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Autism Dadcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Gaz and Andrew
An unfiltered, unflinching, and occasionally inappropriate deep dive into the world of autism parenting-from a dad's perspective.
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- 1 weeks ago1h 36m
#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 it to you. We said no. Instead we went and read thestudies.This one isn't about having a go at parents. Every parent looking at this isacting out of love, and we've both been desperate enough to try anything. Butlove doesn't mean a clinic gets to make huge claims without evidence. Stem celltherapy is a legitimate area of research. It is not currently a proven treatmentfor autism, and there's a difference between something being researched andsomething being proven.We also get into the ITV whistleblower, and the GB News piece asking whether"those people" should have access to children.Timestamps00:00 Hope, science, or a very expensive gamble02:21 We are not attacking parents10:15 What autism actually is13:18 What stem cells actually are15:56 The 2017 Duke study, 25 kids and no placebo18:47 The 2020 Duke study, and what it found24:38 Claim: a 95% success rate29:08 Why you'd swear blind it worked31:45 Thomas and Lydia progressed. Neither had stem cells35:37 Claim: it repairs the autistic brain38:12 Claim: most children improve40:45 Claim: our treatment is evidence based43:02 The risks nobody puts in the brochure48:00 What that money could buy instead50:45 The influencer taking commission54:02 Have a word with yourself66:45 "Have you missed the treatment window?"72:32 Myths and facts82:55 The ITV whistleblower86:50 GB News and "those people"Latest episode in the link tree in bio.
- 2 weeks ago50 min
#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 jobs, the boy who was allowed to come to school in his pyjamas, and naming the grief nobody warns you about. Jolanta describes raising an autistic child as walking through woods with no path and no torch, and says the job is to be the one who carries the light. Honest, hopeful, and one of our favourite conversations yet.Timestamps- 00:00 Welcome, and where we are today- 00:27 [GUEST]'s journey, 16 years at Ambitious about Autism- 01:07 What's really changed in how we understand autism- 05:57 The sensory pod that blew us away- 06:58 The schools, the age groups, and post-19 provision- 10:36 Why "purpose" matters more than a curriculum- 12:20 "Walking through woods with no torch": what family life feels like- 13:27 The non-speaking young man with two jobs- 15:03 Are employers actually changing?- 15:49 Policy, the white paper, and autism as a political football- 20:06 Being the "happy helper", never enemy-ising people- 22:14 What school looks like at four to seven- 24:40 Focus on strengths, don't drill them on what they can't do- 27:09 Gaz's own school story: six D's and learning differently- 33:03 The weight of GCSEs and "lost leaders"- 38:02 Don't underestimate them: the iPad "daddy" moment- 40:28 Parents' guilt, and why it won't always be okay- 43:47 Grief without a death- 45:06 What's next for Ambitious about Autism- 49:13 Thanks and close
- Jun 26, 202644 min
#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 wouldn't change a single thing about his son. Plus the moment Albi found a way to tell him 'you're my best friend' without saying a word.If you have ever felt like the only dad going through this, this one is for you.Timestamps00:00 Welcome Paul Mullin01:00 The first signs, and Albi after his 12-month jabs02:00 Regression: like a click of the fingers04:00 The guilt, and crying himself to sleep04:30 I wouldn't pay a penny to change him05:35 Denial, and getting the diagnosis07:20 Speaking about it on Welcome to Wrexham08:24 The hope that kills you11:38 Why 'he'll be fine' doesn't help13:00 Did he grieve? The problem-solver dad16:14 Being a footballer dad: time away and routine19:12 How Albi communicates now22:15 Holidays: frozen meals, dry ice and the airport25:40 Coming home: holidays, holidays, holidays27:50 Razor-sharp awareness: he just knows29:20 The crafty negotiator: jet skis and boats33:40 The best friend clip35:07 Macho on the pitch, in tears at home35:48 Autism in Racing and giving back38:26 Nobody ever asks the dad how he is43:00 Advice to a dad just starting the journeyNew episodes of the Autism Dadcast every week. Real talk, real dads, real autism. Listen, follow and find everything in our link tree in bio.
- Jun 19, 20261h 2m
#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 social media ban and what it overlooks for autistic teens.Timestamps00:00 Charlie's shop opening and meeting Sophie the BTS superfan02:00 Lydia's swimming breakthrough: swimmer of the week03:40 Thomas's Monday meltdown: how one wrong word derailed the morning06:10 He knew the score: what the meltdown hid09:15 The new neighbour, the fence, and explaining autism again11:05 Attention to detail: the thing they do best14:35 The under-16 social media ban: where we land26:15 What the ban gets wrong about autistic kidsLatest episode and Discord in the link tree in our bio. Merch from Neurospicy & Co at neurospicyandco.uk, 10% off with code DADCAST.
