practical, hard-earned insight. Written for newly diagnosed parents, long-term caregivers, educators, therapists, and professionals, it offers perspectives that can't be found in textbooks-only through lived experience. At its heart, this is a story of resilience, fierce love, and the determination to show up again and again when the path forward feels uncertain. Kristen Durham is an author, mother, and advocate living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She holds a master's degree in Psychology and is a former licensed massage therapist. Now a writer and aspiring day trader, Kristen brings adaptability, analytical thinking, resilience, and persistence to her work. Her writing offers clarity, validation, and hope to those supporting neurodivergent children.