The NeuroDADverse is more than just a podcast, it’s a weekly therapy session between two long-time friends reconnecting through the shared highs and lows of neurodivergent parenthood.
Danny is raising a six-year-old, while Ben is navigating life with two teenagers. Between them, their lived experiences span early years and adolescence, offering valuable perspective for any parent on the neurodivergent journey. Their conversations blend lived wisdom, raw honesty, and light-hearted reflection, often with Danny just entering stages that Ben has already faced. This dynamic brings warmth, curiosity, and relatable storytelling that resonates across all ages and stages of parenting.
At its heart, The NeuroDADverse exists because parenting neurodivergent children can feel incredibly isolating. Many of society’s norms simply don’t apply and it’s rare to find someone who truly hears you. This podcast was born from the need to find and grow that tribe. A space where parents can feel seen, heard, and appreciated.
Whether you’re in the thick of meltdowns, laughing uncontrollably with them or even just wondering about diagnoses you’re not alone.
Here, we speak with love, lead though our understanding and share with honesty. This is a space for ideas, laughter, and connection.
Please remember:
You are doing better than you think.
You are enough.
You are not alone.
Welcome to the NeuroDADverse.“
Real talk from two dads raising neurodivergent kids with love, laughter, and plenty of chaos.
Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok and watch us on Youtube @NeuroDadversepodcast
Theme music by Hands Up! https://www.instagram.com/handsuppunk/?hl=en
Show produced by Squid Shack Studios https://www.instagram.com/squidshackstudios/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The NeuroDADverse is more than just a podcast, it’s a weekly therapy session between two long-time friends reconnecting through the shared highs and lows of neurodivergent parenthood.
Danny is raising a six-year-old, while Ben is navigating life with two teenagers. Between them, their lived experiences span early years and adolescence, offering valuable perspective for any parent on the neurodivergent journey. Their conversations blend lived wisdom, raw honesty, and light-hearted reflection, often with Danny just entering stages that Ben has already faced. This dynamic brings warmth, curiosity, and relatable storytelling that resonates across all ages and stages of parenting.
At its heart, The NeuroDADverse exists because parenting neurodivergent children can feel incredibly isolating. Many of society’s norms simply don’t apply and it’s rare to find someone who truly hears you. This podcast was born from the need to find and grow that tribe. A space where parents can feel seen, heard, and appreciated.
Whether you’re in the thick of meltdowns, laughing uncontrollably with them or even just wondering about diagnoses you’re not alone.
Here, we speak with love, lead though our understanding and share with honesty. This is a space for ideas, laughter, and connection.
Please remember:
You are doing better than you think.
You are enough.
You are not alone.
Welcome to the NeuroDADverse.“
Real talk from two dads raising neurodivergent kids with love, laughter, and plenty of chaos.
Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok and watch us on Youtube @NeuroDadversepodcast
Theme music by Hands Up! https://www.instagram.com/handsuppunk/?hl=en
Show produced by Squid Shack Studios https://www.instagram.com/squidshackstudios/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
🎧 Episode 3 – Prevent Training, Parenting Pressure & Permission to Feel
Dan and Ben reflect on how institutional systems like Prevent training can unintentionally stigmatise neurodivergent traits. It sparks an emotional, wide-ranging chat about justice, advocacy, and the subtle harm of misrepresentation.
But this episode isn’t just about systems. It’s also about the stuff at home: giving your kid Calpol without a meltdown, seeing your teenager self-regulate in a crowd, and how a trip to Tesco can undo you when you’re running on empty.
This is one of our rawest episodes yet — where we unpack shame, supermarket stress, emotional resilience, and the lifelong balancing act of being neurodivergent parents to neurodivergent kids.
đź’¬ Topics this episode:
👇 CHAPTERS BELOW for easy navigation.
00:00 – Intro & Welcome
01:00 – Weather chat and podcast energy shift
01:30 – Prevent Training: What triggered us this week
04:00 – Autism, radicalisation, and narrative bias in education
06:30 – When training videos get it wrong
09:00 – Narrow portrayals of neurodivergence
12:00 – From Prevent to parenting emotions: three-word check-in
13:30 – Joy, despair, and hydration failure
15:00 – Wins vs. Challenges (and the expansion of the format)
18:00 – Dan’s raw week: rejection, solo parenting, and emotional walls
22:30 – Behaviour is communication — and what that really means
24:00 – The Calpol-on-the-ceiling story
26:00 – Sensory food issues and being a super sleuth
29:00 – Toilet wins and emotional highs in the middle of chaos
30:30 – Teen boundaries and the “shepherd, not engineer” mindset
32:00 – Mutual respect, negotiation, and raising safe, self-aware teens
34:00 – Ben’s challenge: supermarket shame spiral and emotional overload
39:30 – The invisible weight of "tutting" and social feedback
44:00 – Hair dye, sensory processing, and when you’re not welcome in the room
46:00 – Shoes-on productivity hack (does it work?)
48:00 – Rejection Sensitivity in everyday moments
51:00 – Community, compassion, and navigating difficult comparisons
54:00 – Services are stretched: exclusions, SEND support and local politics
58:00 – Why “comparison is the thief of joy” (except when it isn’t)
01:01:00 – Neurodivergent parenting and sharing the emotional load
01:03:00 – Diagnosis check-in: where things stand
01:05:00 – Looking ahead: solo parenting, the flower show, and the Euros
01:08:00 – Garden bath hacks and muddy memories
01:10:00 – Bath score of the week: a solid 8 (with shared duties!)
01:11:30 – Outro: You're doing great. You're not alone.
đź’ˇ If this episode moved you:
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đź’¬ Share your story in the comments or DM us on Instagram
📧 Contact: neurodadverse@gmail.com
📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @NeuroDadversePodcast
đź”— #NeurodiverseParenting #SENDLife #ADHDAwareness #AutismAdvocacy y #ParentingPodcast #EmotionalRegulation #NeurodivergentDad #PreventTraining #NDLife #NeuroDadverse
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
