Dr. Myava Clark is the kind of educator and advocate families pray to find—someone who understands the systems, respects the emotions, and tells the truth without making parents feel judged. With a background in respiratory therapy and higher education, she is also a best-selling author and a devoted mother of two adult children whose life changed when she had to navigate the special education system for her son, Chris.
What started as a personal journey became a mission that now reaches parents, caregivers, and children nationwide. Dr. Clark co-founded CASEN (Collaborative Advancement for Social-Emotional Needs) with her son, building a program that empowers children ages 9–13—especially neurodivergent children—to stay safe online while developing healthy social-emotional skills. She also founded the Mothers of Exceptional Kids (MOEK) Parent Support Group, a community designed to help parents and caregivers find emotional support, avoid burnout, and guide their children toward friendships where they are celebrated.
She has authored six books and a workbook, blending personal stories with professional insight to offer hope and practical guidance. Her personal standard is clear: “I do not need to be perfect but I do need to be excellent.”
A Mother’s Turning Point That Became a Movement
There are moments in life that divide everything into “before” and “after.” For Dr. Myava Clark, that moment came when she realized how complex and exhausting it can be for a parent to fight for their child’s educational needs—especially when that child is neurodivergent. She wasn’t just learning terms and policies. She was living the emotional weight that comes with meetings, decisions, and constant advocacy.
Her story matters because it isn’t built from opinions or guesswork. It’s built from lived experience. She knows what it feels like to sit in meetings fighting for your child’s right to learn. She knows the pressure of navigating both an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and a 504 Plan. And she knows how those decisions affect more than grades—they can impact a child’s self-confidence and mental health.
Through years of persistence, she stood firmly for her children’s needs and worked to ensure they were placed in environments where they could thrive. That persistence didn’t just shape her parenting—it shaped her voice. It created a leader who can speak to parents with empathy while still giving them real tools and direction.
What CASEN and MOEK Offer Families Right Now
Many parents of neurodivergent children feel like they’re carrying the whole world on their shoulders. They’re trying to support their child at school, protect their child socially, and keep their household stable—while also trying not to fall apart themselves. Dr. Clark created solutions for that exact reality.
CASEN was built to empower children ages 9–13, especially neurodivergent children, to stay safe online while also developing healthy social-emotional skills. In today’s world, online life is not optional for kids—it’s often where friendships, bullying, identity, and pressure show up first. Dr. Clark’s work recognizes that social-emotional development isn’t a “nice extra.” It’s protection. It’s confidence. It’s stability.
MOEK supports the adults who are often overlooked in the conversation. It helps parents and caregivers find emotional support, avoid burnout, and guide their children toward friendships where they are celebrated—not tolerated. That “celebrated” piece is important, because many children with learning differences spend years feeling like they are “too much” or “not enough.” Dr. Clark pushes families toward healthier environments where children don’t have to shrink to fit in.
Together, CASEN and MOEK reflect Dr. Clark’s full-picture approach: help the child build skills and safety, and help the parent build support and endurance.
Writing With Honesty While Protecting Family Privacy
Dr. Clark’s books are powerful because they come from real life, but writing real life comes with real challenges. One of the biggest challenges she faced was telling her story as a parent while recognizing it was not just her story. Her journey also impacted her son, her husband, and her daughter, and she had to wrestle with how much detail was appropriate to share without crossing lines of privacy.
In the beginning, her husband was uncomfortable with the level of transparency she wanted because he worried it might expose too much of their son’s personal journey. That created a deep internal conflict: honor her husband’s concerns while also staying true to the kind of honesty she believes brings healing.
What encouraged her most was her son Chris’ reaction. He not only enjoyed reading her perspective, but he also wrote the foreword for her book titled HELP!. Over time, with her husband’s eventual support, Dr. Clark received confirmation that her writing could bring healing, strengthen faith, and deepen family trust.
This part of her journey matters because it reflects the way many parents feel—torn between telling the truth and protecting their child. Dr. Clark models what it looks like to lead with wisdom, care, and courage, without turning family life into entertainment.
Why Her Books Feel Different to Parents Who Are Tired
Dr. Clark believes her books stand apart because she has been able to find purpose in the pain. She doesn’t write from a distance. She writes from the inside of the experience—sleepless nights, tears, heartache, and the constant pressure of raising neurodivergent children. She has raised children with different needs: one with learning disabilities, and another who is twice-exceptional with giftedness and ADHD. That combination gave her a perspective that blends empathy and advocacy.
Some books in this space focus only on strategies. Others focus only on feelings. Dr. Clark brings both. She understands the emotional toll, and she also understands how to navigate systems. She knows what it means to advocate without losing yourself. Her work doesn’t just present information—it offers encouragement, transparency, and hope.
Most importantly, her books “walk alongside” the reader. She reminds parents they are not alone and equips them with tools and insights to advocate effectively for their children without burning out.
The Legacy She’s Building for Parents and Caregivers
Dr. Clark doesn’t want to be remembered as someone who lectured families. She wants to be remembered as someone who truly cared—someone who supported parents and caregivers of neurodivergent children by offering practical tools and emotional encouragement. Her deepest hope is that when readers open her books, they feel as though she is sitting across the table from them—listening, guiding, and reassuring them that they are not alone.
Her goal is not to create dependency on her voice. Her goal is to empower families to become confident advocates. She often communicates that her books are just the beginning, not the end. They are designed as resource guides—practical, accessible, and full of direction—so families don’t have to spend years piecing essential information together on their own.
That is the type of legacy that lasts: not just inspiration, but tools. Not just empathy, but direction. Not just awareness, but real help for real families.
Contact Information
Dr. Myava Clark
Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania
Instagram: @drmyava
Facebook: CASEN Social Wellness
LinkedIn: Dr. Myava Clark, PhD, RRT-NPS
Websites: casenllc.com and mothersofexceptionalkids.com/home
