We're Not Your Typical Podcast

Two words: half term.

This week it's just the two of us, no guest and no set topic, just real life. We have completely different lives and completely different children, all under the umbrella of the word autism, and we can still relate to each other as parents.

In this episode we talk about:
- Day two of half term, and the honest reality of juggling it all when your child needs you every minute
- Feeling burnt out, and the worry about the future and when respite will ever come
- Why being so mindful about what you share online can feel impossible
- What happens when a reel goes big and the trolls turn up, the comments we got, and why we don't expect special treatment, just understanding
- Getting a diagnosis early, and what it's like when school sees one child and home sees another
- Masking, and why a child can look like they're doing "so well" until they get home
- The fear that support only arrives when a child hits crisis, and why we will always keep fighting for our children

If you've ever felt like you're failing, or been judged from a tiny window into your life, you're not alone.

👉 Join our Patreon for more support, community and behind-the-scenes content:
https://patreon.com/NotYourTypical

👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on autism, SEND parenting and real family stories.

Sponsored by B&W
https://www.blackandwhitebridging.co.uk/

#autism #adhd #specialeducation #neurodivergent #autismparenting #SENDparenting #autismawareness #awareness Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Have you ever left therapy feeling like you were the problem?

This week we sit down with Katie, a neurodivergent therapist who was diagnosed autistic after years of being told everything was trauma. Her first therapist's aim was to "fix" her in a neurotypical way. Katie walked away feeling she was too much for therapy, and that experience is why she now does therapy differently.

We talk about:
- Why traditional therapy models were built around neurotypical people, and why Katie calls the assumption that the client will always get to the answer "ableist"
- Trauma, or sensory overload? Why a good therapist looks at more than one explanation
- Schools punishing children who physically can't sit still, and the shame that builds up
- Taking her eldest out of school in Year 10, and why more families are choosing to homeschool
- Whether the school system can ever change when funding and support aren't there
- How Katie's online team of around 21 therapists supports young people aged 12 and over, including play-based and email therapy for those who struggle to communicate
- Finding a therapist who really gets it, and why the connection matters most
- Getting a reluctant child to open up, and why the word "therapy" can feel like something is wrong with them
- How to get in touch with Katie and her team, and claiming back through insurance

If you're a parent trying to find the right support for your child, or an adult who has ever felt "too much" for therapy, this one is for you. You're not broken, and you're not alone.

Follow Katie on Instagram to find out more about her work. https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergenttherapistuk/

👉 Join our Patreon for more support, community and behind-the-scenes content:

https://patreon.com/NotYourTypical?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on autism, SEND parenting and real family stories.

Sponsored by B&W
https://www.blackandwhitebridging.co.uk/

#autism #adhd #specialeducation #singlemum #neurodivergent #autismparenting #autismawareness #awareness #strugglestory #trauma #traumahealing Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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“I was broken. I felt so heartbroken.” 💔

What happens when you receive a diagnosis you never expected, while already navigating the challenges of raising a child with profound autism?

In this powerful and emotional episode of We’re Not Your Typical, Jenni opens up about the reality of raising seven children, including her son Bertie, who has Down syndrome, and Ronnie, who is profoundly autistic and non-verbal.

Jenni shares the shock of discovering Bertie’s Down syndrome diagnosis after birth, the eight-day wait for answers, and the fear, grief and uncertainty that followed. She also speaks honestly about the reality of being a special needs parent, from ADHD burnout and mental health struggles to the relentless anxiety, exhaustion and isolation that can come with caring for children with additional needs.

In this episode, we discuss:

- Receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis after birth
- Raising a child with Down syndrome alongside a profoundly autistic, non-verbal child
- The reality of special needs parenting that social media doesn’t show
- ADHD burnout, anxiety and parental mental health
- The impact of additional needs on siblings and family relationships
- The challenges of respite care, sleep deprivation and constant hypervigilance
- Navigating mainstream education and specialist schools
- Learning to advocate for your children and trust your instincts
- Finding acceptance, strength and gratitude in the unknown

This is an honest conversation about the realities of raising children with additional needs: the heartbreak, the exhaustion, the love and the moments that change your entire perspective.

If you’re a parent navigating autism, Down syndrome, SEND or neurodivergence, we hope this episode helps you feel seen, understood and a little less alone.

👉 Join our Patreon for more support, community and behind-the-scenes content:

https://patreon.com/NotYourTypical?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on autism, SEND parenting and real family stories.

Sponsored by B&W
https://www.blackandwhitebridging.co.uk/

#Autism #ADHD #SENDParenting #NeurodivergentFamily #AutismParenting #AutismAwareness #DownSyndrome #SEND #SpecialNeedsParenting #Neurodiversity
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What happens when you leave an abusive relationship with two young children and have to rebuild your entire life from scratch?

