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Neuroshambles

Neuroshambles

By: Mark Allen
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Neuroshambles is a UK parenting podcast about raising neurodivergent children. Hosted by lapsed comedian Mark Allen, this show explores autism parenting, ADHD, PDA, SEND, school struggles, family life and parental wellbeing through honest, relatable conversations - often with a healthy dose of humour, but always grounded in lived experience.

Mark is raising three neurodivergent children and chats with parents, carers, advocates and professionals about the everyday challenges some families face. These aren’t lectures or masterclasses, but candid tales from the front line of parenting neurodivergent kids, as guests swap stories about what works for them - and just as importantly, what definitely doesn’t. Topics range from meltdowns, PDA-related demand avoidance and dealing with authorities, to holidays, mealtimes and the logistical chaos of daily life.

Neuroshambles is for UK parents and carers who want something that feels human - supportive without being preachy, practical without being clinical. The aim isn’t to provide all the answers, but to shine a light on the absurdities and difficulties of a family life shaped by neurodivergence, offering connection, reassurance and the comfort of knowing you’re not the only one struggling to make sense of things.

New episodes are released fortnightly.

Check out more information on the Neuroshambles website: www.neuroshambles.com

Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • Where is the user manual for our neurodivergent kids? | George Lewis

    Where is the user manual for our neurodivergent kids? | George Lewis
    Apr 1 2026
    If you've ever stared at a parenting book and thought "none of this applies to my child whatsoever" - this episode is for you. Mark is joined by comedian, author, and fellow parent-in-the-trenches George Lewis for a proper deep dive into one of the great unspoken challenges of neurodivergent parenting: figuring out who your kid actually is, and how to parent them, when the instruction manual simply doesn't exist. Because most parenting advice out there is written for neurotypical kids. And when you've got autistic, ADHD, or PDA children, you quickly discover that you essentially have to work it out yourself. That means years of research, trial and error, conflicting information, and the occasional moment of going "hang on… is THIS a thing I need to learn about now?" It's exhausting and exasperating, but it's also, occasionally, brilliant. This is an honest, funny and insightful autism parenting podcast episode that covers the whole messy journey - from those early days of thinking something's different but not knowing quite what, through diagnosis (including the woefully misguided NHS leaflet with their list of top tips), to the point where you cautiously start to feel like you might actually know what you're doing. If you're deep in that process right now, or just starting out, this one's for you. And if you're a seasoned neurodivergent parenting veteran, you'll recognise pretty much every single moment of it. -------------- CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (Estimated) 00:00 – Intro 01:15 - Meet the Guest: George Lewis 06:28 - Topic of the Week: Writing Your Own User Manual 08:18 - Imagining parenthood vs the reality 12:04 - Apraxia of speech and George's early diagnosis journey 18:19 - Understanding autism: the spectrum, spiky profiles and the mixing desk analogy 31:32 - Navigating the NHS diagnosis route (and the unhelpful booklet you receive when they're diagnosed) 58:16 - Information overload and knowing when to put the lid back on 01:03:39 - Discovering PDA and low demand language 01:05:31 - Conflicting advice and how to navigate it 01:11:36 - Trusting your gut when some recommended approaches don't sit right 01:20:44 - It's Not All Rubbish: the positives of doing the research 01:25:52 - Neurodiversity Champions 01:28:53 - Tiny Epic Wins 01:32:24 - What the Flip! Moments -------------- LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE George Lewis website - https://www.georgelewiscomedian.com George Lewis Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/georgelewiscom George Lewis TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@georgelewiscomedian George Lewis Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/georgelewiscom George Lewis YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@georgelewiscom Autism Colour Wheel - https://community.autism.org.uk/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/4/autism-colour-wheel.pdf Government SEND white paper - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving Neuroshambles Episode with Kieran Rose: How Autistic Is Your Child? – https://neuroshambles.com/episode/how-autistic-is-your-child-kieran-rose Autistica - https://www.autistica.org.uk/ Pierre Novellie “Why can’t I just enjoy things?” - https://amzn.eu/d/0fL1X5Fb Fern Brady “Strong Female Character” - https://amzn.eu/d/07Uk4H6a -------------- 📣 CONTACT US 🌐 Website: www.neuroshambles.com 📧 Email: hello@neuroshambles.com 📸 Instagram: @neuroshambles 🎵 TikTok: @neuroshamblespod 📘 Facebook: @neuroshambles -------------- 🎙️ CREDITS 🎶 Theme music by Skilsel on Pixabay: pixabay.com
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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • Finding your people when you have neurodivergent kids | Sam Bayley

    Finding your people when you have neurodivergent kids | Sam Bayley
    Mar 18 2026

    Mark is joined by Sam Bayley - founder of mASCot, a Sussex-based parent-to-parent support network for families of autistic, ADHD and PDA children and young adults - for a warm and genuinely uplifting conversation about one of the most important things you can do as a neurodivergent parent: find your people.

    They dig into why parenting a neurodivergent child can feel so isolating - especially in the early days before diagnosis, when you're still trying to crowbar your kid into situations built for neurotypical families and slowly realising it isn't working. Sam shares the story of how mASCot grew from a few breakout coffee sessions into a community supporting thousands of families, and Mark recounts the moment he first walked into Sunday Club and felt the blessed relief of a room with absolutely no judgement in it.

    They also get into the thornier side of finding your people - namely, the bit where you have to let go of the ones who aren't. From unsupportive friends who just aren't listening, to family members who think it's all a fad, this episode doesn't shy away from how hard it can be to protect your energy when you haven't got much of it to spare.

