The Autism Dad

"Stop comparing the hard. Start validating the hard." That one line from Heidi Price might be the whole episode.

Heidi spent years in the autism community before she was a mom. She worked as a recreational therapist, and she married into a family that knows autism well, with two brothers-in-law on the spectrum and two nephews too. She thought she understood it. Then she had her own kids, and she learned how much the level one experience can humble even someone who works in the field.

Heidi and her husband live in North Carolina with their three kids. Two of the three are autistic, and both are level one. Her six-year-old son has autism, ADHD, and a PDA, or pathological demand avoidance, profile. Her five-year-old daughter was diagnosed at three and spent about a year and a half in ABA therapy. Her youngest, who is three, has severe food allergies. As Heidi puts it, it's a fun place at her house.

In this Seen and Heard episode, Heidi gives Rob a real, unscripted look at what their days actually hold. The morning rules you can't break. The clothing battles when the seasons change. The way her son and daughter can need the exact opposite things at the exact same time. And one recent win that will stick with you, where a couple of soda cans, a pair of new shoes, and three days of patience turned a meltdown into a victory lap.

But the heart of this one is Heidi's message about comparison. Every level of autism is hard. The level threes and the level ones. The non-verbal days and the principal-calling days. They can coexist, and one does not have to threaten the other. She's honest about the services gap too, about how her daughter could not get an IEP because she wasn't considered bad enough, even while she was still struggling.

What you'll hear:

"Everyone's hard is hard. We need to stop comparing the hard. We need to start validating the hard." Heidi Price

This episode is presented by Best Part Kids, a sensory-friendly multivitamin for selective eaters created by dietitian Brittyn Coleman. Use code THEAUTISMDAD for 10% off at BestPartKids.com. #ad

About Rob:

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

Rob's book, So Your Child Was Just Diagnosed with Autism, lands December 29, 2026 from Fair Winds Press. Updates and preorder: theautismdad.com/book

Where to find Rob:

You can find me at theautismdad.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at The Autism Dad, and on YouTube at The Autism Dad. New episodes drop every week at listen.theautismdad.com.

Where to find Heidi:

You can find Heidi on Instagram at @triple.a_mom, on Facebook at Triple A Mom, and on my website at www.tripleamom.net. I actually started a business to help families like ours with visual resources that actually work.

Mariam Shapera is a family doctor. In medical school, she got one lecture on autism, and it was clinical and deficit-focused. Then she became an autism mom, and everything she thought she knew got rewritten by her own son.

Justin Bowman had a dream his son would be autistic before the boy was born. Years later, after his son Sawyer was diagnosed with level 1 autism, Justin did what a lot of dads only wish they could do. He built something to help.

Justin is back for a deeper dive than his Seen and Heard episode earlier this season. He's the founder and CEO of VizyPlan, a visual routine and planning app he built for Sawyer and then opened to the whole neurodivergent community. Rob and Justin go deep on the dad-as-fixer instinct, what actually comes after an autism diagnosis, and why you can't fix autism but you can support your kid.

What you'll hear:

- The dream Justin had before Sawyer was born

- Why waiting on evaluation results feels like waiting on the SATs

- The fixer instinct dads struggle with, and a healthier reframe

- The grocery-store meltdowns that inspired VizyPlan

- The moment Sawyer saw himself as the hero character and it clicked

- How VizyPlan handles IEP transcription, social stories, visual schedules, and advocacy

- Why one app beats juggling six

- Privacy: VizyPlan does not train its models on your child's data

"I would have paid any amount of money to help him. Any amount of money." Justin Bowman

Try VizyPlan: 30-day free trial with code theautismdad at vizyplan.com/app. Just $9.99 a month for your whole family.

About Justin:

Justin Bowman is the founder and CEO of VizyPlan and Associate Director of Product Management at Chewy. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he's a varsity hockey coach and autism dad. He and his wife Danielle, a speech-language pathologist, have two kids: Sawyer, turning six and diagnosed level 1 autism, and Peyton, four.

Sponsors this week:

This episode is presented by Best Part Kids, a sensory-friendly multivitamin for selective eaters created by dietitian Brittyn Coleman. Use code THEAUTISMDAD for 10% off at BestPartKids.com.

Mightier emotional-regulation games (code theautismdad22, mightier.com)

About Rob:

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

My book, So Your Child Was Just Diagnosed with Autism is out on Dec. 29, 2026. Updates and preorder: theautismdad.com/book

You can find me at theautismdad.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at The Autism Dad, and on YouTube at The Autism Dad. New episodes drop every week at listen.theautismdad.com.

