What is your home parish, and how did you become affiliated with the Arlington diocese?
I was born and raised in the Arlington diocese. Growing up, I attended Holy Spirit Church in Annandale, both for school and with my family as our home parish. I attended Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, then spent four years in Houston at the University of St. Thomas. After graduation, my husband and I were married at Holy Spirit, eventually moving to Springfield and attending St. Raymond of Peñafort Church in Springfield for 13 years. We moved to Stafford and began attending St. William of York Church in 2019.
Professionally, I taught English at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly until our first daughter was born, and my husband was the director of counseling there until moving to John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Potomac Shores. My oldest daughter graduated from John Paul the Great in 2025, and her sister is currently a sophomore there. Our son is heading into middle school.
Why did you write this book?
Since 2017, I have run Quirky Catholic Kids (formerly Not So Formulaic, profiled in a previous Catholic Herald article), a ministry for Catholic moms raising neurodivergent children. I’ve published over a dozen books and resources for neurodivergent families, and my newest book from Sophia Institute Press, “Quirky Catholic Kids: Navigating Neurodivergence with Faith and Joy,” provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and joys inherent in raising neurodivergent children in the faith.
Can you synopsize the book in a few sentences?
Drawing from scientific research, psychology and my own personal faith journey, the book addresses how to turn hurdles into stepping stones of hope; effective approaches for processing the challenges, fears and frustrations common in neurodivergent family life; and affording parents and children powerful techniques for gaining trust and perseverance in the valleys. The book also tackles:
- Methods for channeling child behaviors, such as hyper focusing, to make them fruitful
- Step-by-step advice on how to respond to meltdowns and help children regulate their emotions
- How to develop social skills through games, role-playing and stories
- Tips on fostering executive functioning skills and navigating difficulties with eating and sleeping
- Five ways to evaluate whether inappropriate behavior is a matter of discipline or development
- Ways to strike a balance with your child’s daily use of screen time
- Guides for effective faith formation and parent-child interactions
What’s something else the average Catholic in the pew should know about it?
The book also contains a list of 100 patron saints organized by interests, hobbies and potential neurodivergences.
Find out more
Kochis founded the Quirky Catholic Kids website and community in 2017, where she provides practical support and prayerful encouragement to Catholic families raising neurodivergent children. To find out more and contact her, go to quirkycatholickids.com.
