Amanda’s Reading List
Below is a list of the books I use to strengthen my parenting, more fully support my clients, and conduct my own healing. My passions are focused on the nervous system, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Autism, somatic healing, and education. I have read about half of the books listed below and will read the rest – I’m taking it book-by-book.
Why Am I Sharing
I am sharing because the books I have listed here hold magic for me and maybe they do for you too. These books have been incredible in enhancing myself as a therapist and mom. I would go so far to say that they have changed the course of my son’s and my life for the better. These books have led me to parent through a nervous system lens, seek out somatic touch healing for myself and my son, and to pursue training in somatic touch healing so I can offer it to my clients (my course work starts in December 2025 with Dr. Kathy Kain). I also recommend these books often to other parents and am sure they have made a difference.
And yes, just like you, I too don’t have time to read but I am driven to read and so I found a way. I use audio books and listen to them every moment I can – typically while walking my dog or grocery shopping.
The List
These books are listed in alphabetical order by first name and not in order of importance. The most influential for me are – Nurturing Resilience, Changing our Minds, Cured, The Brain that Changes Itself, and Brain Body Parenting. But I fully anticipate that my list will evolve over time.
| Alfie Kohn | Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise and other Bribes |
| Alice Running | Helping Your Child with PDA Live a Happier Life |
| Amanda Diekman | Low-Demand Parenting |
| Barry Prizant | Uniquely Human: A different Way of Seeing Autism |
| Claire Truman | The Teacher’s Introduction to Pathological Demand Avoidance |
| Dan Siegel | The Whole Brain Child: Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture your Child’s Developing Mind |
| Deb Dana | Anchored |
| Diane Gould and Ruth Fidler | Navigating PDA in America |
| Eliza Fricker | The Family Experience of PDA: An Illustrated Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance |
| Can’t Not Won’t: A Story About a Child who Couldn’t go to School | |
| Jane Sherwin | My Daughter is Not Naughty |
| Jeffrey Rediger | Cured: Strengthen Your Immune System and Heal Your Life |
| Jenera Nerenberg | Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World that Wasn’t Designed for You |
| Kathy Kain and Stephen Terrell | Nurturing Resilience: Helping Clients Move Forward from Developmental Trauma-An Integrative Somatic Approach |
| Laura Kerbey | The Educator’s Experience of Pathological Demand Avoidance |
| Linda Murphy | Co-Regulation Handbook |
| Declarative Language Handbook | |
| Naomi Fisher | Changing our Minds: How Children can take control of their own learning |
| Norman Doidge | The Brain that Changes Itself |
| The Brain’s Way of Healing: Stories of Remarkable Recoveries and Discoveries | |
| Mona Delahooke | Brain Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behaviour and Start Raising Joy filled Resilient Kids |
| Beyond Behaviours: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioural Challenges | |
| Peter A. Levine | An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey |
| Waking the Tiger | |
| In an Unspoken Voice | |
| Trauma Proofing Your Kids | |
| Margaret Duncan, Zara Healy, Ruth Fidler, Phil Christie | Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children: A Guide for Parents Teachers and other Professionals |
| Robyn Gobbel | Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies That Really Work |
| Ross Greene | The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children |
| Sally Cat | PDA by PDAers |
| Stewart Shanker | Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life |
BOOM Healing
BOOM Healing is located in Anmore, next to Buntzen Lake. We offer Osteopathy, Neurofeedback, and Counselling services. BOOM typically serves the neighbouring communities of Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Belcarra – alough we have had clients travel from far and wide. Please click on our contact page to learn more or set up an appointment.
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