Our Neurodiverse Family

Alison
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  • Self-Improvement

Hosted by former Teacher and day care owner turned Family Dynamic Strategist & Au/ADHD Family Coach, Alison - ONDF is a resource for parents navigating  Neurodiversity within their Family unit.Alison will guide you through realistic, helpful and often simple systems, tweaks and mindset shifts to create more harmony and less confusion.Each week a new (short) episode will be waiting for you. Connect With Alison https://www.instagram.com/ourneurodiversefamily_/ and learn more https://www.ourndfamily.com/offers/FqKNz3Gp/checkout

  1. 1d ago

    The Reframe We ALL Need When It Comes To Forgetting

    Have you ever thought about someone, remembered all sorts of things about them, and still not remembered that you never replied to their message? Or are you the person waiting on that reply, wondering what you did wrong? This week Alison shares something that genuinely blew her mind. Remembering a person and remembering the task you meant to do for that person are not the same memory. She unpacks prospective memory, why some brains open someone’s “entire file” while others don’t, and why forgetting is not a reflection of how much you care. She also gets real about the way we talk about ourselves when our brains don’t do what we expect. As a mum, it breaks her heart to hear kids say “I’m hopeless at remembering things”, and she shares how we can swap self-criticism for self-compassion without letting go of accountability. In this episode: What prospective memory is, and why everyday cues (like the empty toothpaste tube) matter so muchWhy thinking about someone doesn’t guarantee you’ll remember the reply you owe themThe “open the whole file” brain vs the “there’s Alison, file closed” brainHow ADHD can affect prospective memory, and why these differences aren’t exclusive to neurodivergent peopleThe difference between “I’m struggling with this” and “I’m hopeless”Separating the behaviour from the person, for our kids and for ourselvesIntent, behaviour and impact, and why self-compassion and accountability can exist togetherPractical systems that help, from reminders to communicating how your brain worksThe hidden weight of carrying everyone’s open loops, and the idea of a little mental pruningwhich brain are you? Do you run a massive filing system, or can you think of someone and close the file? Send Alison a DM and let her know. If this episode made you think of someone, share it with them. It might change the story you’re both telling yourselves. Follow Alison On IG HERE Check out the Our Neurodiverse Family Website HERE

  2. Oct 5

    Nature Isn't a Cure for ADHD - But the Environment Changes Everything

    What if the question isn't "why can't my child regulate better?" but "where does this nervous system find regulation more easily?" In this episode, Alison shares her recent trip to Binna Burra in the Scenic Rim, where she was invited to see the new lodge ahead of its opening later this year. Visiting on the seven year anniversary of the lodge burning down made it an emotional weekend, and it got her thinking about why this place means so much to her as a neurodivergent person. When she arrives there, her brain goes quiet. Not empty, just quiet. From there, Alison explores why time in nature can feel so regulating for many ND people, and why the environment matters so much more than we give it credit for. In this episode: Why ND traits don't exist in a vacuum, and how the same child who can't concentrate in a busy classroom might spend 40 minutes examining rocks by a creekThe fascinating (and slightly weird) science of phytoncides, the compounds trees release, and what forest bathing research suggestsWhy nature's sensory input is often slower, more rhythmic and less demandingAn honest reminder that nature isn't automatically sensory friendly. Sand, heat, bugs and crowds can be awful, so it's about finding the kind of outside that works for each nervous systemHow movement outdoors happens naturally, without anyone announcing "regulation exercises"Why nature takes the pressure off performing. A tree doesn't need eye contact, and you can walk beside someone without filling every silenceA small study showing children with ADHD concentrated better after a 20 minute walk in a parkAlison is clear that nature doesn't cure ADHD or make anyone less autistic, and it isn't a replacement for medication, therapy or support. But it does show that attention and regulation are shaped by context, not just by how hard someone is trying. And this isn't another thing to add to your to do list. It can be ten minutes under a tree after school, afternoon tea in the backyard, or a quick walk collecting leaves and sticks. It still counts if it's only five minutes, and it still counts if your child brings their device along. Connect with Alison On IG HERE and Visit the OND Website here

  3. Sep 28

    A walk Isn’t Always Exercise & Lego Isn’t Always Play

    A TikTok came across Alison's feed: a woman asked if her partner could join her on a walk, and the honest internal answer was yes, absolutely, but ONLY if he can understand that he will cease to exist for the next forty minutes. It sounds harsh until you understand what that walk is actually doing. In this episode Alison pulls the whole thing apart and asks the question that changes how you look at everyone's afternoon routines, including your kids': what job is this activity doing for their nervous system? Because a walk isn't always exercise. A shower isn't always hygiene. And Lego is almost never just Lego. Follow Alison Here  Check out the ONDF Website here

  4. Sep 21

    What Do We Need To Make This Do-able??

