The School Can't Experience
The School Can't Experience
Podcast Description
For parents and caregivers of young people who struggle to attend school, and related education and health professionals. We share their experiences and insights into what is going on for our young people and how we can offer support.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes such as advocacy for school accommodations, emotional distress in young people, and effective support strategies for parents. Episodes cover specific topics including alternative educational pathways, understanding the nervous system's impact on attendance, and collaborative approaches to problem-solving between parents and schools.
For parents and caregivers of young people who struggle to attend school, and related education and health professionals. We share experiences and insights into what is going on for our young people and how we can offer support.
Pete Wharmby is a neurodiversity advocate, autistic adult, and former English teacher in the UK. He brings a perspective that's genuinely rare in this space: he's been on both sides of the classroom, as a student who masked his way through school while quietly drowning in anxiety, and as a teacher who,without quite knowing why, instinctively ran his classroom in a way that felt calm, fair, and safe for the autistic students in it.
His new book, Different Minds, makes the case that schools don't fail autistic young people out of malice. They fail them because the system was designed long before autism was understood, and has been stubbornly slow to change since.
In this conversation with Leisa, Pete works through what that looks like in practice: the monotropic brain that's just getting into the zone when the bell rings and forces a subject change; the sensory assault of that same bell; the collars and ties; the disconnected curriculum that gives neurodivergent brains nothing to hook onto; and the attendance obsession that pushes kids into burnout and then punishes them for being burned out.
Pete also discusses research showing that non-autistic people often have an immediate, unconscious negative response to autistic people,including teachers, and argues that awareness of this bias, not blame, is where change has to start.
His message to teachers is simple and delivered with characteristic patience: when an autistic child or their parent tells you something is difficult, just believe them. Don't make them prove it. That default of belief, he says, would change everything.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Different Minds by Pete Wharmby: https://www.amazon.com.au/Different-Minds-Autistic-School-Children/dp/1785046225/
- Pete’s website: https://petewharmby.com/
- Pete on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pete_wharmby_books/
- Pete on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Petewharmbyauthor/
School Can’t Australia Facebook Community – https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia
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If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. – https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you
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Disclaimer
The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist,…
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
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