#43 | "Where Will They Be When They're 30?" | Jolanta Lasota, Ambitious about Autism

This week Gaz and Andy sit down with Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, at their college in Isleworth. 16 years leading the charity and mum to a 21-year-old autistic son, Jolanta has seen the whole picture, from the early years right through to adulthood and employment.We talk about why purpose matters more than exams, the young man who is non-speaking and holds down two jobs, the boy who was allowed to come to school in his pyjamas, and naming the grief nobody warns you about. Jolanta describes raising an autistic child as walking through woods with no path and no torch, and says the job is to be the one who carries the light. Honest, hopeful, and one of our favourite conversations yet.Timestamps- 00:00 Welcome, and where we are today- 00:27 [GUEST]'s journey, 16 years at Ambitious about Autism- 01:07 What's really changed in how we understand autism- 05:57 The sensory pod that blew us away- 06:58 The schools, the age groups, and post-19 provision- 10:36 Why "purpose" matters more than a curriculum- 12:20 "Walking through woods with no torch": what family life feels like- 13:27 The non-speaking young man with two jobs- 15:03 Are employers actually changing?- 15:49 Policy, the white paper, and autism as a political football- 20:06 Being the "happy helper", never enemy-ising people- 22:14 What school looks like at four to seven- 24:40 Focus on strengths, don't drill them on what they can't do- 27:09 Gaz's own school story: six D's and learning differently- 33:03 The weight of GCSEs and "lost leaders"- 38:02 Don't underestimate them: the iPad "daddy" moment- 40:28 Parents' guilt, and why it won't always be okay- 43:47 Grief without a death- 45:06 What's next for Ambitious about Autism- 49:13 Thanks and close