Hidden Gems: Meet Patty Laushman of Thrive Autism Coaching

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patty Laushman.

Hi Patty, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I came to my current work through both personal and professional experience. Like many families, my own faced the challenges that come with navigating a world designed for neurotypical people when you or your loved ones are neurodivergent. Over time, I saw how little effective help existed for autistic adults trying to achieve goals that would improve their quality of life and for parents of autistic emerging adults who were stuck in what people often call “failure to launch.” Parents were desperate for tools that actually worked, and autistic adults just needed someone who understood how their brains worked and could help them break goals into manageable steps and learn skills that would change their lives.

I started Thrive Autism Coaching to fill that gap. In the beginning, I was doing one-on-one coaching with autistic adults to help them with really practical things like strengthening daily living skills, social and relationship skills, and executive functioning skills. Quickly, I realized parents also needed support, so I expanded my work to include parent coaching. Parents were struggling with constant conflict, combined with uncertainty and fear about their emerging adults’ futures. I taught parents the parenting framework I developed through parenting my own son, the SBN™ parenting framework, which stands for Support, Boundaries, and Nudges. This gave parents a step-by-step formula to shift their parenting style from an authoritative to more of a collaborative approach. This process activates intrinsic motivation and enables their emerging adult children to improve their self-sufficiency while also deepening the parent-child relationship.

Today, Thrive Autism Coaching has grown to include group coaching programs for both autistic adults and parents of emerging adults, alumni communities, and we have a diverse team of coaches who specialize in working with neurodivergent clients on a variety of different goals.

I have also been invited to speak at various events on the topics of parenting autistic emerging adults and the neurodiversity paradigm. My book, “Parenting for Independence: Overcoming Failure to Launch in Autistic Emerging Adults,” will be published in November 2025.

It’s part of my mission to help autistic adults and their families experience more hope, less stress, and greater self-sufficiency. Every part of my journey has been about creating the tools, resources, and community I wish had existed when I first started.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been helping people understand that autistic teens and adults need support that looks very different from what most of us were taught as parents. Traditional parenting approaches often stop helping autistic individuals develop the skills they need to thrive by the time they reach their late teens and sometimes much sooner, and many parents feel like they’ve failed when in reality, they just haven’t been given the right tools.

On the business side, building Thrive Autism Coaching has meant wearing every hat—coaching, marketing, running groups, writing, handling all the technology, and now publishing a book. I’ve learned many things I didn’t know before I started this business. There were many moments of self-doubt and times when I wasn’t sure if people would even be interested in what I had to offer. What kept me going was seeing real progress. I live for my clients’ successes, like a parent telling me their relationship with their adult child had improved, or an autistic individual reaching a goal they never thought possible. These moments reminded me why I started and gave me the motivation to keep moving forward.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Thrive Autism Coaching is all about helping autistic adults and their families increase quality of life and independence. Of course we have a team of coaches who work with neurodivergent individuals and parents one-on-one, and everything is individualized to their goals.

The group program that I’m probably best known for is Parenting for Independence, which has helped families all over the world. Through this program I teach parents how to apply my SBN™ parenting framework to their individual situation in community with other families struggling with similar challenges. Often, these are families whose emerging adult is either not on track to achieve their optimal level of self-sufficiency or they are just completely stuck, not moving forward in either college or career. There is an alumni community parents can graduate into if they’d like to continue working on the curriculum with access to me and the other parents.

Then we have a group coaching program for autistic adults called Intimate Relationship Pathways that helps them develop deeper connections with others. Many participants come in feeling unsure about how to navigate relationships, dating, intimacy, and sexuality, they’ve had discouraging experiences in the past. Through the program, they gain concrete tools that lead to greater confidence and feeling more hopeful about finding healthy, meaningful relationships. They can also graduate into an alumni community if they’d like to continue the work at the end of the program.

What really sets us apart is that we come from the neurodiversity perspective. We don’t see autism as something to be “fixed.” Instead, we help people understand differences, leverage their strengths, mitigate challenges, and build real-world skills that matter for daily living, relationships, and independence.

And now, with my book Parenting for Independence: Overcoming Failure to Launch in Autistic Emerging Adults coming out in November 2025, I’m excited to be able to reach even more families who are looking for hope and concrete strategies.

Brand-wise, I’m proud that Thrive Autism Coaching has become known as a place where people feel both understood and empowered. I want readers to know that everything I do—whether it’s coaching, speaking, or the book—is designed to increase understanding and hope and provide actionable steps toward increased quality of life for autistic adults and more peaceful, connected relationships for families.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
One thing I’d like everyone to know is that it’s never too late for change. I’ve seen parents who felt hopeless about their adult child’s future begin to rebuild connection, reduce conflict, and watch their child take steps forward. I’ve also seen autistic adults who thought self-sufficiency or meaningful relationships weren’t possible for them discover new skills, confidence, and opportunities. Progress may not always look the way we expect, but it is absolutely possible.

I also want people to know that if you are a parent, you’re not alone. So many families are going through the same struggles, even though it often feels isolating. That’s why I’ve worked so hard to build not just coaching programs, but also community spaces where parents and autistic adults can find understanding and support.

At the end of the day, this is more than just a business for me. My mission is bigger than coaching or speaking or writing. It’s about shifting the way society views autistic adults—away from deficits and toward possibilities. Autistic individuals bring valuable perspectives and strengths, and when we support them in thriving on their own terms, we all benefit. That’s the message I hope people take with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thriveautismcoaching.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/autistcoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutistCoach
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattylaushman/
• Other: http://www.pattylaushman.com/