LPH33: Paul Carroll Shares His Perspective About Micro Moments, Autism, Parenting, and Marriage

How might having a child on the autism spectrum change a marriage? In this episode of Let’s Plant Houses we talk about autism parenting, fatherhood, and neurodiversity when I sit down with Paul Carroll, founder of Autism Dadvocate, a podcast and community he’s built for autism dads. Paul opens up about parenting his 18-year-old son Vaughn, who’s on the autism spectrum. He walks us through those early “micro moments” like playground movements, Vaughn’s fascination with Arabic alphabets, tough sensory moments with hand dryers. It’s these smaller observations that eventually helped him understand his son’s beautiful neurodivergent mind. Paul and I also get talk about how special needs parenting reshapes marriages. How roles can become entrenched, why communication becomes absolutely critical, and how parents find themselves juggling being both partners and co-therapists. We also dig into the overlooked perspective of fathers in the autism community and how Paul’s own feelings of isolation drove him to create this supportive online space for dads. Come hear Paul’s story!