Liz Covington's son Bennett was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD at age four. The autism diagnosis didn't come until he was ten. Now he's 18, in college, and just spent two hours shoveling the driveway in a snowstorm without being asked twice. That's the kind of win that doesn't make the highlight reels but means everything to families like hers.

In this Seen and Heard episode, Rob sits down with Liz, a Utah mom of four, for a 15-minute glimpse into what level 1 autism parenting can actually look like. They cover late diagnosis, the daughter who has friends at school but can't handle anything else after, and why some autism families feel like they don't belong inside their own community.

What you'll hear in this episode:

"Every kid is good. They all want to be connected. They all want to be appreciated. And they're all trying their best." — Liz Covington

ABOUT THE GUEST

Liz Covington is a mom of four based in Utah. Her oldest son Bennett, 18, was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD at age four and with autism at age ten. He is now in college. Liz's ten-year-old daughter is believed to be on the spectrum and is awaiting formal evaluation. Liz advocates for autism families whose kids' challenges aren't visible on the surface.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

Rob's first book lands early 2027 from Quarto. Updates and preorder: theautismdad.com/book

THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY ALGONOT

This episode is presented by Algonot. Algonot makes science-backed supplements developed by Dr. Theoharis Theoharides, a Yale-trained researcher who has spent decades studying neuroinflammation, mast cells, and the brain. Every product is third-party tested for purity and free of common irritants. Visit algonot.com and use code ROB5 to save on your order.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

If you found this episode helpful, please follow The Autism Dad Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Visit listen.theautismdad.com for past episodes, resources, and ways to support the show.

You can find Rob at theautismdad.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at The Autism Dad, and on YouTube at The Autism Dad. New episodes drop every week at listen.theautismdad.com.

She got kicked out of five indoor playgrounds with her autistic son. Then she built her own. Today, We Rock the Spectrum has over 200 sensory-friendly, inclusive gyms in eight countries, and her son Gabriel just earned an academic scholarship to Loyola Marymount University.

In this episode, Rob sits down with Dina Kimmel, founder and CEO of We Rock the Spectrum Kids Gym, and Christopher Reyes, autism dad and owner of the Clovis, California location, to talk about what an autism family can build when the world tells them no.

What you'll hear:

• How one mom turned daily occupational therapy at home into a global sensory gym franchise

• Why Gabriel's scholarship proves a diagnosis is a baseline, not a prophecy

• Inside the gym: zip lines, crash pits, sensory tunnels, trampolines, and 12 pieces of OT equipment

• The "play with a purpose" philosophy behind every piece of equipment

• Christopher's path from nurse to owner of Central Valley's only sensory gym

• Parents Night Out drop-off addressing California's childcare shortage

• Big news: We Rock the Spectrum is now Medicaid waiver and Medi-Cal approved

• The My Brother Rocks the Spectrum Foundation grants for open play and respite

"This was all inspired from these two children that I have. I had no idea the need. I had no idea there were so many of us." — Dina Kimmel

About Dina:

Dina Kimmel is the CEO and founder of We Rock the Spectrum Kids Gym, a sensory friendly inclusive franchise with over 200 locations in eight countries. An autism mom first, Dina launched the first location in 2009 after seeing her son Gabriel thrive on OT equipment.

About Christopher:

Christopher Reyes is an autism dad and owner of We Rock the Spectrum Clovis. He's father to Jacob, six, level two, and Roxanne, four, level one. He opened his location to serve the Central Valley community.

Resources:

Find a location: https://wrtsfranchise.com/locations

Clovis: https://werockthespectrumclovis.com

This episode is brought to you by Mightier, a clinically proven app that helps kids build emotional regulation skills through biofeedback-based video games. Visit mightier.com and use code theautismdad22 for 10% off.

Also brought to you by VizyPlan. Built by a dad who gets it, VizyPlan uses AI to create visual routines with photos of your actual child. Visit vizyplan.com/app and use code theautismdad for your first month free.

About Rob:

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

Rob's first book lands early 2027 from Quarto. Updates and preorder: theautismdad.com/book

You can find me at theautismdad.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at The Autism Dad, and on YouTube at The Autism Dad. New episodes drop every week at listen.theautismdad.com.