    If you're after a neurodivergent parenting podcast that feels human, honest and occasionally sweary, this one's for you.

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    CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (Estimated): 00:00 - Intro 01:11 - Meet the Guest: Sam Bayley 04:01 - Topic of the Week: The Importance of Finding Your People 09:10 - How mASCot Was Born: Coffee Mornings and the Birth of Community 10:09 - Early Expectations and the Reality of Neurodivergent Parenthood 27:19 - The "Coming Home to Autism" Event That Changed Everything 31:35 - The mASCot Card: A Little Bit of Context, a Lot of Confidence 37:51 - Sunday Club and the Joy of a Non-Judgmental Space 47:59 - Inspired to Act: Hannah Woods and Spectrum Squad Penarth 52:16 - The Online Community: Why mASCot's Facebook Forum Matters 59:52 - When Lockdown Showed Us What Our Kids Already Knew 01:01:49 - Finding Your People Means Letting Go of the Wrong Ones 01:09:05 - The Tricky Business of Unsupportive Family Members 01:13:18 - It's Not All Rubbish: The Positives of Finding Your People 01:16:17 - Neurodiversity Champions: mASCot, Bill Bayley and the BNC 01:22:40 - Tiny Epic Wins 01:26:12 - What the Flip? Moments

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    LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE:

    Podcasthon - https://podcasthon.org/

    mASCot - https://www.mascot.org.uk/

    Donate to mASCot via Givey - https://www.givey.com/mascot

    National Autistic Society - https://www.autism.org.uk/

    PDA Society - https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/

    Bristol Parent Carers Forum - https://www.bristolparentcarers.org.uk/

    The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene - https://amzn.eu/d/0jkdMxga

    Spectrum Squad Penarth - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2039735040102766/

    Brighton Neurodivergent Community (BNC) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/brightonneurodiverse

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    📣 CONTACT US 🌐 Website: www.neuroshambles.com 📧 Email: hello@neuroshambles.com 📸 Instagram: @neuroshambles 🎵 TikTok: @neuroshamblespod 📘 Facebook: Neuroshambles

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    🎙️ CREDITS 🎶 Theme music by Skilsel on Pixabay: pixabay.com
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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • The knotty issue of hair care | Rebecca Huseyin

    The knotty issue of hair care | Rebecca Huseyin
    Feb 18 2026

    Mark is joined by returning guest Rebecca Hussain for a hilarious chat about the perils of trying to introduce any kind of hair care routine to our neurodivergent kids. It’s a knotty issue for loads of Neuroshambolic families - whether it's brushing, washing, cutting it or trying to navigate dreaded nit combs.

    Mark and Rebecca unpick why hair-related stuff can be so dysregulating for our autistic, ADHD or PDA kids - from sensory overwhelm and loss of control, to the irrepressible instinct to run away when someone approaches them with a brush and they're already feeling overwhelmed.

    Rebecca explains her role as night time hair brushing ninja and Mark recounts the horror story of the time he tried to trim India's fringe himself. They also dig into the awkward realities of salons and barbers, the compromises that sometimes (briefly) work, and the grim truth that a lot of so-called “simple” solutions don’t feel simple at all when you’re parenting a child with a PDA profile, ADHD traits, or autism-related sensory sensitivities.

    If you’re after autistic parenting advice that feels human rather than preachy, this one will have you nodding, laughing and cringing in equal measure.

    CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

    00:00:37 - Intro 00:01:07 - Meet the guest: Rebecca Huseyin 00:05:36 - What’s the topic of the week? Hair care 00:08:01 - Haircuts: clippers, salons and pure dread 00:13:16 - Dealing with brushing & knots - night time ninja brushing 00:21:40 - Sensory overload: why hair care causes so much overwhelm 00:25:25 - The drama of washing their hair 00:42:34 - Barbers/hairdressers: trusting a stranger with scissors 00:47:15 - Products, routines and reducing the stakes 00:55:08 - The reason some neurodivergent’s prefer long hair 00:58:10 - The lengths we go to for a haircut 01:03:12 - Not wanting people to notice their hair 01:05:47 - Reliving Mark’s trauma of cutting India’s fringe 01:18:17 - A surprising India haircut success story 01:21:04 - It’s not all rubbish: looking at the Positives 01:22:22 - Neurodiversity Champions 01:26:10 - Tiny Epic Wins 01:31:18 - What the Flip Moments?

    LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE

    A Boy Less Ordinary (Rebecca’s blog) - https://aboylessordinary.com/

    PDA Society - https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/

    Jem’s Hair brush - https://amzn.eu/d/0dTSItLZ

    India’s hair brush - https://amzn.eu/d/072vd0L6

    India’s coconut scented hair brush - https://amzn.eu/d/05Er65tF

    Nit comb - https://amzn.eu/d/00cSPgcz

    Grappling with Personal Hygiene episode of Neuroshambles - https://neuroshambles.com/episode/grappling-with-personal-hygiene-rebecca-huseyin

    Wash and Go - https://amzn.eu/d/0cmgCDdU

    Danielle Jata-Hall / “PDA Parenting” - https://pdaparenting.com/

    Hairport (Brighton) - https://www.brightonhairport.co.uk/

    EAG Expo, Docklands - https://www.eagexpo.com/

    📣 CONTACT US

    🌐 Website: www.neuroshambles.com

    📧 Email: hello@neuroshambles.com

    📸 Instagram: @neuroshambles

    🎵 TikTok: @neuroshamblespod

    📘 Facebook: Neuroshambles

    🎙️ CREDITS

    🎶 Theme music by Skilsel on Pixabay: pixabay.com
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    1 hr and 38 mins
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