Patty Laushman is an author, speaker, educator, and coach specializing in neurodiversity and the transition to adulthood for autistic and neurodivergent individuals. She is the creator of the SBN parenting framework, a practical approach that helps parents learn when to provide support, when to set boundaries, and when to give strategic nudges to activate intrinsic motivation so their emerging adults can build confidence and real-life skills.

Patty is the author of Parenting for Independence: Overcoming Failure to Launch in Emerging Autistic Adults and the founder of Thrive Autism Coaching, where she leads the Parenting for Independence group coaching program for parents of autistic teens and adults. Her coaching is grounded in both lived experience—parenting and homeschooling a profoundly gifted, multi-exceptional, autistic teen—and professional expertise, having worked with hundreds of families across the United States and beyond.

She is a Certified Autism Life Coach through the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE), whose LifeMAP program has supported more than 3,000 autistic teens and adults, and she also holds certification in employment services for people with disabilities through the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE). Patty’s professional background includes founding, growing, and selling a technology services company, as well as nearly a decade as a self-employed sales development consultant.

With a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, a master’s in journalism, and teaching experience as a high school chemistry teacher, Patty brings both rigor and creativity to her work. She speaks regularly to parent groups, professional organizations, and conferences on topics including the neurodiversity paradigm, the SBN parenting framework, declarative language, and practical strategies for helping autistic emerging adults thrive.

She lives in the Denver/Boulder metro area. In her spare time, she enjoys everything the outdoors has to offer, especially hiking, backpacking, and camping. She loves heavy metal music and watching crime and medical television dramas. Her favorite television series is Star Trek: The Next Generation, and her favorite movies are Apollo 13 and Titanic. She’s also an avid reader, as evidenced by the numerous stacks of books all over her house.