Different Minds

Brought to you by Penguin. If you have an autistic child, you will be painfully aware of the challenges they face in education. Beyond the headlines on SEN provision are real children who struggle from day-to-day – how can we help them? In Different Minds, neurodivergence campaigner and former teacher Pete Wharmby shines a light on what it’s like to be autistic in Western school systems today, so that we can understand how to support our children through the most important years of their lives. Through a blend of story-telling, polemic and empathetic advice, Wharmby exposes the inadequacies of the current system, explains how differences have been mislabelled as ‘challenging behaviour’ and provides a blueprint for understanding and supporting young autistic minds. Galvanising and compassionate, this important book empowers parents, teachers and carers to take a stand against the vilification of our autistic school children and provide the scaffolding they need to thrive. © Pete Wharmby 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026