HOLD ON TIGHT

This memoir follows two children from infancy through adulthood as their family navigates mental health challenges.

Stewart, a senior partner at a global executive search firm, and her husband, David, were overjoyed to have two children. Andrew and Ainsley were born with their own unique challenges: Both were born with mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders that significantly affected their lives, their connections with friends and family members, and their roles within the community. Their firstborn, Andrew, was difficult to soothe, developed tantrums, and had trouble achieving social milestones. Ainsley, their second child, was an overactive risk taker who developed significant anxiety and difficulties with focusing, learning, and self-regulation. When the family first sought help with Andrew, they were told by pediatricians, friends, and family members that their expectations and anxieties were too high. As Andrew grew, Stewart writes, his rages forced the family to pad the playroom. Ainsley, meanwhile, had trouble learning, sitting still, and connecting with her peers; her anxiety caused her to be convinced that there was a stranger in the basement plotting to kill her. Well-meaning relatives gave the family damaging advice, close friends distanced themselves, and the medical and school communities initially denied their needs. Stewart and her husband did their own research, finding child psychiatrists to manage and adjust medications, seeking out therapists, settling on daily child care, finding new schools, navigating the special education system, and, later, finding appropriate care and work for each child in adulthood. Stewart’s memoir presents case studies of Andrew and Ainsley followed by insights and strategies to support families navigating similar journeys. It’s an honest book that illustrates the difficulties the family faced. Stewart also appealingly shows great compassion toward not only her children and husband, but also her intended readership. In addition, the story enters territory that similar narratives don’t address, such as adulthood and work.

A sensitive remembrance that shows how mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders affect kids and their families.