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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
  • School “avoidance”: Part 2 - The impact on families and what we can do about it

    School “avoidance”: Part 2 - The impact on families and what we can do about it
    Jun 24 2026
    Part two of our deep dive into EBSA for neurodivergent children is essential listening for anyone navigating the school avoidance minefield as a parent or carer of a neurodivergent child - whether they are autistic, ADHD, PDA profile, or any combination of the above. Heidi Mavir returns to offer her advice as someone who has lived every corner of this experience - not only in her own life, but also through her advocacy work with thousands of families affected by barriers to attendance. In this episode, we dig into the real-world impact - the emotional, financial and logistical strain it places on families. We also look at practical things parents can actually do if their child is experiencing barriers to attendance - from how absences should be coded at school, to what the Children's Wellbeing Bill means for home education rights, to when a part-time timetable might help and when it's just a sticking plaster. If you're wrestling with EBSA daily and you’re looking for advice that's rooted in lived experience, this is the episode for you. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (ESTIMATED) 00:01:28 - Meet The Guest 00:03:25 - Topic of the Week: Barriers to Attendance Part 2 00:03:59 - Parental Blame and Being Doubted by School Professionals 00:09:32 - Attendance Targets, Fines, and Rewarding Full Attendance 00:13:23 - "Make Home Less Appealing" and Other Unhelpful Advice 00:17:49 - Why Exposure Therapy Doesn't Work for EBSA 00:21:35 - The Emotional, Financial and Relational Impact on Parents 00:35:34 - What You Can Actually Do: Practical Advice for Families 00:53:15 - Home Education, Deregistering and the Children's Wellbeing Bill 01:11:46 - EOTAS and When School Just Isn't the Right Shape 01:15:07 - It's Not All Rubbish: Specialist Settings and What Works 01:20:05 - Neurodiversity Champions 01:25:19 - Tiny Epic Wins 01:31:10 - What the Flip! LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE Neuroshambles mailing list sign-up (with free PDF of all What the Flip moments from all 59 episodes) - https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/2414072/190019322933937234/share Your Child Is Not Broken book, Heidi Mavir - https://www.heidimavir.com/i-wrote-a-book Your Child Is Not Broken free Facebook community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/eotasmatters Heidi Mavir: The Marble run - https://www.heidimavir.com/the-marble-run Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act - https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3909 Section 19 of Children and Families Act - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/section/19 EOTAS, EOTIS, EOTISC - https://www.ipsea.org.uk/home-education-and-education-otherwise Not Fine in School - https://www.notfineinschool.co.uk Define Fine - https://www.definefine.org.uk/ SEND Advocacy Limited (Alice) - https://www.sendadvocacy.com/ Audhdacious Humans - https://www.audhdacious.com/ Make and Create Club - https://www.audhdacious.com/make-and-create/club/ Eliza Fricker and "Can't Not Won't" - https://amzn.eu/d/0bMMrrwa 📣 CONTACT NEUROSHAMBLES 🌐 Website: www.neuroshambles.com 📧 Email: hello@neuroshambles.com 📸 Instagram: @neuroshambles 🎵 TikTok: @neuroshamblespod 📘 Facebook: Neuroshambles 📬 Sign up to the Neuroshambles mailing list: https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/2414072/190019322933937234/share 🎙️ CREDITS 🎶 Theme music by Skilsel on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com
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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • School "Avoidance": Part 1 - What it is and how to spot it | Heidi Mavir

