Autism Dadcast
Autism Dadcast is an unfiltered and honest podcast from two dads, Gaz and Andrew, who share their experiences of raising children with autism. They offer a raw, sometimes humorous look at the challenges and joys of autism parenting from a male perspective. The show aims to provide support and a sense of community for other parents in similar situations.
Episodes
#50 | EHCP & SEND Reform: Who Decides It's Overdiagnosis?
Fifty episodes in, and last week we asked for one thing: a party that would put a proper plan for SEND families on the table. This week, one did.Gaz and Andy start with the Oxford Half Marathon and the £1,360 you helped raise for Ambitious About Autism, including one anonymous £700 that took the pressure right off. Thank you, whoever you are.Then a listener in our Discord sent in Restore Britain&#
#49 | Autism Diagnosis: A Two-Year Wait, Unless You Can Pay
Some families are now facing a two-year minimum wait just to be assessed for autism. Around 295,000 people are on the waiting list in England. A private clinic can do it in weeks, if you can pay.Gaz and Andy start with the "golden ticket" debate. The diagnosis opens the door to support, so what happens to the families who cannot afford to skip the queue? Andy remembers the first time he filled in
#48 | Autism Elopement: "He Will Not Respond To His Name"
Not the episode we planned to record.This week a three year old went missing from a playground in Suffolk and was found in a pond the next day. He was non-verbal, partially deaf and on the autism pathway. Thirteen hundred members of the public joined the search.This is not an investigation, and it is not a judgement on a devastated family. It is about a danger that thousands of families live with
858 Parents Told Us The Fear They Never Say Out Loud
Andy put a post up asking autism parents to name the one fear they have never said out loud. 858 people answered, and 103 of them said almost exactly the same thing.So we sat down and read them. Not the tidy ones, the ones people only admit when nobody can see their name next to it. Mourning the child you thought you were getting. Envying families who can wake up and just go somewhere. Feeling lik
#46 | Robbie Williams & Should Autism Be Split Into Levels?
Robbie Williams announced at 52 that he is autistic, and said he has "a little bit of autism". Within a day the community had split over the phrasing.Gaz and Andy use it as a way into the question that keeps coming back. If one word covers Robbie Williams, and the same word covers Lydia, who is five, non-verbal and working with Makaton cards, does it still tell anyone anything? And if it
#45 | "He Doesn't Look Autistic" | 685 Parents On The Words That Stuck
Andy put a video up asking one question: which phrase from a professional never left you? His own was a paediatrician who would not answer whether Lydia was autistic, and instead said "we just need to ensure she reaches her potential, whatever that looks like." Around 685 parents answered. It is the only post we have ever done that got more comments than likes.So we sorted the lot and re
#44 | Stem Cells & Autism: Hope, Science, or a Very Expensive Gamble?
Across the world, parents of autistic children are being offered something thatsounds almost miraculous. Clinics promise better speech, better eye contact,calmer behaviour, and in some cases claim to repair or reverse autism. The priceruns from £10,000 to £40,000, and often more than once.Over the last few months we've been approached by clinic after clinic wanting tocome on the show and sell
#43 | "Where Will They Be When They're 30?" | Jolanta Lasota, Ambitious about Autism
This week Gaz and Andy sit down with Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, at their college in Isleworth. 16 years leading the charity and mum to a 21-year-old autistic son, Jolanta has seen the whole picture, from the early years right through to adulthood and employment.We talk about why purpose matters more than exams, the young man who is non-speaking and holds down two jo
#42 | "I Wouldn't Pay A Penny To Change Him" | Paul Mullin On Albi, Autism & Being A Dad
Paul Mullin has scored goals in front of millions and become a household name through Welcome to Wrexham. But this one is about the part of his life the cameras rarely catch: being dad to Albi, his autistic son.Gaz and Andy sit down with Paul for an honest, Albi-centric conversation about the regression that stopped his little boy in his tracks, the guilt that kept him up at night, and why he woul
#41 | How One Wrong Word Can Ruin An Entire Day
One missed board and one wrong word at in the morning, and Thomas's whole morning falls apart. This week Gaz and Andy unpack how much detail autistic kids track, why a single word can rewrite their day, and how much they understand even mid-meltdown. Plus Lydia becomes swimmer of the week, the new-neighbour conversation every autism parent knows, and an honest, conflicted take on the under-16 soci
#40 | Toilet training, Autism & Gut Health.
