Autism Dadcast

Gaz and Andrew
  • 0.0 (0)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED DAILY

An unfiltered, unflinching, and occasionally inappropriate deep dive into the world of autism parenting-from a dad's perspective.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    #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 being nothing more than a feeding machine while every other mum seemed to have it figured out. The sleepless nights on a single bed downstairs. The marriage that quietly slid into housemate territory without either of them noticing.Mish talks openly about the moment she nearly got in the car and drove away. About sobbing for two weeks solid after accepting the diagnosis. About looking at Gaz and resenting him for not falling apart the way she was.But this episode isn't just the hard stuff. It's the story of how a picture of a car, a laminator, and principles borrowed from military dog training unlocked communication with their non-verbal son. How Thomas went from endless meltdowns to independently spelling words to tell his parents what he wanted. How that one breakthrough changed everything for the whole family.If you're a parent who feels like your child is trapped inside their own head, this might be the most important hour you spend this week. 🔑 Key moments:0:00 — Thomas's birth and the early signs9:25 — "Something isn't clicking" — Mish's gut feeling13:00 — The meltdowns and the marriage falling apart19:00 — The photo that made Gaz accept it22:00 — The diagnosis and the grief that followed30:26 — "I nearly drove away" — Mish's breaking point33:22 — Communication cards: where it all started41:40 — The moment Thomas brought them a picture46:50 — Thomas spells C-A-R on his bedroom floor57:44 — Mish's advice to parents who don't know where to startIf this episode helped, subscribe and leave a review. It helps other parents find us.#AutismDadcast #Autism #Parenting #Neurodiversity #ASD #SEND

    1hr 8min

  2. 17 MAR

    #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 undefined "complex needs" threshold. The workforce that doesn't exist yet.She answered all of it — and some of her answers might surprise you.Key moments:2:10 — The tribunal gap: what parents can and can't challenge4:06 — The complaints panel: can the SEND expert be outvoted?7:05 — Why families still have to go back to their local authority11:02 — The 90% debt write-off: what are the conditions?16:11 — "Complex needs" isn't defined. Who decides?25:21 — The workforce problem: what if the specialists aren't there?This is the conversation the SEND community needed to happen. Whether you leave reassured or more concerned - you need to hear it.

    32 min

  3. 7 MAR

    #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 quietly removed should worry every SEND family in England. 🔑 Key moments: The appeal right that was nearly stripped — and how they got it put backWhy local authorities got off scot-free while schools carry the loadThe Children and Wellbeing Bill that could force you to keep your child in a failing placementThe four-tier system explained by people who read it before you didThe backlash they faced from within the community for being in the roomIf this episode helped, subscribe and leave a review — it helps other parents find us. #AutismDadcast #SENDWhitePaper #SEND #Autism #SpecialEducationalNeeds #SENDReform #EHCPTribunal #Parenting #Neurodiversity #SENDParents

    1hr 2min

  4. 18 FEB

    Episode 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-world needsThe stereotype kit: fidgets, coloured cards, tidy optics - Safety Valve scheme and the financial incentive to reduce EHCPs - 90% deficit write-off and the conditions attached - Reform plans, targets, and the fear of rights being weakened - Teacher burnout and what happens when support is missing - The human cost: meltdowns, exclusion, self-harm, families breaking Zoom out and it all looks like money first, optics second, and families last. You can’t fix systemic failure with a glossy brochure and a box of fidget spinners. If the plan is to push more kids into mainstream, where’s the plan to build specialist places, train staff properly, and stop the constant crisis management. If you’re living this, you’re not imagining it. You’re not being dramatic. You’re seeing the gap between what they say and what actually happens.

    1hr 4min

  5. 12 FEB

    Episode 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 stories.The patterns are repeating across the country. With SEND reform on the horizon, we’re asking a simple question: If the system already isn’t delivering what’s legally required, what happens next? If you recognise yourself in this episode, you’re not alone.

    1hr 14min

  6. 29 JAN

    Autism Dadcast: Episode 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 pathway where kids have to struggle repeatedly before anyone is legally forced to help. We’re not scaremongering. We’re reading what’s out there and reacting as two dads who’ve lived the EHCP reality and know how bad it already is even with legal rights in place. We talk about what this could mean for families who’ve fought years for an EHCP, whether existing plans would be protected, and why a shift from legal duty to “discretion” is the bit people aren’t clocking yet. The support doesn’t just change, the power changes. We also read a message from a family about a five year old who’s non-verbal, in nappies, and placed in mainstream with unsafe outcomes. That’s happening now, under the current framework. So what happens if the right to challenge disappears and the only thing you can appeal is whether the process was followed. We get into the knock-on effect for teachers, schools, and neurotypical kids too. This isn’t just a SEND issue. If you overload mainstream with needs it can’t meet, it hits everyone, fast. If this goes sideways, the only move is organisation. Flood MPs. Make it the only thing they can’t ignore.

    1hr 13min

  7. 20 JAN

    Autism Dadcast: Episode 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 their house for £55,000 to get their child the placement they needed. Fifty five thousand pounds. We got another message last week about £30,000. This is what families are doing just to get their kids the support they deserve while there's already a legal framework in place that's supposed to be doing this. The Discord went live on Saturday. Two days in and people are already helping each other with private assessments, sleep issues, mobility questions, everything. The Stim and Whistle had its first Saturday night lock in and it went off for two and a half hours. Zoe said she was shy and then became the life of the party and got everyone talking. Thomas went to Sainsburys and scanned his own jelly at the self checkout. A few months ago we couldn't even get him through the doors. Lydia might be gluten intolerant so we're looking at food tolerance tests. Stephen sent a voice note about it after hearing what she eats. We also talk about the Autism Barbie backlash that wasn't actually a backlash once we heard from a parent whose daughter saw it and said she's just like me. That changed everything for us.

    1hr 3min

  8. 14 JAN

    Episode 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 yolk. She's licking butter off toast and kissing TV screens when steaks appear. New foods are landing and nobody knows why but we're taking the wins. We get into the reality of being constantly vigilant. Mish nearly opened the car door to put a bag in while the school bus was there and caught herself just in time because that one move could have derailed the whole morning. That's the chess game we're all playing every single day. The Christmas special at Henry Tudor House went better than expected. People jumped on the mic and shared their stories. Steven came down and blew everyone's minds talking about spellers and non verbal communication. If you haven't watched that clip yet, go find it. Watch it twice. Wednesday we're meeting with the Schools Minister to talk about the SEND white paper. We've got two questions we can ask and we've taken everything the community sent in and boiled it down. We'll see if this is real consultation or just going through the motions. Plus we talk about going number one in Zimbabwe, planning ticketed events, building a Discord server, and whether anyone would actually pay to see two blokes from Shropshire talk about autism.

    44 min
See All (38)

About

An unfiltered, unflinching, and occasionally inappropriate deep dive into the world of autism parenting-from a dad's perspective.

Information

  • Creator
    Gaz and Andrew
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gaz and Andrew
  • Show Website
    Autism Dadcast

You Might Also Like