Eliza Fricker is a talented writer and illustrator who has written three books: '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' And most recently 'Thumbsucker: An illustrated journey through an undiagnosed autistic childhood' It’s the second of these books that we’re talking mostly about in this episode - Can’t Not Won’t. It’s a fascinating read - funny and heartbreaking in equal measure - and Eliza’s illustrations and wry observations really shine a light on what it’s like when your child finds that they are no longer able to attend school. It really should be recommended reading for any teachers and school leaders, as well as for young people with barriers to attendance, and their families There is no shortage of young people who struggle to attend school of late - Eliza has cunningly tapped into a growing market. There are many lessons to learn from this conversation and I’d love to hear your thoughts. The best way to stay in touch is via the Rethinking Education newsletter, a monthly round-up of podcast, blogs, conference news and updates about the Education Policy Alliance. If you’re interested, sign up at the link below. And you can reply to those emails and let me know what’s going on for you. LINKS: Eliza’s website: https://missingthemark.co.uk/ Sign up to the Rethinking Education Round-up Newsletter: https://rethinkinged.beehiiv.com/ DON’T BE A STRANGER: The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via a social platform of your choosing: Twitter: www.twitter.com/RethinkingJames Insta: www.instagram.com/drjamesmannion LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/ SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: www.patreon.com/repod Buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod