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School can feel like it’s “for the kids”, but for many families it’s also the first place a parent stops feeling invisible. I sit down with Graham to keep following Bradley’s journey from childhood into adulthood, starting with the school years and the surprising way a school community can become a carer’s support system. We talk about the power of a simple hello at drop-off, how volunteering helped Graham feel he belonged, and why identity shifts for both child and parent when school becomes a stable routine.

Then things change fast. When Bradley starts saying “no school”, the family faces the messy reality of transitioning out of education without a gentle runway. Graham shares what the loss of predictability did to everyone’s anxiety, why time and permanency are so hard to navigate, and how stress showed up through OCD patterns and tics. We also unpack a six month caravan “gap year” that began with careful planning and ended with tough decisions, including flying home to restore safety and regulation. It’s an honest reminder that travel with neurodivergent young people can be brilliant, but only when the structure matches their needs.

From there, we get practical about rebuilding. We explore how the right support coordinator can simplify the NDIS, why bringing support workers into your home is such a big emotional step, and how independence is taught through logical sequencing, visuals, and daily living skills. Cooking becomes a gateway to shopping, schedules become a tool for calm, and we challenge the way NDIS forms can accidentally overstate ability when parents are silently scaffolding every task.

If you’re supporting an autistic teen or young adult through big transitions, this conversation will leave you with real strategies and a lot of hope. Subscribe, share it with a parent who needs community, and leave a review so more families can find these stories. What part of the school-to-adulthood shift are you in right now?

danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services