    School "Avoidance": Part 1 - What it is and how to spot it | Heidi Mavir
    Jun 10 2026
    If you are a parent or carer of a neurodivergent child, the chances are that school attendance has been a topic that has kept you awake at night. Whether you know it as school refusal, emotionally based school avoidance, or one of a dozen other terms, it is one of the most stressful and isolating things a family can go through. As a neurodivergent parenting podcast, Neuroshambles has been asked about this topic more than almost any other, so this week’s guest is one of the best in the business. Heidi Mavir is a best-selling author, public speaker, late-identified autistic and ADHD adult, and one of the most knowledgeable and tireless advocates for SEND families in the UK. Her own journey with her son Theo, who went from full school attendance to none at all in the space of a few months at the age of fourteen, gives her both the lived experience and the hard-won expertise to talk about this topic like very few others can. This is Part 1 of a two-part episode, so here we focus on what barriers to attendance actually looks like in neurodivergent children and young people - from the terminology chaos to the sensory nightmare of school environments, the morning meltdowns, the masking, the after-school explosions, the physical symptoms, and ultimately what can happen when it all builds up into burnout. Part 2 will focus on the family impact and what you can actually do about it. If you are a parent trying to make sense of what is happening with your child and school, this one is for you. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (ESTIMATED) 00:01:37 - Meet the Guest - Heidi Mavir 00:05:08 - What is EBSA? Unpacking the Terminology 00:19:01 - Why School is a Sensory and Emotional Minefield 00:30:40 - The PDA Dimension - Demand Avoidance in School 00:35:27 - Early Signs of Barriers to Attendance 00:42:00 - Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn and Flop - Polyvagal Theory 00:45:33 - After-School Meltdowns and the Masking Behind Them 00:52:19 - Physical Symptoms - When the Body Tells the Story 00:57:01 - What Changes Outside of School? 01:03:41 - How Barriers to Attendance Build Up Gradually Over Time 01:07:42 - Autistic Burnout - When It All Catches Up 01:17:22 - Neurodiversity Champions 01:20:13 - Tiny Epic Wins 01:23:04 - What the Flip? LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE Your Child Is Not Broken by Heidi Mavir - https://www.heidimavir.com/i-wrote-a-book EOTAS Matters - https://www.heidimavir.com/forfamilies PDA Society: School Distress - https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/what-helps-guides/pda-and-emotionally-based-school-avoidance-ebsa/ Kieran Rose: School Induced Trauma - https://theautisticadvocate.com/school-refusal-or-school-induced-trauma-rethinking-ebsa-ebsna-and-the-harm-we-call-help/ Audhdacious Humans - https://www.audhdacious.com/ Polyvagal Theory - https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheory Scouts UK - https://www.scouts.org.uk/ Heidi Mavir/Rachel Filmer webinar on SEND Reform Proposals - https://eotasmatters.kartra.com/page/WhitePaperWebinar Black SEN Mamas - https://blacksenmamas.com/ Rachel Filmer - https://www.instagram.com/sendra.uk/ Not Fine in School - https://www.notfineinschool.co.uk Square Peg - https://www.teamsquarepeg.co.uk/ Define Fine - https://www.definefine.org.uk/ 📣 CONTACT US 🌐 Website: www.neuroshambles.com 📧 Email: hello@neuroshambles.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neuroshambles/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@neuroshamblespod 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Neuroshambles/ 🎙️ CREDITS 🎶 Theme music by Skilsel on Pixabay: pixabay.com
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • Screen Time: Part 2 - The Downsides For Neurodivergent Kids | Hannah Woods

    Screen Time: Part 2 - The Downsides For Neurodivergent Kids | Hannah Woods
    May 20 2026
    This week we're back with part two of a candid, deep dive into screen time. Last time we covered all the good stuff - the regulation, the social connection, the sense of mastery. This time, we're braving the darker side of the coin. Mark is joined again by Hannah, mum to nine-year-old Henry (autistic, ADHD, PDA profile) and six-year-old Thea (suspected neurotypical). Together they work through the thornier aspects of neurodivergent parenting and screen time - addiction, in-game spending, safeguarding and parental controls. They also take an honest look at crushing guilt and the shame that often lies underneath it, as well as how to handle transitions off screens without descending into full-scale conflict. For anyone trying to navigate neurodivergency parenting without a rulebook, this episode won't give you all the answers, but it will make you feel considerably less alone. ------------ CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (ESTIMATED) 00:01:10 - Meet the Guest 00:02:34 - This Week's Topic: Screen Time - The Difficult Bits 00:03:48 - Screen Addiction, ADHD and the Dopamine Loop 00:16:12 - Managing Screen Time: Swapping One Dopamine Hit for Another 00:21:57 - In-Game Spending, Roblox and Robux 00:29:16 - Safeguarding and Online Safety 00:34:10 - Parental Controls: A Full-Time Job 00:46:52 - Are Screens Putting Our Kids Off Other Kinds of Play? 00:50:39 - Using Screens as a Tool for Transitions and Outings 00:56:38 - Getting Them Off Screens: Transition Strategies That (Sometimes) Work 01:01:45 - Parental Guilt, Shame and Societal Judgement 01:12:46 - It's Not All Rubbish 01:15:12 - Neurodiversity Champions 01:21:43 - Tiny Epic Wins 01:25:48 - What the Flip Moments ------------ LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE Neuroshambles Live, Brighton (23rd July 2026) - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1988682312330/?discount=Neuroshamblers Alternatively, search "Neuroshambles Live" on https://www.eventbrite.co.uk and use the access code “Neuroshamblers” for the discounted rate of £8 throughout May. After that, tickets go on general sale for £10. Screen time: Part 1 episode - https://neuroshambles.com/episode/screen-time-part-1-the-benefits-for-neurodivergent-kids-hannah-woods ADHD and dopamine - https://www.additudemag.com/brain-stimulation-and-adhd-cravings-dependency-and-regulation/ Roblox - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roblox Grow a garden - https://growa-garden.io/ Apple parental controls - https://support.apple.com/en-gb/105121 Google parental controls - https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/15077835?hl=en Microsoft parental controls - https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/family-safety Crunchyroll - https://www.crunchyroll.com/ Tech Smart Parenting book by Catherine Knibbs - https://amzn.eu/d/0iqIy0cv Holidays Episode of Neuroshambles - https://neuroshambles.com/episode/holidays-dr-hildi-mitchell Cards against humanity - https://amzn.eu/d/08Dn7YIt Smartphone Free Childhood - https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/ Spectrum Squad Penarth - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2039735040102766/ ------------ 📣 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 33 mins
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