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Welcome to The Untypical Parent Podcast: The Bookshelf , a new series celebrating the books that shape, support, empower and sometimes just bring joy to neurodivergent families.

In this special episode, I'm joined by parent Joanne Parry, alongside bestselling author Elle McNicoll, whose books have become deeply meaningful for many neurodivergent children and families.

Joanne shares the powerful moment her daughter first saw herself reflected in A Kind of Spark, and why Elle’s stories have become part of her family’s “quiet rebellion”, buying the books for schools, libraries and friends so more children can feel understood.

Elle talks about growing up as a high-masking autistic girl, the lack of representation she experienced, and how that inspired her to write stories where neurodivergent children are fully-rounded, loved, complicated and heroic, not reduced to stereotypes or “lessons”.

This is a warm, honest and hopeful conversation about identity, belonging and the life-changing power of books.

Books Mentioned

• A Kind of Spark
• Show Us Who You Are
• Unapologetic Love Story

About Elle McNicoll

Elle McNicoll is a bestselling and award-winning autistic author whose books centre neurodivergent young people with authenticity, warmth and humour. Her stories have resonated with families around the world and A Kind of Spark was adapted for television by the BBC.

You can find Elle and her books here:
Elle McNicoll Official Website
Instagram

Connect with Joanne & Family Avenues

Family Avenues

Thank you to this season’s sponsors:

Terri Wyse & Rachel Helm
They are offering EBSA support through webinars and workshops.Podcast listeners receive £5 off using this code UNTYPICALPARENT5

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The Untypical Parent Podcast

The Untypical Podcaster

Support the show

I'm Liz, The Untypical OT. I specialise in burnout protection, event accessibility and inclusion, and supervision, with a love of podcasting.

🔗 To connect with me, you can find all my details on Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/the_untypical_ot

And if you'd like to contact me about the podcast please use the text link at the top.