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PODCAST

Autism Dadcast

An unfiltered, unflinching, and occasionally inappropriate deep dive into the world of autism parenting, from a dad"s perspective. Gaz and Andy are two dads doing this in real time, not experts with a script. Honest conversations about autism and ADHD, diagnosis and assessment, EHCPs and school, meltdowns and sensory overload, and the parts of SEN parenting nobody warns you about. Support the show at bit.ly/dadcast-support

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

01:03:57

Episode 29 | EHCPs “Protected Until 2030” Then What?

Autism Dadcast ·

2026/02/18

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-world needsThe stereotype kit: fidgets, coloured cards, tidy optics- Safety Valve scheme and the financial

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01:14:08

Episode 28 | Your SEND Stories: Where You’ve Been Failed

Autism Dadcast ·

2026/02/12

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 stories.The patterns are repeating across the country.With SEND reform on the horizon, we’re asking a simple

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01:13:24

Autism Dadcast: Episode 27 | SEND Reform Leaks

Autism Dadcast ·

2026/01/29

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 pathway where kids have to struggle repeatedly before anyone is legally forced to help.We’re not

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01:02:38

Autism Dadcast: Episode 26 | £55,000 To Get Her Child...

Autism Dadcast ·

2026/01/20

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 their house for £55,000 to get their child the placement they needed. Fifty five thousand

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00:43:52

Episode 25 | We're Meeting The Minister for School...

Autism Dadcast ·

2026/01/14

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 yolk. She's licking butter off toast and kissing TV screens when steaks appear. New foods are

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00:30:38

"I Didn't Want To Go Home"

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/12/31

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 how to be one — not for a child like Mason. Non-verbal. ADHD. Severe sleep issues. Smashing up the

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00:15:18

They Put Him In A Converted Staff Room

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/12/30

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 time in two years. He's responding to "now and next" language. He understands cause and

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00:30:34

I Wasn't The Naughty Kid

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/12/28

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 her son AJ — non-verbal, tube-fed, PDA profile, sensory processing difficulties. A child the system

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00:37:25

"No One Has Ever Failed"

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/12/26

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 same thing: "I'm in here."Since then, he's read over 120 books written by non-speaking autistics and

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00:30:41

We Had to Hand Our Son Over

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/12/24

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 disabled children his whole life.Then his dad died unexpectedly. And his mum said the words no one wants

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00:13:44

I Diagnosed Myself at 10

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/12/22

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 half of secondary school undiagnosed, unsupported, and struggling.When the diagnosis finally came, it

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00:37:59

My Autistic Daughter Wasn't Bad. She Was In Pain.

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/12/20

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 stood up and delivered speaking parts in their school play after years of sitting in the corner with a

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01:13:22

Autism Dadcast: Episode 23 | Window Scares, Cold...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/11/24

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 on their heads, and why play barns are basically combat zones for autistic kids trying to navigate

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01:31:58

Autism Dadcast: Episode 22 — “Strong Dads, Scary...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/11/09

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 it really means to be “strong” as an autism dad — not in the gym sense (though that comes up), but

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00:55:34

Autism Dadcast: Episode 21 — “SEND Sessions, Bruises...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/11/01

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 lads unpack what every SEND parent eventually learns the hard way.Then it’s on to a “SEND-friendly”

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01:11:51

Autism Dadcast: Episode 20 — “Parenting in Public:...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/10/13

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 why he’s stopped worrying about milestones and started celebrating the little wins.The lads dive deep into

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01:31:07

Autism Dadcast: Episode 19 — “Disney, Sleep Battles &...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/10/03

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 early for support is crucial, and how families juggle siblings, relationships, and money when the system

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01:14:33

Autism Dadcast: Episode 18 — “Rallies, Tylenol Panic,...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/09/28

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, the weak evidence, the fallout for mums, and why the whole “cure autism” thing hits very differently

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00:50:53

Autism Dadcast: Episode 17 — “Telepathy Tapes &...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/09/11

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 rhetoric creeping into politics and SEND reform. On top of that, they talk EHCP battles, the Fight for Ordinary

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01:09:03

Autism Dadcast: Episode 16 — “Back to School,...

Autism Dadcast ·

2025/09/04

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 handle strangers talking to your non-verbal child, to navigating EHCPs, therapy pressures, and the

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