If you have a neurodivergent kid who will only eat five foods, you already know that picky eater does not begin to cover it. The sensory processing, the oral motor challenges, the gut issues, the trust that gets lost every time a safe food changes slightly. And somewhere underneath all of that is a parent who is genuinely worried about whether their child is getting what they need to grow, think, and feel good.

That is exactly what Brittyn Coleman, the Autism Dietitian, has spent the last decade working on. And in this episode she shares something she has been working toward for ten years: Best Part Kids, the first sensory-friendly multivitamin built specifically for neurodivergent children and selective eaters. We cover what is actually in it and why, how to evaluate any supplement your kid is currently taking, why sneaking vitamins into food is often doing more harm than good, and what to do instead.

What you will hear in this episode:

ABOUT THE GUEST

Brittyn Coleman, MS, RDN/LD is a registered dietitian specializing in children on the autism spectrum and neurodivergent kids. Known as the Autism Dietitian, Brittyn helps families expand their child's limited diet in a sensory-friendly way so kids can get the nutrients they need to feel their best and thrive. With over a decade of experience working with selective eaters and a deeply personal connection to the autism community through her brother, Brittyn brings both clinical expertise and lived understanding to every family she works with. She is the founder of Best Part Kids, a sensory-friendly multivitamin line created in partnership with Harkla, built specifically for neurodivergent children and designed to fill nutritional gaps without compromising on taste, texture, or trust.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

VizyPlan — If your mornings feel like a battle before the day even starts, VizyPlan was built by a dad who gets it. The app uses AI to create visual routines with images of your actual child doing each step. Not stock photos. Not generic pictures. Your kid. Your home. Your routine. Calming tools, social stories, advocacy support, all in one place. Visit VizyPlan.com/app and use code theautismdad for your first month free.

Mightier — Mightier is a clinically proven app that helps kids build emotional regulation skills through biofeedback-based video games. It meets kids where they are and gives parents real tools to support them at home. Visit mightier.com and use code theautismdad22 for 10% off.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

If you found this episode helpful, please follow The Autism Dad Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Visit listen.theautismdad.com for past episodes, resources, and ways to support the show.

What if you could get access to a Masters or PhD level BCBA

That is exactly what Amol Deshpande built after spending years fighting a broken system just to get his own son diagnosed and into care. Amol is the founder and CEO of Frontera, a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur who previously founded Farmers Business Network, growing it into a nearly four billion dollar company, and served as a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.

He pivoted his entire career after his son was diagnosed with autism at age two. In this episode, he shares what the journey has looked like over the past 12 years, why he believes the clinical community is failing parents at the moment of diagnosis, and why his son is now 14, badgering him to watch South Park, spending too much money at Shake Shack, and heading to a Knicks game.

This is a conversation about hope, access, and what happens when a parent decides to do something about the system instead of just surviving it.

What you will hear in this episode:

•      Why even a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with every

•      How his son went from a serious autism diagnosis at age

•      Why the clinical community gets the moment of diagnosis

•      Why a diagnosis label is a baseline, not a prophecy

•      How Frontera gives parents free access to expert BCBA

•      Why community is one of the most underrated tools in

•      Rob shares his own sons' outcomes including what they

ABOUT THE GUEST

Amol Deshpande is a seasoned entrepreneur and parent of a child with autism. His personal experience navigating a fragmented and

Amol also invests in mission-oriented ventures through Divergent Investments, his family office. Before Frontera he founded and built Farmers Business Network into a nearly four billion dollar company with 1,000 employees from scratch. Prior to that he was a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, where he was the first investor in companies such as Beyond Meat and Axia Vegetable Seeds.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

If your mornings feel like a battle before the day even starts, I want to tell you about something that is genuinely changing that for families in our community. It is called VizyPlan, and it was built by a dad who gets it.

The app uses AI to create visual routines with images of your actual

Use the code theautismdad to get your first month free. See your day.

Mightier is a clinically proven app that helps kids build emotional regulation skills through biofeedback-based video games. It meets kids where they are and gives parents real tools to support them at home. Visit mightier.com and use code theautismdad22 for 10% off.

ONE MORE THING

My first book is coming. It is called Your Child Was Just

If you found this episode helpful, please follow The Autism

Produced in partnership with Frontera.

What does autism level one actually look like inside a real family's home? That is exactly what Justin Bowman, autism dad and founder of VizyPlan, is here to share.

In this episode of Seen and Heard, Justin gives us a 15-minute glimpse into life with his son Sawyer, who is turning six and diagnosed autism level one. Sawyer is the kid they call the mayor at school because he just wants to say hi to everyone. He is also a kid who went from completely nonverbal to holding full conversations in under three years, carries a full alphabet soup of providers, and battles a deep self-awareness that sometimes makes him avoid the very things he wants to do most.

