Tackling Ignorance - Part 1 | Jo Matthews

2025-06-11

In this episode, Mark is joined once again by the brilliant Jo Matthews for a cathartic, hilarious, and occasionally sweary dive into the unfiltered reality of parenting autistic, ADHD and PDA kids. From "It's just a label" and "He’s fine with me" to "You just need to push them out of their comfort zone", this is part one of a two-part special on the unsolicited commentary we all get, whether it’s from strangers, family members, or well-meaning-but-utterly-wrong professionals. The kind of comments that pretend to be supportive but are really just dis...

In this episode, Mark is joined once again by the brilliant Jo Matthews for a cathartic, hilarious, and occasionally sweary dive into the unfiltered reality of parenting autistic, ADHD and PDA kids.

From "It's just a label" and "He’s fine with me" to "You just need to push them out of their comfort zone", this is part one of a two-part special on the unsolicited commentary we all get, whether it’s from strangers, family members, or well-meaning-but-utterly-wrong professionals. The kind of comments that pretend to be supportive but are really just dismissive, ignorant, or unhelpfully optimistic.

Together, Mark and Jo share personal stories, listener submissions, and a few moments of pure rage-laughter, as they unpack why these statements cut so deep – and how to push back with humour, honesty, and the occasional incredulous raise of the eyebrow.

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CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (Estimated):
00:00 – Intro & Meet the Guest: Jo Matthews
06:00 – “It's just a label”
08:00 - The story of Rube Waddell
16:00 - "Stop Mollycoddling your child"
21:00 - "You let them win too much"
22:30 - "Can't you just make them do it?"
26:00 - "You should make their home life more unpleasant"
28:00 - "Your parenting is wishy washy"
31:00 - "Children just need boundaries"
36:00 - "You need to push them out of their comfort zone"
43:00 - "Are you too afraid to say no?"
48:00 - "How will they manage in the real world?"
52:00 - "Sometimes, it's a choice"
54:00 - "They're just trying to get their own way"
01:02:00 - "They're fine when they're with me"
01:07:00 - The Positives
01:09:30 - Neurodiversity Champions
01:12:00 - Tiny Epic Wins
01:14:30 - What the Flip?
01:17:00 - Wrap-Up & What’s Coming in Part Two

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LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE:

Rube Waddell - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Waddell
"Am I raising an arsehole?" episode of Neuroshambles -https://pod.link/1710455546/episode/a313c1057becbcd2e24d64c5bf94820e
"The Explosive Child" book - https://drrossgreene.com/the-explosive-child.htm

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📧 Email: hello@neuroshambles.com
📸 Instagram: @neuroshambles
🎵 TikTok: @neuroshamblespod
📘 Facebook: Neuroshambles
🧵 Threads: @neuroshambles

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CREDITS

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

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