Podcast
Hi Pod! I'm Dad.
Hosted by James Guttman · EN
Hi Pod! I’m Dad is where I talk through fatherhood while raising a son with autism who does not speak.
I’m James Guttman, the dad behind Hi Blog! I’m Dad. This podcast isn’t about tips or solutions. It is about what life actually feels like when autism is part of your home every day, and you are trying to be present for it without pretending it is easier than it is.
Some episodes are about joy and connection. Others are about exhaustion, fear, patience, and the quiet moments that never make it into awareness campaigns. Everything you hear here comes from real mornings, real mistakes, and a deep love for my kids.
There is no takeaway. Just one dad saying the things he usually keeps to himself.
30episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why My Son With Autism Melts Down Less With Me
1w ago00:13:50Tap to summarizePeople think raising a child with autism is about behavior management, routines, or finding the perfect strategy. For me, the biggest breakthrough came when my son Lucas finally trusted that I understood him.This week, I talk about how everything changed once that trust clicked into place. From meltdowns in parking lots to waiting for food at restaurants, I share the small moments that taught Lucas I wasn’t ignoring his needs, even when the answer was “not yet.”I also talk about the way I communicate with him through gestures, repetition, exaggerated expressions, and consistency, plus why I think patience and emotional regulation matter more than lectures ever could. Along the way, I get into parenting advice, “autism expert” culture, social stories, receptive language, and why every child with autism is different, even when people online try to make it sound simple.Most of all, this episode is about trust, understanding, and the relationship that grows when a child knows you truly have their back.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →I Understand My Son Better Than Anyone Else
2w ago00:16:51Tap to summarizePeople hear that my son Lucas is nonverbal with autism and usually ask the same question: “How do you understand each other?”The truth is, I understand him better than I understand almost anyone else.This week, I talk about the strange honesty that comes with raising a child who doesn’t hide what he wants, doesn’t play social games, and communicates in ways that are often clearer than words. From Lucas launching himself upstairs the second I finally say “okay, go,” to the trust we’ve built around food, waiting, routines, and emotional regulation, this episode is about the kind of understanding that grows when two people truly learn each other.I also talk about communication devices, gestures, impulse control, and why I think a lot of the online conversation around autism misses the humanity of kids like Lucas completely.Most of all, this episode is about trust, authenticity, and why my relationship with my son is one of the greatest parts of my life.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →Living The Life I Was Afraid Of
3w ago00:11:32Tap to summarizeThis week’s episode comes from a thought I’ve had for years but finally put into words.When my son was first showing signs of autism, I was terrified of what the future would look like. The things that kept me up at night. The delays, the struggles, the uncertainty...they all felt like deal breakers.The truth is, a lot of those fears came true.My son is nonverbal. He needs help with things most people don’t think twice about. The life I imagined back then as a worst-case scenario is, in many ways, the life we’re living now.And we’re happy.In this episode, I talk about how that happened, why the things I thought I needed turned out not to matter the way I expected, and why I’m more at peace in this life than I ever thought I’d be.This isn’t a universal story. It’s mine. But if there’s something in it that connects with you, take it.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →How My Nonverbal Son Learned to Wait (And Why It Matters)
4w ago00:17:32Tap to summarize“Kids with autism don’t like to wait.”I heard that in a waiting room while my nonverbal son Lucas was sitting quietly a few feet away. I was ready to be offended...and then realized they weren't talking about us.What started as a simple oil change turned into something bigger. A busy drop-off counter, a quiet moment with his iPad, then a long walk through construction to a strip mall that used to feel impossible.And he handled all of it.No meltdown. No fight. No chaos.Just patience.In this episode, I talk about what changed and why it wasn’t luck. It was something we built over time. Trust, consistency, and understanding. A rhythm.I also get into what that actually looks like in real life: Why waiting used to be so hard How things like food grabbing changed What I do when he gets overwhelmed ...and why this has never been a one-way street Because as much as I’ve worked to understand him, he’s been learning me too.If you’re raising a child with autism or just trying to understand progress that doesn’t always look obvious, this one’s for you.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →He Doesn’t Need Words. He Needs Trust.
