In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott break down a new research article showing how major autism charities portray autistic people as helpless, burdensome, and in constant need of “saving.”

Jordan and Simon explore why so many large charities rely on harmful tropes (puzzle pieces, sad children, deficit language) to generate donations, while autistic-led organisations struggle for support despite doing meaningful work. They discuss tokenism, the “non-disabled saviour” complex, and why proper representation — especially leadership by autistic people — is essential.

Together, they discuss:

• How major charities use stigma and pity to raise money
• Why are autistic people often shown as “helpless children” instead of adults
• The problem with puzzle pieces and deficit-based imagery
• Tokenism and non-autistic leadership in autism organisations
• How charities profit from pity and maintain their monopoly
• Why many autistic-led charities struggle — despite doing better work
• How misrepresentation harms autistic adults seeking dignity and support
• Why nothing should be “about us without us”

The article:https://theconversation.com/autism-charities-can-portray-autistic-people-as-helpless-and-a-burden-our-research-shows-why-it-matters-267385

Jordan also shares stories about being approached by big charities, navigating the ethics of working with organisations, and how he nearly got pulled into a profit-driven model disguised as “non-profit.” They close by highlighting autistic-led charities worth supporting, including Autism Southeast, and why grassroots organisations are essential for real change.

This episode is blunt, necessary, and gives a voice to autistic adults tired of being framed as problems to be fixed. If you’re frustrated with how autism is portrayed, this is one you won’t want to miss.

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In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott dive into a huge question many late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD adults wrestle with: Would a childhood diagnosis have actually changed anything — or possibly made life harder?

Jordan and Simon share personal stories of bullying, masking, meltdowns, stigma, and internalised ableism — and reflect on how childhood diagnosis might have affected their families, identities, independence, careers, and relationships. They also read listener responses on how late diagnosis shaped (or didn’t shape) their lives.

Together, they explore:

• Why early diagnosis can bring validation, language, and support
• How lack of awareness in previous decades created stigma and misinformation
• Whether childhood diagnosis could have prevented trauma — or simply added a label for bullies
• The fear of being limited, infantilised, or underestimated as a neurodivergent child
• How family understanding (or lack of it) shapes identity and self-esteem
• The generational shift in autism knowledge — and why today’s kids have more tools
• Late diagnosis as both a relief and a grieving process
• Why the past can’t be changed — but the future absolutely can

This is an honest, nuanced conversation for anyone who has ever wondered how life might have looked if they’d been understood sooner. Whether you were diagnosed as a child, in your 30s, or at 60, this episode reminds you that your neurodivergent journey starts when you finally have the language for it — and it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

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November Neuroscience for the Neurodivergent Nervous System

In this deeply grounding episode, we explore the gentle, transformative world of somatic regulation - the bottom-up path that helps a neurodivergent nervous system feel safe, calm, and connected again.

You’ll learn why the body is often the first place we must return to when the mind becomes overwhelmed, and how sensation, rhythm, movement, touch, breath, and stimming can become powerful allies for healing. Together, we’ll explore how widening your gaze, adjusting your posture, shaking out accumulated stress like animals do in the wild, and allowing intuitive movement can shift you from dysregulation into presence.

With insights from neuroscience, mindfulness, Ram Dass, and trauma-informed wisdom, we’ll reframe somatic practices not as “techniques,” but as ancient forms of remembering - ways the body whispers, “This is the way home.”

This episode includes a deeply soothing Yoga Nidra journey, guiding you into the restorative space between wakefulness and sleep, where your nervous system can truly unwind, repair, and return to itself.

By the end, you’ll not only understand your body more -

you’ll trust it more.

You’ll hear it more.

You’ll come home to it more.

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In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott pull apart the latest headline claiming that “COVID during pregnancy causes autism.”

With sarcasm, dark humour and actual science, they look at why every week the media invents a new “cause” — Tylenol, vaccines, circumcision, video games, rain — and how these stories spread without logic, peer review or any understanding of genetics.

Jordan and Simon explain why this reporting is dangerous: it fuels stigma, panic and political agendas, while ignoring the real science behind autistic brains — including genetics and reduced synaptic pruning. Instead of treating autism as part of human diversity, the media keeps framing it as a threat, tragedy or contagious condition.

They discuss:

• The latest claim: “COVID during pregnancy causes autism”
• Why correlation is not causation (no matter how many headlines say it is)
• Politicians weaponising autism for attention and votes
• The Tylenol lawsuit and RFK’s shifting conspiracies
• How media language treats autism like a disease or warning label
• Why autism isn’t “caught” — it’s genetic and always has been
• Why support and accessibility matter more than fearmongering

This episode is a sharp, honest takedown of pseudoscience and scare tactics. If you’re tired of autism being used as clickbait, you’ll want to hear this one.

Our Sponsors:

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In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott open up about imposter syndrome — the belief that you’re never good enough, never qualified enough, and that one day everyone will “figure you out.”

With humour and honesty, they share personal stories of childhood bullying, masking, perfectionism and self-doubt, and how growing up misunderstood leaves many autistic and ADHD adults feeling like their achievements aren’t real. From turning down opportunities to assuming every success is luck, they explore why confidence is so difficult for neurodivergent minds.

They discuss how imposter syndrome shows up in work, relationships, creativity and social media — and how therapy, self-compassion and supportive people can slowly rewrite the story.