- Jun 11, 20261h 17m
#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 bigger: gut health, the gut-brain connection, sleep, meltdowns, and the quiet toll this takes on a whole family. Charmaine explains why you have to start inside the body and not on the toilet, why it is learning and not training, and why no parent struggling with this has ever been failing.If you have ever felt judged, stuck, or completely on your own with this, this one is for you.Chapters00:00 Meet Charmaine, continence consultant02:45 Why toilet training is so hard for autistic kids03:34 Gut health and the gut biome05:43 The gut as a second brain10:07 Where to actually start (inside the body)11:59 The Bristol stool chart21:54 Nobody makes mistakes: parent blame and misinformation25:51 Learning, not training30:05 Why rewards do not work38:20 What the NHS offers, and the postcode lottery49:53 Why it works at home but not at school53:47 It was never lazy parenting57:42 Sleep, the brain and meltdowns1:08:50 Charmaine's support group and free resources1:13:18 The real cost: holidays, work and isolationFind CharmaineClear Steps Consultancy: https://www.clearstepsconsultancy.co.ukSupport group: How to Get the Wee and Poo in the Loo (videos, live sessions and free downloads)Socials: search "continence consultant and trainer" on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedInNew episodes of the Autism Dadcast every week. Real talk, real dads, real autism. Listen, follow and find everything in our link tree in bio.
- Jun 4, 202658 min
#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 view, and a proper kicking of the Department for Education for handing SEND to Gemma Collins after the white paper left families feeling gaslit.Underneath the rage and the dark humour, it lands somewhere quieter. Gaz and Andy talk about the pre-autism photos, the grief that takes turns between two parents, and the two-second forehead touch that says everything a spoken "I love you" never will.You'll come away realising two things can be true at once. You can grieve the life you pictured and still get up and be the dad your kid actually needs.
- May 20, 20261h 2m
"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 the top of his head and built something that did itfor him. This episode is about what happens when parents stop fighting andstart advocating - with the full picture, not a half-remembered one.In this episode: Orrin's journey from digital-nomad life to full-time parentcarer in Australia, why so many parents feel gaslit by the system, thedifference between fighting and effective advocacy, and how technology isfinally letting parents drive change instead of waiting for the system tocatch up.🔑 Key moments:- 00:38 — Orrin's story: England, Australia, and an airport on Christmas Day- 04:29 — The seizure the day after Indie's first birthday- 12:15 — Healthcare in Australia vs the UK vs Dubai- 17:05 — Why parents hand over "dirty, incomplete data"- 19:22 — The two-page summary that changed everything- 25:16 — Why it's not gaslighting, but it feels like it- 37:35 — The handovers, the ring binders, and the things you forget- 46:19 — The things that break parents are the things that didn't need to happenIf this episode helped, subscribe and leave a review - it helps other parents find us.Follow Orrin: @OrrinBenford | The app: @theindiapp#AutismDadcast #Autism #Parenting #Neurodiversity #ASD #SEND
- May 12, 20261h 3m
"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 brother destroys her Barbie Dream House. We talked about online trolls, the dads' WhatsApp group, and the time a stranger told him celebrating his son's diagnosis was "like celebrating your kid having cancer."And we talked about the moment in Popeye's last weekend when Max tried a chicken tender for the first time, looked up, and said one word he'd never said before.Timestamps:0:00 — SATs week, Popeye's, and a school uniform standoff3:00 — Meet Adam and the family4:00 — Spotting it during lockdown5:18 — You're allowed to mourn the life you planned6:23 — The plane aisle video that started everything8:31 — Isla, sibling of the year10:55 — When the Barbie Dream House got destroyed11:53 — You can never relax13:16 — What people don't understand until they live it15:14 — The small wins nobody else sees17:25 — Autism top trumps and 23 hours awake18:30 — Handling violent moments differently after the community20:07 — Verdict. Great. Outstanding.21:25 — Are dads in the SEND world overlooked?24:33 — Permission to talk26:55 — The celebrating cancer comment28:13 — Chubby Tommy Robinson and other DMs31:51 — The dads' WhatsApp army38:33 — Two Mr. Ps and how it started49:17 — Pen licences and getting recognised in your swimming shorts59:55 — Adam's advice to a dad at diagnosis
About Autism Dadcast
An unfiltered, unflinching, and occasionally inappropriate deep dive into the world of autism parenting-from a dad's perspective.
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