Apr 1600:13:43Tap to summarizeTen years ago, I started writing about my son Lucas. What I didn’t realize back then was how much I would change along the way.When your child is nonverbal, it’s easy to get stuck waiting. Waiting for words. Waiting for progress. Waiting for a moment that may never come.But what I’ve learned is this: communication was always there. It just didn’t look the way I expected.In this episode, I talk about what finally shifted my perspective from focusing on speech to recognizing understanding, intent, and connection through actions, routines, and trust.Because trust changes everything.When Lucas trusts me, he waits. He stays regulated. He doesn’t grab food, melt down, or panic in the same ways he once did. Not because he suddenly “learned behavior”, but because he knows I understand him and I’ve got his back.I share real moments, from food struggles to transitions to a birthday party that showed me just how far we’ve come.If you’re raising a child who communicates differently, this episode is about seeing what’s already there and building from it.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →I Stopped Waiting For My Nonverbal Son To Be “Fixed”
Apr 1000:20:10Tap to summarizeI used to feel like I was waiting for something that would finally make everything make sense - my son’s verbal language. When you’re raising a young child with nonverbal autism, the hardest part isn’t always the day-to-day. It’s the uncertainty, the questions, and not having answers for any of it.In this episode, I talk about those early years, the pressure from other people, and the reactions that come when your child doesn’t fit expectations. From denial disguised as reassurance to “cures” that miss the point entirely, it’s a reality a lot of parents quietly deal with.The shift came when I stopped waiting. Not because everything got easier, but because I started seeing my son for who he is right now—not someone I’m still waiting to meet. That’s where autism appreciation began for me, and it changed everything about how I see him, our life, and what actually matters.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →What If Your "Normal" Is Just Something You Learned To Hide?
Apr 300:10:46Tap to summarizeI didn’t have answers when people asked why my nonverbal son was clapping, making sounds, or doing things they didn’t understand.And that wasn’t because I was embarrassed.It was because I genuinely didn’t know.Over time, that changed. Not because someone explained it to me, but because I started paying attention. What looked random wasn’t random. What looked confusing actually had a purpose.And once I understood that, something else clicked.This isn’t just something my son does.We all do it.We just don’t do it out loud. We don’t do it in public. We don’t let ourselves.This episode is about stimming, what it really is, and why the difference between my son and the rest of us might not be what you think.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →What My Son Understands That I Used to Miss
Mar 2700:12:41Tap to summarizeI used to think the hardest part of raising a nonverbal child was what he couldn’t say.I was wrong.This week, I talk about something I didn’t understand for years and honestly, didn’t even believe in at first: receptive language.There’s never a moment when my son tells me what he’s learned. No updates. No explanations. One day he just knows what something means, and I’m left wondering when it happened.It finally clicked when I lost my voice.I thought I could just gesture, point, and figure things out without speaking. It didn’t work. Because my son doesn’t just communicate without words, he understands them.That realization changed everything.This episode isn’t about what he can’t say. It’s about everything he’s been understanding this whole time and what I almost missed because I was focused on the wrong thing.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →When Your Nonverbal Teen Starts Growing Up
Mar 2000:11:22Tap to summarizeMy son Lucas just turned 15, and I’m still catching my breath. He’s nonverbal, he has profound autism, and in my head he’s always been my “baby” — the kid with the same songs, the same books, and the same comfort routines. Then I look up and realize he has a mustache, he’s tall, and I’m standing there saying “go potty” like time hasn’t moved at all.This week, I talk about what that moment brought up for me as his dad. I get into why I’ve always hated the “mental age” shortcut and why Lucas isn’t “really five” just because some parts of his life look younger to the outside world. He’s 15. He’s a teenage boy. And like everyone else, he’s fully himself.I also talk about something that surprised me recently: Lucas’s receptive language. When I lost my voice, I learned pretty quickly that we can’t do life through pantomime alone, and that he understands far more than I sometimes stop to realize. It made me think about the words I use with him, the respect he deserves, and the reality that my little boy is growing into a young man.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →My Nonverbal Son Never Pretends
Mar 1300:13:19Tap to summarizeThis week on Hi Pod! I’m Dad, I talk about something I’ve come to admire about my son Lucas as he’s gotten older: he never pretends.Lucas is a nonverbal teenager with profound autism, and one of the things that stands out to me more and more is how real he is. He can’t fake a smile. He can’t hug someone just to be polite. If he’s happy, you see it. If he’s excited to see you, you know it. Everything about him is genuine.I think about how many people spend time telling the world who they are — funny, generous, authentic — while Lucas simply shows you. There’s no performance, no pretending, and no trying to be the person someone else expects.Years ago, when Lucas was very young, I worried I might never understand him without words. What I didn’t realize then is that I would end up understanding him better than most people I’ve ever met.This episode is about authenticity, parenting, and why sometimes the person who says the least can still teach you the most.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →