The SENbetweeners, masking and finding the right school (with Lisa Lloyd)

In Episode 10 of The Beautiful Reality of Autism, Guy Shahar is joined by Lisa Lloyd, known online as ASD with a G and T and author of Raising the SENbetweeners.

Lisa explains what she means by ‘SENbetweeners’: children who do not fit neatly into mainstream education, but are also told they are not ‘complex enough’ for specialist provision. She shares the contrasting experiences of her two children, including her son Finley’s masking in mainstream school and the emotional cost of being seen as ‘fine’ when home life told a very different story.

The conversation explores school battles, EHCPs, the impact of finding the right setting, and why the education system often fails children who sit between categories. Lisa also reflects on her own late autism diagnosis, how it helped her understand herself and her parenting, and why self-compassion matters for neurodivergent parents.

This is a funny, honest, and deeply relatable conversation about acceptance, not comparing, trusting your instincts, and understanding autism as difference rather than deficit.

What you’ll learn

•What Lisa means by ‘SENbetweeners’, and why the term resonates with so many families

•Why masking is not coping, but often suffering in silence

•How the right school environment can bring a child’s personality back

•Why EHCPs and specialist settings can be life-changing for some children

•How a child’s diagnosis can lead a parent to recognise their own neurodivergence

•Why late diagnosis can support self-compassion and better parenting

•Why ‘don’t compare’ and ‘throw out the rule books’ are such powerful messages for parents

•Why PDA is often misunderstood as behaviour, when anxiety may be driving it

This episode is shared for information and support. It is not medical advice. If you are worried about your child’s well-being, contact your GP or relevant professional support.

If you have found this episode helpful and would like to support Transforming Autism’s work, you can make a donation here: https://tinyurl.com/tap-donate

Every contribution means we can support even more young Autistic children to fulfil their potential and, with their families, live happy, fulfilling lives.

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