    Why Is Brushing Your Teeth So Hard? Let's talk about the ND reality of brushing teeth- for adults and kids!  Why can something so small feel so hard to do? In this episode, Alison responds to a TikTok from a 44 year old woman who has always hated brushing her teeth, and has only just realised it might be more than a personality quirk. Alison unpacks why a simple two minute task can feel so hard for neurodivergent brains, and what that means for our kids. Because ADHD isn't a disorder of knowing what to do. It's a disorder of doing what you know you need to do. In this episode: Why task initiation, low reward and no urgency make everyday tasks feel so hardThe sensory side of teeth brushing, from buzzing electric brushes and strong mint flavours to foaming, texture and water temperatureWhy transitions are often the real barrier, and how the resistance might be about stopping what you're doing rather than the teeth brushing itselfHow the same behaviour can look very different underneath for neurotypical, ADHD, autistic and AuDHD kidsGetting curious instead of pushing harder: sensory swaps, timers, routines, pairing with music or novelty, and giving kids choices within a boundaryWhy the bathroom doesn't have to be the "right" place to brushThe small changes Alison made to make teeth brushing doable for herselfThe goal isn't to teach our kids to force themselves through every ordinary task while wondering why life feels harder for them. It's to help them understand their own brain well enough to ask, what do I need to make this doable? Mentioned in this episode: Hismile toothpaste and Curaprox toothbrushes. This episode contains explicit language in the TIKTOK played within the episode Follow Alison here Visit The Our Neurodiverse Family Website here for more info Write a message…

  5. Sep 14

    Not Exactly "The Fun Mum" | Q&A With Alison

    This episode is a bit different. My podcast producer is in the host seat and I have no idea what she's about to ask me. What came out of it: why I'm not the fun mum and never have been, the difference between the physical hard work of motherhood I expected and the emotional scaffolding I didn't, what rigid thinking actually looks like in a house with four kids, and the phrase I come back to every single time I'm spiralling about something I said or didn't say to my children. If you've been listening for a while and you know the parenting content but not much about me, this is the one. We cover masking as a kid who didn't have the words for it yet, what changes when your eldest is 16 and two years off being an adult, and why I genuinely believe you don't have to get it right, you just have to get it half right enough times. Plus a rapid fire round In this episode Why I can see every angle of a problem and why that isn't always a good thingMy best habit, and why muscle memory does the thinking for meRigid thinking: I can be talked around, but you'll need to do it gentlyThe daily nag that derails meSomething nobody knows about me, involving the Opera HouseThe North Queensland farm, 100 head of cattle, and why cut grass still takes me straight backMyself at ten: white knuckling undiagnosed autism and ADHD and masking through all of itDid I always want to be a mum? Yes. Is it what I expected? No.Why chaos as the underlying base tone means I can't function, even though I can handle last minuteNot the fun mum, the homing pigeon mum, and the steady one who's at every concertParenting wisdom from the 16 year old mark: you never master a stage, they just change againBigger kids, bigger problems, but shared solutionsLet it go to the keeper: how I triage mum guilt in the momentRapid fire, including the coffee order that is not rapid fire Follow Alison on Instagram Visit the OND Website  Alison is providing general information only, not prescriptive advice. Please consult your own healthcare practitioners for guidance specific to you and your family. Write a message…

  6. Sep 7

    How to Stop Negotiating With Yourself - an ADHD Brain Hack

    Have you ever decided at 9pm that tomorrow is THE day, then woken up and immediately started negotiating with yourself? Just 15 more minutes. I'll go tonight instead,or maybe Thursday is a better day? In this episode Alison takes you inside her brain in real time, unpacking a TikTok she saw where someone asked how to stop negotiating with themselves. Rather than answering with discipline and motivation talk, she walks through what her brain is actually doing underneath the negotiation, and why that matters more than trying to force yourself. She covers the 5 reasons ADHD brains procrastinate (and why it's rarely just one at a time), the difference between "I should go to the gym" and knowing exactly why it's on your list, and the single shift that stopped the ongoing internal bargaining for her and her clients. In this episode: Why your first thought or first emotion is usually not the one to run withThe six reasons ADHD brains procrastinate: task initiation cost, avoidance, immediate reward, time blindness, micro decisions and renegotiation loopsWhy every step in a task creates another opportunity to renegotiateHow to work out what your brain seeks, avoids, and where it reliably gets stuckMoving from "I know it's good for me" to a reason your brain will actually acceptDeciding what matters when you're regulated, not when you're in the momentUsing ADHD impulsivity as the asset rather than the obstacleReducing the discomfort side and building in the immediate rewardWhy the decision being already made is the end of the internal conversationThis one is for anyone who has ever laid in bed running the same argument with themselves and lost. Connect with Alison on Instagram or visit the   Website for more info Alison provides general information only, not prescriptive advice. Please consult your own health care practitioners for specific guidance.

