Shopping - whether it’s for clothes, food or shoes - can be a sensory, emotional and logistical nightmare when you’re parenting autistic or ADHD children. Helen Stuart joins Mark to discuss why “just popping to the shops” is a long-held pipedream.

They share tales from the front line of their own shopping trip traumas, and discuss how sensory overload, PDA, and unpredictable environments make supermarkets and shopping centres feel like hostile territory.

Helen explains the practical steps her family takes to get through it - and when they just opt out entirely. Mark shares how even a trip to the corner shop has to be planned like a military operation, and how public perception adds a whole extra layer of pressure.

A funny, honest episode that every neurodivergent parenting family will relate to.

00:00 – Intro & Listener Feedback

PDA Society - Support and resources for families living with a PDA profile: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk

Supermarket Sweep - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarket_Sweep_(British_game_show)

Sunflower Lanyard Scheme - For invisible disabilities: https://hiddendisabilitiesstore.com

Waterstones Book Tokens - https://www.waterstones.com/help/gift-cards-and-vouchers/32

H&M - https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/kids.html

Skechers - https://www.skechers.co.uk/kids/

Lindsay's Swim School - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063580090089&sk=about

Nelson Street Church, Rochdale - https://www.nelsonstreetchurch.org/

Thrive Together Training website – https://thrivetogethertraining.co.uk

Thrive Together Training Facebook page – www.facebook.com/thrivetogethertraining

Thrive Together Training Instagram account – www.instagram.com/thrivetogethertraining

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📸 Instagram: @neuroshambles

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🎶 Theme tune by Skilsel on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com