Justin also makes a point in this episode that stopped me cold: being seen and heard in the autism community is not a level playing field. Zip code matters. Access matters. And until we recognize that, we are missing something important.

What you will hear in this episode:

• Sawyer's journey from nonverbal to conversational in under three years

• Why his follower mentality is both his biggest strength and his parents' biggest worry

• The full support team keeping Sawyer thriving inside and outside of school

• Why self-awareness in an autistic child can be both remarkable and heartbreaking

• What autism level one really looks like when the diagnosis label does not tell the whole story

• Why comparison is the thief of joy in the autism community

• Why being seen and heard is not equal for every autism family regardless of diagnosis level

ABOUT THE GUEST

Justin Bowman is the founder and CEO of VizyPlan, a visual routine and planning app built for the neurodivergent community, and Associate Director of Product Management at Chewy. He is an autism dad based in central Massachusetts with his wife Danielle, a speech-language pathologist, and their two children, Sawyer, who is turning six and diagnosed autism level one, and Peyton, who is four.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Mightier is a clinically proven app that helps kids build emotional regulation skills through biofeedback-based video games. It meets kids where they are and gives parents real tools to support them at home. Visit mightier.com and use code theautismdad22 for 10% off.

If you found this episode helpful, please follow The Autism Dad Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Visit listen.theautismdad.com for past episodes, resources, and ways to support the show.

What does it really feel like to fight for your child's autism diagnosis, navigate school battles, and find joy in a glove and a game of catch? In this episode of Seen and Heard, I'm joined by Brandon Shaw, an autism dad from Orlando, Florida, who shares a candid, unfiltered look at life with his seven-year-old son Mason, who is diagnosed level one but often teeters between one and two. Brandon opens up about the moment everything changed, the silence that followed diagnosis, and the small victories that keep his family moving forward.

What you will hear in this episode:

ABOUT THE GUEST

Brandon Shaw is an autism dad living in Orlando, Florida with his wife Alyssa and their two sons, Mason, age seven, and Hunter, who is nearly three. Mason was diagnosed as autistic around age three and a half after his family fought to be heard by multiple doctors. Since diagnosis, Brandon and Alyssa have dedicated themselves to learning, advocating, and celebrating every step of Mason's journey. Brandon is passionate about breaking autism stigmas, building community, and reminding other parents that they are not alone.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

VizyPlan — If your mornings feel like a battle before the day even starts, check out VizyPlan. Built by a dad who gets it, VizyPlan uses AI to create visual routines with photos of your actual child. Visit VizyPlan.com/app and use code theautismdad to get your first month free.

If you found this episode helpful, please follow The Autism Dad Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Visit listen.theautismdad.com for past episodes, resources, and ways to support the show.

Season 9 of The Autism Dad Podcast kicks off with the episode you have been requesting for three years. Rob's girlfriend, partner, and biggest supporter — Kelly Clark — finally joins the show to answer your questions about their relationship, how they navigate autism parenting together, and what makes two introverts who overthink everything such a great team.

Kelly also opens up about the life-changing work she does training law enforcement, first responders, schools, and courthouses across Northeast Ohio to better understand and interact with autistic individuals through the Autism Society of Greater Akron. Plus, Rob shares a personal announcement he has been keeping under wraps for eight months — you do not want to miss it.

In This Episode:

About the Guest

Kelly Clark is a mom, passionate autism advocate, and educator based in Northeast Ohio. As a representative of the Autism Society of Greater Akron, she trains law enforcement officers, first responders, school staff, and courthouse personnel to better recognize and interact with autistic individuals — work that can quite literally change outcomes and save lives. Kelly brings both professional expertise and personal lived experience to everything she does. She is also Rob's partner and has been a steady, grounding presence behind the scenes for the last three years.

About Your Host

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.

Find Rob at theautismdad.com | Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok: @theautismdad | YouTube: @robgorski | New episodes drop every week.

This Episode Is Brought to You By

VizyPlan — If your mornings feel like a battle before the day even starts, check out VizyPlan. Built by a dad who gets it, VizyPlan uses AI to create visual routines with photos of your actual child. Visit VizyPlan.com/app and use code theautismdad to get your first month free.

If you found this episode helpful, please follow The Autism Dad Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Visit listen.theautismdad.com for past episodes, resources, and ways to support the show.