🎧 Episode 15

This week, Ben and Dan explore the emotional tightrope of raising neurodivergent teens during school term chaos. Ben shares the heavy emotional load of supporting Mabel through school-related overwhelm, where advocacy, compassion, and a newly diagnosed ADHD perspective all collide. There’s honest discussion about balancing being a teacher and a parent — and how not every school interaction needs to be a battleground.

Meanwhile, Dan celebrates some unexpected strides in Frankie’s social and language development — including a newfound confidence at school drop-off. Plus: Oscar introduces a DVD bartering system with Mabel (aka “Blockbuster”), and bedtime tech management finally starts to click.

As always, the episode ends with candid bath-time scores and family in-jokes involving “Bum Back” and “Sleepy Night-Nights.” It’s an episode full of heart, laughter, emotional maturity — and just a hint of Palmolive.

💬 Topics Covered This Episode

• Supporting teens with school avoidance and emotional overwhelm

• Balancing ND advocacy with professional boundaries

• Laura’s ADHD diagnosis is helping shape family understanding

• Mabel and Oscar’s sibling bond and gentle leadership

• Frankie’s social breakthroughs and naming moments

• Screens vs. DVDs: Neurodivergent bedtime management

• Blockbuster DVD swaps and parenting nostalgia

• Solo parenting wins and the pressure of the “perfect” week

• Bath-time routines, sensory wins & hygiene breakthroughs

• Family language quirks and neurodivergent household humour

⏱️ YouTube Chapter Timestamps

00:43 – 🐴 Welcome to the Paddock

02:03 – 🧠 Ben’s Delayed Headspace & Rescheduling

02:48 – 🔤 Ben’s Week in 3 Words: Maturity, Siblings, Sadness

04:10 – 📉 Challenge of the Week: Mabel’s Tough School Transition

09:36 – 🤝 Advocating While Parenting: Teacher Hat vs. Parent Hat

13:00 – ✊ Fight for Ordinary Rally Reflections

16:42 – ✨ Win of the Week: Oscar’s Flexibility & Independence

23:20 – 🗣️ Frankie Says What?! A Language Leap

25:30 – 📀 Blockbuster Swap: The Sibling DVD System

30:00 – ❤️ Emotional Sibling Support & Advocacy

33:24 – 🔭 Looking Ahead to the Week Ahead

36:15 – 🎉 Event Flashbacks: Weddings, Parties & Trains in the Collection Plate

43:00 – 🛁 Bath Time Scores & Puberty Talk

47:00 – 🧼 Frankie’s Hygiene Win & Hair-Drying Triumph

50:00 – 🧂 Classic Family Mispronunciations: Bum Back & Sleepy Night Nights

54:00 – 🤣 Guess the Phrase Game Begins

57:00 – 💌 Listener Call-Out: Send Us Your Weird Family Words

58:12 – 🎧 Outro & Final Message

If this episode resonates with you, whether you’re a zebra or a stripy horse or just figuring it out, there’s space for you in the NeuroDADverse.

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