"Stop comparing the hard. Start validating the hard." That one line from Heidi Price might be the whole episode.
Heidi spent years in the autism community before she was a mom. She worked as a recreational therapist, and she married into a family that knows autism well, with two brothers-in-law on the spectrum and two nephews too. She thought she understood it. Then she had her own kids, and she learned how much the level one experience can humble even someone who works in the field.
Heidi and her husband live in North Carolina with their three kids. Two of the three are autistic, and both are level one. Her six-year-old son has autism, ADHD, and a PDA, or pathological demand avoidance, profile. Her five-year-old daughter was diagnosed at three and spent about a year and a half in ABA therapy. Her youngest, who is three, has severe food allergies. As Heidi puts it, it is a fun place at her house.
In this Seen and Heard episode, Heidi gives Rob a real, unscripted look at what their days actually hold. The morning rules you cannot break. The clothing battles when the seasons change. The way her son and daughter can need the exact opposite things at the exact same time. And one recent win that will stick with you, where a couple of soda cans, a pair of new shoes, and three days of patience turned a meltdown into a victory lap.
But the heart of this one is Heidi's message about comparison. Every level of autism is hard. The level threes and the level ones. The non-verbal days and the principal-calling days. They can coexist, and one does not have to threaten the other. She is honest about the services gap too, about how her daughter could not get an IEP because she was not considered bad enough, even while she was still struggling.
What you'll hear
Why working in autism for years still did not prepare her for level one
PDA, control, and why you cannot just wake her kids up
The soda-can trick that got her son into new shoes
How autism showed up differently in her son than her daughter
Why level one kids can fall through the cracks for services
"Stop comparing the hard. Start validating the hard."
"Everyone's hard is hard. We need to stop comparing the hard. We need to start validating the hard."
Heidi Price
About the guest
Heidi Price is a mother of three in North Carolina and a former recreational therapist who worked in the autism community for years before having her own children. Two of her three kids are autistic and both are level one. Her six-year-old son also has ADHD and a PDA profile. Her five-year-old daughter was diagnosed at three and completed about a year and a half of ABA therapy. Her youngest, age three, has severe food allergies.
About your host
Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad, a blog and podcast dedicated to supporting parents raising kids on the autism spectrum. As a dad of three autistic sons with over 25 years of experience, Rob brings lived experience, honesty, and heart to every conversation.
Rob's book, So Your Child Was Just Diagnosed with Autism, lands December 29, 2026 from Fair Winds Press. Updates and preorder: theautismdad.com/book
Sponsor
This episode is presented by Best Part Kids, a sensory-friendly multivitamin for selective eaters created by dietitian Brittyn Coleman. Use code THEAUTISMDAD for 10% off at https://BestPartKids.com. #ad
Resources mentioned
More Seen and Heard episodes: listen.theautismdad.com
Preorder Rob's book: theautismdad.com/book
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You can find Rob at theautismdad.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at The Autism Dad, and on YouTube at The Autism Dad. New episodes drop every week at listen.theautismdad.com.