Every parent of an autistic child has been told the same thing: just take the nappy off and sit them on the toilet. This week Gaz and Andy sit down with Charmaine, a learning disability nurse turned continence consultant with over 30 years of experience, and find out why that advice not only fails, it can make things worse.What starts as a chat about toilet training turns into something much bigge
#39 | "He Opened The Door And Just Walked Off"
You can know your child inside out and still be blindsided in the space of a week.This one starts with Thomas opening the front door and wandering off down a hill in a quiet Shropshire village - the same week Lydia did almost exactly the same thing. From there it runs into the half-term chaos that brought biting back out of nowhere, the dread of summer toilet training and puberty creeping into vie
#38 | "What If You Didn't Have to Fight So Hard?"
You sit down with the paediatrician. You've got half an hour. You know thefirst 20 minutes will be you trying to prove your child is different to everyother child in that waiting room - and you'll walk out no further forward.Orrin Benford knows that feeling. After a year of being fobbed off across GPs,neurologists and urologists for his daughter Indie, he stopped trying toremember everything off t
#37 | "The Word That Broke Me in Popeye's"
Adam Parkinson came on this week. One of the Two Mr. Ps. Teaching assistant. Podcaster. Dad of two — a 10-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old autistic son called Max.We talked about Max. We talked about the plane aisle moment his wife filmed without telling him, that went viral and started everything. We talked about siblings, and what it means to watch your daughter try not to look upset when her
#36 | "Are We Doing As Much As We Can?"
We ran the London Marathon. We didn't train. We finished it. And then we had a conversation we weren't expecting to have.Halfway through writing this off as a marathon recap, we ended up admitting something neither of us had said out loud before. We talk a lot about wanting to be around as long as we can for our kids. But if we're honest, we're not always doing the things that would actually make
#35 | What Mums Wish We Knew
We put two sets of questions to the community. One for dads, one for mums. The dads sent seven. The mums sent seventeen. And most of the mums' questions were about how to get their partner on board.This one hits different. We talk about what happens when you refuse to accept your child's diagnosis. Why dads get left behind. Why mums end up carrying everything. And the moment you have to stop makin
#34 | When You Die, Will They Know You Didn't Leave?
What happens when you die and your child doesn't understand death? What if they just think you walked away?That's where this conversation ended up. It started with a story about a mum who overheard a dad talking about his autistic son and accused him of saying his life was harder than hers. It turned into something neither Gaz nor Andy were prepared for. Pre-recorded death videos. Whether
#33 | "We Have to Pay to Keep Parenting."
When your autistic child turns 18, you stop being their parent in the eyes of the law. You have to apply to the Court of Protection, pay £850, wait four months, and hope social services don't oppose it. If you don't, hospitals won't listen to you and you can't touch their bank account.We didn't know this. Most parents of young autistic children don't. A petition hit the parliamentary website askin
#32 | "I Nearly Drove Away and Never Came Back"
If you've ever looked at your child mid-meltdown and thought "I can't do this anymore," this one's for you.In this episode, Gaz sits down with his wife Mish for a raw, unfiltered conversation about what life was really like from the moment Thomas was born. The traumatic birth. The baby who wouldn't latch, wouldn't calm, wouldn't make eye contact. The feeling of be
#31 | We Asked the Minister
The government's SEND White Paper promises a better system. But what happens when the independent expert on your complaints panel gets outvoted by governors? We asked the Minister directly.Gaz and Andy sat down with Georgia Gould, Minister for Schools, inside the Department for Education to put the questions SEND families are actually asking. The tribunal gap. The complaints panel. The undefin
#30 | Inside the White Paper: What We Fought to Change
Two SEND parents were inside the government meetings every week for months. Here's what they saw — and what they had to fight to change.In this episode, Gaz and Andy sit down with Hayley and Aimee from SEND Sanctuary, who were part of the official SEND Improvement Group advising on the white paper. They break down what's actually in it, what nearly made it in that didn't, and why the bits that got
#29 | EHCPs “Protected Until 2030” Then What?
We talk through the latest SEND reform leaks and why the “EHCPs protected until 2030” line doesn’t feel like protection at all. We get into the DfE promo videos, the staged “mainstream SEND classroom” example, and why it looks like the narrative is being set before the white paper drops.Key themes:- EHCPs “protected until 2030” and what that implies after- Mainstream capacity promises vs real-worl
#28 | Your SEND Stories: Where You’ve Been Failed
This episode isn’t about us.It’s about you.We asked families to share where they’ve been failed by the SEND system. What came back was overwhelming.Draft EHCPs left open for months.Support written into plans but never delivered.Children kept “on roll” with no education.Operational failures that destroyed trust.Teenagers saying they’d rather be dead than go back to school.These aren’t isolated stor
#27 | SEND Reform Leaks
We’ve had SEND reform info leaked from a source being called credible, and it’s been picked up by The i Paper and the Financial Times.If it’s real, it suggests a four tier non-statutory system before a child can even qualify for an EHCP, with the EHCP sitting above it all like some golden ticket. That matters because non-statutory support can’t be appealed, and it basically creates a fail-first pa
#26 | £55,000 To Get Her Child Help
We met with the Schools Minister this week. We sat with Georgia Gould on a panel for an hour and we asked the questions you sent in. Georgia suggested coming on the podcast for a long form conversation. We didn't ask for it, she offered. That impressed us because politicians don't usually put themselves in uncomfortable positions like that. Then we got a message from a parent who had to remortgage
#25 | We're Meeting The Minister for School Minister
First episode back after Christmas and we're catching up on everything. Andy talks about how lowering expectations made Christmas actually work this year. Gaz shares how Mish built Thomas a cardboard slide and put all his presents at the bottom so he could slide straight into them. Pot of Pringles was one of the presents and that was the win right there.Lydia's eating fried eggs now. Full runny yo
"I Didn't Want To Go Home"
He had the house. The job. The wife. Three kids. On paper, everything was fine.But by the time his son Mason was three or four, he was falling apart. Barely sleeping. Drinking too much. Finding any excuse to stay out longer. Supermarket runs for things they didn't need. One more round at the pub. Anything to delay walking through the front door.He wasn't a bad dad. He just didn't know
They Put Him In A Converted Staff Room
A mainstream school put their autistic son in a converted staff room and left him there for two years. They called it support.Alan and his wife Alex fought for a specialist placement. Now Magnus is in a school with just 15 children total - five per key stage, one SEN teacher, and four teaching assistants. The transformation has been staggering. He's reading full books out loud for the first ti
I Wasn't The Naughty Kid
She spent her childhood in detention. Locked a teacher in a cupboard. Sat in corridors alone while everyone else learned. Missed the last six months of school because nobody wanted her there.She wasn't naughty. She was undiagnosed.Charlie was finally diagnosed autistic at 32 and ADHD three weeks before this conversation. By then, she'd already closed her business to become a full-time carer for he
"No One Has Ever Failed"
Steven has no autistic children. No family connection. No commercial interest. He just watched a movie and couldn't look away.In January, he was driving his van on the M1, listening to a documentary called The Spellers. It's about non-verbal autistic children who learned to communicate by pointing to letters on a board. 48 minutes in, he pulled over and cried.The children in the film all said the
We Had to Hand Our Son Over
Luke has four children. Three of them are autistic. His youngest, Oscar, is non-verbal with PICA — he'll eat anything, including sand and his own faeces.For years, Luke and his wife managed. He gave up his job as an HGV driver because the phone calls from home couldn't wait two hours for him to get back from Hereford. His parents were their only support network — his dad had worked with di
I Diagnosed Myself at 10
At 10 years old, during lockdown, Charlotte watched a BBC series about autism. She saw herself in it. So she did what most adults wouldn't — she researched it, gathered the evidence, and presented it to her parents.They didn't believe her at first. She didn't fit the stereotype. She wasn't a boy obsessed with trains.She was put on the pathway. She waited 3 years. She went through h
My Autistic Daughter Wasn't Bad. She Was In Pain.
On this episode, we're joined by Sean for our first ever live Christmas special recorded in front of our community.We talk about what Christmas actually looks like with autistic kids — the pressure to make it magical, the year we realised they didn't care about presents, and why one parent picks up McDonald's on Christmas Eve to reheat the next day.Sean shares the moment his girls stoo
#23 | Window Scares, Cold Weather Battles and Christmas Reality
This week we're talking about the stuff that keeps you up at night. Gaz shares the story of Thomas falling out of a window and the absolute terror of those few seconds. Andy talks about Lydia choking on a Remembrance Day pin and the chaos of trying to keep these kids safe when danger comes out of nowhere.We get into the freezing weather, the battle to get hats and gloves on kids who hate anything
#22 | “Strong Dads, Scary Thoughts & Small Wins”
Gaz and Andy sit down for one of the most open chats they’ve ever had. It’s been a long few weeks, and with Christmas creeping up, the lads talk about the heavy stuff that comes when things finally go quiet — the late-night fears about the future, the weight of responsibility, and that nagging thought every SEND parent has but never says out loud: what happens when we’re gone?They dive into what i
#21 | “SEND Sessions, Bruises & Building Something Better”
It’s been a few weeks, but Gaz and Andy are back — catching up on life, work, and the chaos of raising autistic kids through the madness of Q4.Andy shares a massive update on Lydia’s first term at her new specialist school — the highs, the progress, and the tough bit where safeguarding got real. From the shock of being asked about a bruise to understanding how vital those systems actually are, the
#20 | “Parenting in Public: Diagnosis, Doubt & The Real Shit That Matters"
Gaz and Andy sit down with Jamie Jewitt, a dad of three navigating life in the public eye while raising his autistic daughter, Nora.Jamie opens up about spotting the early signs, getting the diagnosis, and how it completely changed how he sees life, parenting, and success. He talks about the pressure of being in the public eye, dealing with trolls, the emotional rollercoaster of acceptance, and wh
#19 | “Disney, Sleep Battles & The Fight for Support”
This week we’ve got another dad on the mic — Daniel, a Shrewsbury local with two kids, one of whom is nonverbal and highly autistic. He takes us through their journey: spotting the signs early, navigating endless assessments, fighting councils for schooling, and the daily realities of sleep battles, food quirks, stims, and meltdowns.We talk about the little wins that keep you going, why applying e
#18 | “Rallies, Tylenol Panic, Health & Q&A's”
We’re back after a messy week. We headed to London for the Fight for Ordinary rally in Parliament Square, stood with hundreds of parents and carers, and heard a few politicians actually sound like they get it. Ed Davey included. Met loads of you too which was class.Then we get into the headline everyone’s shouting about. Trump and RFK Jr linking Tylenol in pregnancy to autism. We unpack the claims
Autism Dadcast: Episode 17 — “Telepathy Tapes & Dickheads in the Park”
In this episode, Gaz and Andy dive into the Telepathy Tapes — the podcast that claims some non-verbal autistic kids can communicate telepathically. Sounds mad, but could there be something in it? The lads weigh up the hype, the hope, and the science.They also share a shocking story from the park when Andy’s daughter Lydia was cruelly targeted by strangers — and how that ties into the toxic rhetori
Autism Dadcast: Episode 16 — “Back to School, Non-Verbal Moments & Awkward Questions From Strangers”
In this episode, Gaz and Andy talk about the chaos and emotions of the new school term. Andy’s daughter Lydia is starting school for the first time, while Gaz’s son Thomas faces the rollercoaster of returning after six weeks off. From anxious mornings to unexpected meltdowns, the lads share what these transitions really look like at home.They also dive into your listener questions — from how to ha
Autism Dadcast: Episode 15 — “From AFL to Autism Dad: Michael & Sunday’s Story”
In Episode 15 of Autism Dadcast, we’re joined by Michael Hibberd — former AFL premiership player turned firefighter — as he opens up for the first time about life as a dad to Sunday, his four-year-old daughter with profound autism.We chat about the early red flags, diagnosis, meltdowns in public, the emotional gut-punch of milestone checklists, and the unexpected joy in small wins (like hearing “M
Autism Dadcast: Episode 14 — “From Denial to Diagnosis: Sean, Lily & Isla’s Story”
This week we’re joined by Sean, dad to six-year-old twin girls Lily and Isla, who were both diagnosed as autistic last September. Sean opens up about the early signs — from their tunnel vision focus and delayed speech to sensory sensitivities and hearing loss — and how he first dismissed the idea that anything was “wrong.”He talks about the nursery teacher who first raised concerns, the emotional
Autism Dadcast: Episode 13 — “ADHD, Executive Dysfunction & Fighting the System: With Jessie Hewitson”
Jessie Hewitson joins us for a deep, honest convo about ADHD — what it really is, what it isn’t, and why so many kids are being let down. Jessie’s an autistic journalist, mum, and author of How to Raise a Happy Autistic Child and How to Raise a Happy ADHD Child. She’s also ADHD herself, so everything she shares is lived.We talk about executive dysfunction, rejection sensitivity, what ADHD medicati
Autism Dadcast: Ep 12 — “Three Kids, Two Hours’ Sleep & One Rare Chromosome: Chris’s Story”
This week Gaz and Andy finally sit down with fellow autism-dad Chris—the guest who famously got stuck in Cardiff last month. He’s juggling three children under five, a 5-year-old son (Kit) with profound autism and mosaic Patau syndrome (mosaic trisomy 13), and the kind of sleep schedule that would scare a Navy SEAL. Expect honesty, gallows humour and a ton of practical hacks.
Autism Dadcast Ep. 11 — “Jabs, Myths & Meltdowns: Busting the MMR-Autism Conspiracy”
This week we dive head-first into the internet’s most stubborn rumour: “Do childhood vaccines cause autism?” Spoiler… they don’t — but the guilt, fear and rabbit-holes are real.In this honest, no-filter chat we cover:0:00 – Intro & why this feels risky2:00 – The Google spiral: how new parents meet the myth5:00 – Andrew Wakefield’s infamous 12-kid “study” (and the hidden money trail)10:00 – Mas
Autism Dadcast Ep. 10 – EHCP Chaos, SEND Unit Fears & The Joy of Counting to 100
Double digits, baby! Episode 10 is here – just the two of us this time, back to basics and diving deep into the absolute mess that's unfolding with EHCP reforms.We’re unpacking:The rumours (and real fears) around scrapping EHCPs in mainstream schoolsSEND units replacing legal protection for autistic kidsHow the government and media are playing divide and conquerMPs doing photo ops while families p
Autism Dadcast Ep. 9 - Fighting for Your Kid: Ben's Raw Story of Cancer, Autism, and Dad Life
Welcome to Episode 9.5 of the Autism Dadcast. Yeah, 9.5. Because Gaz forgot to hit record the first time.Luckily, second time was even better.This week we’ve got Ben on — pro wrestler, cancer survivor, autism dad.Ben shares:How being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at 30 changed his whole outlook on lifeHis “miracle” son Ethan, born against the odds during COVIDThe brutal reality of feeling useles
Autism Dadcast Ep. 8: "Diagnosing the Kids... and the Dad"
-Jason joins us this week to talk about fighting for his daughter's autism diagnosis – and ending up with one himself.We talk about:- The EHCP process and being that parent who won't stop calling- Navigating mainstream school with selective mutism- Figuring out what's autism and what's learned behaviour in siblings- Meltdowns at the school gate- Trying (and failing) at gymnastics, then finding joy
Autism Dadcast Ep. 7 – Mario Kart, Meltdowns & Autistic Joy with Allan
In our first ever guest episode, Allan told us about his lad’s Mario Kart obsession.He’s not just watching it — he’s directing it.From character selection to track choice, he’s there whacking the corner of the telly like it’s a touchscreen.Shouting out names. Repeating catchphrases. Telling Allan exactly what to press and when.It’s not a game to him.It’s a system. A world he understands.And he’s i
Autism Dadcast Ep. 6 - “Day Trips, Holidays, and Total Meltdowns”
This week, Gaz and Andy get into the chaos behind what most people call "a nice day out."Whether it’s a quick trip to the park or the dream of a family holiday, when you’ve got an autistic child, it’s never just that simple.From public toilet refusals and changing nappies in the middle of Telford Town Park, to weighing up whether a flight to Dubai is worth the stress — they talk through
Autism Dadcast Ep. 5 – “You Asked, We Answered”
This one’s all about you lot. We put the call out for your questions on Instagram and bloody hell… you delivered.From meltdowns and non-verbal communication to EHCP struggles, relationships, public judgment, and trying to keep a spark alive when you’re both exhausted — we answer it all. Raw, unfiltered, and from two dads who’ve lived it.We get into the hard stuff like feeling isolated, grieving th
Autism Dadcast Ep. 4 - “Sleep? What's That?”
This one’s raw. We talk about what it really means when your autistic kid doesn’t sleep — not for a few weeks, but for years. From the dread of bedtime to the chaos of 3am wake-ups, we open up about the brutal toll it takes on us as dads, as partners, and as people just trying to survive the next day.Andy shares how sleep deprivation has nearly broken him and his wife, how melatonin has been a mix
Autism Dadcast Ep. 3 - “Diagnosed… Now What?”
This week, we’re talking official diagnoses – the moment it becomes real on paper. Andy shares Lydia’s recent confirmation, and Gaz reflects on his emotional response when Thomas got his.But that’s just the start…We dive deep into the broken EHCP system – the hoops, the heartbreak, and the absolute madness behind 98% of tribunals being won by parents. Why are we forcing families through years of s
Autism Dadcast Ep. 2 – Grief, Acceptance, and the Power of Community
In Episode 2 of the Autism Dadcast, Gaz and Andy open up in the rawest way yet. What started as a place to vent and find sanity has quickly become a lifeline for other dads—and mums—navigating the world of autism parenting.This episode explores: • The moment of acceptance—and the emotional fallout that comes with it • How grief shows up in unexpected ways when parenting an autistic child • The emo
Autism Dadcast Ep. 1: Real Dads, Real Talk & Really Strong Autism
In the very first episode of Autism Dadcast, Gaz and Andy introduce themselves and share their personal stories as fathers of autistic children. They discuss how their kids were diagnosed, the struggles and breakthroughs they’ve experienced, and the raw, unfiltered emotions that come with navigating life as autism dads.From the shock of the initial diagnosis to the confusion of navigating educatio
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