They explore:

• Why imposter syndrome is so common for autistic & ADHD adults
• Growing up hearing you’re “lazy,” “too much,” or “not trying”
• How masking and people-pleasing destroy self-worth
• The fear of failure — and the fear of success
• Social media, comparison and anxiety
• Why confidence takes time and why small wins matter
• When self-criticism becomes self-harm
• Why reaching out can save people from spiralling alone

This is a raw, validating conversation for anyone who has ever worked twice as hard and still felt like a fraud. If you struggle to believe in yourself, this episode is proof that you’re not alone — and that healing is possible.

Our Sponsors:

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Part 2 of our November Neuroscience for the Neurodivergent Nervous System series

Your breath is more than air - it’s a bridge between worlds.

In this week’s Mindful Mondays, Ashley Bentley explores the mystical and scientific magic of the breath — how this constant companion connects body and mind, order and chaos, logic and emotion.

Through science, story, and spirit, we uncover why the breath is the only part of the autonomic nervous system we can consciously guide — making it both a biological tool for regulation and a spiritual doorway to presence.

Ashley shares her own journey through burnout and healing, reflections from Alan Watts on the bridge between the voluntary and involuntary, and insights into how breathing can help regulate the neurodivergent nervous system, ease hypersensitivity, and even calm addiction patterns.

This episode also includes a deeply immersive guided breath practice with multiple techniques, woven with vivid visualizations to help you awaken, ground, and return to yourself.

“Every breath a teacher. Every exhale a prayer. Every inhale — a return.”

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In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott discuss two shocking news stories exposing how autistic workers are being used as unpaid labour — ‘volunteering’ in supermarkets and retail stores for months or even years, only to be dismissed the moment they ask to be paid.

They break down how companies hide exploitation behind charity language and “work experience,” and how vulnerable adults are pressured to feel grateful for opportunities that would be paid roles for anyone else. Jordan and Simon talk about gaslighting, legal rights, and why disabled people are repeatedly told they should expect less — or nothing at all — from employers.

Together, they explore:

• Why Autistic workers are vulnerable to workplace exploitation
• The public's belief that disabled people should “just be grateful” to be there
• Gaslighting, low expectations, and the damage of being told you’ll “never achieve anything”
• How parents and carers are often manipulated into accepting unpaid labour for their Autistic loved ones
• The legal reality: taking advantage of a vulnerable person is a crime
• Why these stories matter and how many more are likely happening unseen

This episode is angry, honest, and necessary — shining a light on a system where disabled workers are treated as props, not people. If you work, you deserve to be paid. And if this is happening to you or someone you love, you’re not alone — and it needs to be exposed.

Our Sponsors:

🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

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In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott dive into the complicated relationship between money and neurodivergent brains— from impulsive spending and overdrafts to financial fear and learning to save later in life.

They share their own journey with overdrafts, dopamine-driven purchases, budgeting avoidance, and learning financial responsibility later in life — and how neurodivergent brains approach money differently from neurotypical ones.

Together, they discuss:

• How autism and ADHD affect spending, saving, and financial regulation
• The truth about the “ADHD tax” and impulsive spending for dopamine
• How demand avoidance and executive dysfunction make bills feel impossible
• Why financial shame is common for neurodivergent adults
• How to build sustainable savings systems that actually work for autistic and ADHD minds
• Learning to plan, budget, and build security without losing joy
• The emotional link between money, control, and safety

This is a real, unfiltered conversation about growing up, getting organised, and finally learning how to make money work for you instead of against you. Whether you’re deep in overdraft or learning to save for the first time, this episode offers empathy, laughter, and practical insight into financial life with a neurodivergent brain.

Our Sponsors:

🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

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 Learning the language of safety, connection, and calm for the neurodivergent brain and body.

This week, we begin a brand new series - November Neuroscience for The Neurodivergent Nervous System.

Our journey starts with the foundation of it all: your nervous system — the hidden ladder within that shapes how you experience the world.

We’ll explore how your body’s three main states — rest, activation, and shutdown — form a living map of safety and survival.

For neurodivergent minds and bodies, this ladder is often more sensitive, more reactive, and more beautifully complex. You’ll learn how your sensory world, your emotions, and your energy are all guided by this internal rhythm — and how understanding it is the key to self-regulation and healing.

Through neuroscience, lived experience, and a deeply moving guided meditation, you’ll learn how to climb the ladder with awareness, presence, and compassion — returning again and again to your calm, connected state.

❤️ Support the Show

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• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

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In this Halloween edition of The Hot Topic, Jordan James and Simon Scott delve into why many autistic and ADHD individuals are drawn to horror — from jump scares and haunted houses to true crime and the works of Stephen King.

They unpack the neuroscience and psychology behind the connection between fear, curiosity, and regulation, and why being safely scared can be surprisingly calming for neurodivergent minds. Drawing on personal stories and pop culture, Jordan and Simon discuss how horror offers a sense of control, catharsis, and community — and why dark stories can feel oddly comforting.

Together, they explore:

• Why the autistic and ADHD brain may find “safe fear” regulating
• The dopamine and sensory connection behind horror fascination
• How pattern recognition and empathy draw neurodivergent people to dark stories
• Horror as a mirror for survival, belonging, and identity
• Why horror icons and underdogs often resonate with neurodivergent audiences

With humour and honesty, this episode celebrates spooky season through a neurodivergent lens — proving that sometimes, what scares us most can also make us feel most alive.

Our Sponsors:

🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
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