In this powerful episode of We're Not Your Typical, we sit down with Evie, better known online as Council House Mama, to hear her story of escaping domestic violence, becoming a single mum, navigating temporary accommodation and raising a neurodivergent child.

Evie opens up about the reality of leaving an abusive relationship, the importance of telling someone you trust, and how her best friend helped her take the first steps towards safety. She shares what happened when she left with her two children, the challenges of accessing temporary accommodation, and what it was like to start again in a council property.

We also talk about Evie's own autism diagnosis and her son's autism and ADHD, including the signs that were initially mistaken for the effects of trauma. Evie explains her son's masking, struggles with transitions, communication differences, sensory needs and emotional regulation, as well as the support he receives at school.

From navigating an autism diagnosis and paying privately for an assessment to finding practical strategies that work at home, Evie shares the realities of parenting a neurodivergent child while managing her own autism.

Evie also talks about her journey as a content creator, how sharing her life online grew from a difficult period into a career, and why she chooses to openly discuss council housing, SEND parenting, autism, ADHD and life after domestic abuse.

Most importantly, this episode is about finding hope after trauma, building a new life and understanding that starting again is possible.

🎙️ In this episode:
• Evie's experience of domestic violence
• Leaving an abusive relationship with two children
• How to tell someone you trust when you're struggling
• Escaping domestic abuse and finding support
• Temporary accommodation and homelessness
• The reality of starting again as a single mum
• Council housing and rebuilding a home
• Evie's autism diagnosis
• Her son's autism and ADHD diagnosis
• Recognising autism beyond trauma
• Masking in autistic children
• Autism, ADHD and transitions
• Communication differences and understanding language
• Sensory needs and emotional regulation
• Supporting autistic children at school
• One-to-one support in mainstream education
• Paying privately for an autism assessment
• Parenting a neurodivergent child
• Life after domestic violence
• Council House Mama and social media
• Rebuilding your life after trauma
• Finding hope after difficult experiences

👉 Join our Patreon for more support, community and behind-the-scenes content:

https://patreon.com/NotYourTypical?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on autism, ADHD, SEND parenting and real family stories.

Sponsored by B&W
https://www.blackandwhitebridging.co.uk/

#Autism #ADHD #DomesticViolence #SENDParenting #CouncilHousing #SingleMum #NeurodivergentFamily #AutismParenting #DomesticAbuseSurvivor #CouncilHouseMama #AutismAwareness #SpecialNeedsParenting Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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What happens when children with ADHD and other neurodivergent needs are expected to fit into an education system that doesn't fully understand how their brains work?

In this episode of We're Not Your Typical, we sit down with Jamie Gilbert, a former assistant head teacher who spent 18 years working with children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, around 95% of whom were neurodivergent.

Jamie shares his experience working with children with ADHD, autism and other additional needs, and explains why he believes emotional regulation needs to come before academic achievement.

We discuss the challenges children can face in mainstream and specialist education, the impact of masking, why children may release their emotions at home after holding everything together at school, and how working memory and executive function can affect everyday life.

Jamie also opens up about his own experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, including the importance of understanding yourself, building confidence and finding the right tools to regulate your emotions.

He explains how movement, sport, positive relationships and dynamic learning can help children engage, and why he believes ADHD should be understood as more than either a "superpower" or a deficit.

We also talk about ADHD medication, diagnosis, rejection sensitivity, hyperfocus, working memory, parenting ADHD children, and how parents can adapt communication to better support their children.

Jamie also shares more about ADHD School, his virtual educational programme designed to help children understand their ADHD brain, develop executive functioning skills and build their own ADHD toolkit.

🎙️ In this episode:
• Understanding ADHD and the ADHD brain
• ADHD and emotional regulation
• ADHD, autism and neurodivergence in education
• Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs
• Why emotional regulation can affect learning
• Understanding masking in children
• Why children may release emotions at home
• ADHD and executive functioning
• Working memory and communication
• Supporting children with ADHD at home
• Movement breaks and ADHD regulation
• Hyperfocus and the strengths of ADHD
• ADHD diagnosis and understanding the diagnosis
• ADHD medication and individual choices
• Avoiding the "ADHD superpower" narrative
• Helping children understand themselves
• Jamie's experience of growing up with undiagnosed ADHD
• ADHD School and supporting neurodivergent children

📚 Find out more about Jamie's ADHD School:
https://adhdschool.com/

👉 Join our Patreon for more support, community and behind-the-scenes content:

https://patreon.com/NotYourTypical?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on autism, ADHD, SEND parenting and real family stories.

Sponsored by B&W
https://www.blackandwhitebridging.co.uk/

#ADHD #ADHDParenting #ADHDSupport #NeurodivergentChildren #ADHDAwareness #SENDParenting #AutismAndADHD #EmotionalRegulation #NeurodivergentFamily #SpecialNeedsParenting Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
for information about our collection and use of personal data for
advertising.