The book, Raising the Sen-Betweeners, is a memoir of the highs and lows of raising neurodivergent kids. She initially self-published on 24 October. “I’d had a good month on TikTok and made £1,000,” says Lloyd. “I had met a woman who worked with self-published authors and she knew how to get it on Amazon. So I told my husband Terry ‘I’m just going to have to take the risk and use that money to pay for this. I just have to do it, and it may not pay off but then again it might’.”
“Then within a couple of days, I started getting phone call after phone call from different publishers,” she adds.
The deposit for Lisa’s book means the family have been able to put a deposit down on a bigger house
Lloyd’s approach on social media – and in the book – is a down-to-earth, funny take on life with autistic kids, and the trials and tribulations of navigating the world of special educational needs. The type of parents historically given platforms to talk about this are often middle class, and Lloyd isn’t from this background.
Her two kids, Finn and Poppy, are 11 and eight respectively. Finn was diagnosed aged six after four years on a waiting list. Poppy, whose speech was slow to develop, was diagnosed at the age of three.
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Getting appropriate support for Finn was a “massive battle” as he masked his difficulties so effectively. “Finn was the most well-behaved child you could meet. Which is kind of deadly for those kids who need support.”
“These are the ‘in betweener’ kids I talk about in my book,” explains Lloyd. “They can do the school work but they cannot cope with noisy environments, the other children, and the sensory issues. These kids’ needs get dismissed so much as often it’s invisible to teachers.”
Lisa thinks Poppy has an autistic profile known as pathological demand avoidance (PDA), which means “ordinary” demands can result in high anxiety, something teachers are working with by offering a low-demand approach.
“I have always said that people who look from the outside think Poppy is more so-called severe with her autism than Finn because she’s more disruptive, loud and daydreamy. And I tell them that actually it’s the other way round: she doesn’t care what other people think and she’s basically happy. Whereas Finn often has the weight of the world on his shoulders and the anxiety and the need to fit in.”
Lisa loves working as an influencer as it offers her a lot of flexibility around the kids
Earlier this year, she herself was assessed for autism after some of her autistic followers pointed out they thought she was autistic too. Her assessment included a discussion about why she found some jobs difficult and the clinician – who diagnosed her with autism – pointed out her job was actually perfect for an autistic person: she doesn’t have annoying colleagues and can work from home.
“I hated going to the parks, hated sleepovers, and was terrified of other children. I didn’t like change. I used to do gymnastics every week and absolutely loved it. Then the class changed location and I never went again. I lived off of spaghetti hoops and ham and wouldn’t eat anything else. I was very skinny and pale. I was diagnosed with depression in my early teens and put on antidepressants, but no one uncovered what the real issue was.
Lisa also thinks she has ADHD and one feature of her life so far is that she has found it difficult to stick to things, or finishing them. She had started writing her book multiple times, but never got to the end.
The dream was to move into a three-bedroom house. ”I’ve been able to come off benefits and now we are moving and it is because of the book.” she says. “It’s definitely been a good year.”
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