  7. Aug 31

    When Your Au/ADHD Child Says "I'm Sick" It Could Be This...

    Why does your ND child say "I feel sick" when they don't appear to be sick? Why do they crash into furniture, hug too tight, or melt down at 3:30pm? This episode unpacks interoception and proprioception, the two body awareness systems behind so much confusing neurodivergent behaviour, and why sensory seeking kids so often get read as out of control. Alison explains interoception as the internal body cues: hunger, thirst, a full bladder, temperature, tiredness, pain, and the physical sensations that come attached to emotions. For neurodivergent children and adults, the body is still sending those signals. The difficulty sits in noticing them, interpreting them, or responding early enough. Which means a child who has no language for overwhelm may only have one word available to them, and that word is sick. Proprioception is the other half of the picture: where the body is in space, how much force it is using, where limbs are without looking at them. This is the child who jumps off everything, wrestles too hard, snaps pencil tips, leans on people constantly, or loves carrying heavy things and pushing trolleys. Alison walks through the kinds of big muscle group input that genuinely help, from climbing and swimming to carrying the washing basket, and reframes what looks like wild behaviour as a child trying to get something their body is asking for. She also turns the lens back on parents. Do you recognise exhaustion before you are completely burnt out? Where do you hold tension? Alison shares her own experience as an inattentive ADHD and autistic adult, including hyper focus, movement seeking, and getting better at catching overstimulation before it spills onto everyone else. The practical takeaway is data collection, not diagnosis. Get curious about what happened beforehand, what the body is doing, what input is being sought, and whether there is a pattern. If these things are significantly impacting daily life, an OT or other qualified allied health professional is the right next step rather than parents trying to work it out alone. Behaviour makes far more sense once you understand the mind and body driving it. Follow Alison On Instagram or visit the ONDF Website for more infomation   Disclaimer: Alison provides general information only, not prescriptive advice. Please consult your own health care practitioners for guidance specific to your family.

  8. Aug 24

    Social Skills Are Not The Problem - Your ND Family Needs To Know This

    Your child gets in the car after school and yells "go away" before their sibling has even finished a sentence. You correct the behaviour, they escalate, and nothing changes. In this episode Alison unpacks the difference between interpersonal skills, the ones between people, and intrapersonal skills, the ones happening inside your child before they ever open their mouth.  We talk about why parents and teachers focus almost entirely on the social side, sharing, turn taking, speaking politely, coping with no, and why that focus keeps failing when a child cannot yet recognise what is happening in their own body.  Alison walks through what intrapersonal awareness actually looks like: naming emotions, noticing body signals, recognising hunger, tiredness and sensory overload, and knowing when they are reaching capacity. She uses a real example from her own family, a son who needs silence on the drive home, to show how a child moves from "go away" to "I need twenty minutes on my own when we get in". This episode also turns the lens on parents, because you cannot teach a skill you have not learned yourself. Can you recognise when you are overstimulated, when you are exhausted, when your child's dysregulation is dysregulating you, when you are actually angry at your partner and not your child? Alison covers the shopping centre tantrum and the uncomfortable truth that sometimes what is driving a parent's reaction is not "how do I help my child" but "everyone is looking at us". You will walk away with practical language for building your child's internal vocabulary, why we regulate first and teach later, why open ended exits like "I'm going outside" need a time limit for neurodiverse people, and the reframe that neurodiversity is not an excuse, it is a reason. If knowing what to do and actually doing it feel like two different things in your house, this one is for you. Connect with Alison on Instagram Or Visit her Website for more information  Alison is providing general information only. Nothing shared in this episode is prescriptive or intended as individual advice. As always, listeners should consult their own health care practitioners for guidance specific to their family.

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About

Hosted by former Teacher and day care owner turned Family Dynamic Strategist & Au/ADHD Family Coach, Alison - ONDF is a resource for parents navigating  Neurodiversity within their Family unit.Alison will guide you through realistic, helpful and often simple systems, tweaks and mindset shifts to create more harmony and less confusion.Each week a new (short) episode will be waiting for you. Connect With Alison https://www.instagram.com/ourneurodiversefamily_/ and learn more https://www.ourndfamily.com/offers/FqKNz3Gp/checkout

Information

  • Creator
    Alison
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Our Neurodiverse Family
  • Show Website
    Our Neurodiverse Family

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