Hi Pod! I'm Dad.

This week, I’m talking about trust.

Not just the trust we work to earn from our nonverbal kids, but the trust they place in us every day, often without us realizing it.

It starts in the middle of the night, when my 14-year-old son Lucas wakes me up the way he always does. What I walked into wasn’t the part that stayed with me. What stayed with me was how easily he trusted me when I told him what to do, even when he didn’t fully under...

This week’s episode builds on Monday’s blog about talking to my nonverbal son even when I didn’t know it mattered.

I reflect on trust, not just the trust my son has in me, but the trust I’ve learned to have in him. When Lucas was little, I assumed most of what I said wasn’t landing. He had significant delays, no words, and very little visible response. It would have been easy to stop talking.

Instead, I kept going.

I share how bedtime...

Some mornings don’t announce themselves.

You wake up tired, have a cup of coffee, do the same things you always do, and then suddenly you realize that the years you spent believing you could teach your son everything might not be enough.

In this episode, I talk honestly about what it feels like to raise a 14-year-old boy with autism while carrying a deep love for who he is and a growing fear about what I may never be able to give him...

I used to think being helpful meant being loud. That if I could just explain things clearly enough, I could turn frustration into understanding. But I wasn’t helping. I was trying to rescue myself from the discomfort of not being understood.

In this episode, I talk about how that instinct followed me into parenting, how it nearly cost me the connection I was trying to protect, and how my son Lucas taught me that trust doesn’t come f...

In this episode, James Guttman reflects on the quiet shift that followed his decision to adapt communication for his non-verbal son, Lucas.

What began as a practical change soon became something far deeper. As Lucas realized that his father truly understood him, everyday moments stopped feeling like emergencies. Instead of panicking, he began checking in. Instead of fighting for attention, he started trusting that his needs would be...

In this episode, James talks about something he hasn’t addressed before: what happens when the communication tools everyone recommends simply don’t work for your child.

When James’s nonverbal son, Lucas, couldn’t physically use American Sign Language due to dexterity challenges, it felt like yet another failure in a long list of “solutions” that sounded good on paper but didn’t work in real life. Instead of forcing Lucas to fit a sy...

Hi Pod, it's James Guttman. As the holidays approach, I talk about what respect really looks like when you’re raising a nonverbal child with autism. My son doesn’t care about Christmas traditions, gift-opening, or big holiday moments, so instead of forcing him into them, I’ve learned to build the season around who he actually is.

In this episode, I share how trust became the foundation of our relationship, from a moment after m...

 What started as a walk to urgent care ended with the words, ‘you’re having a heart attack,’ and a truth I never saw coming. An angiogram gone silent, and five blocked arteries that shouldn’t have let me stand. Then the doctor’s words about my eventual fate - “that was going to be you” - became the line that split my life in two. That surgery didn’t just save me. It became the compass I’ve followed ever since.

In this episode, I tal...

Hi Pod...Where Ya Been?

James Guttman returns after a long break to reset the show and refocus on honest stories about autism and respect. We dig into myths around RPM, the “you don’t look autistic” trope, and why dignity beats spectacle every time.

• why the format shift matters and keeping it ad-free
• curiosity vs offense when asking about autism
• why “you don’t look autistic” misses the point
• RP...

This week’s co-host doesn’t say a word, but his presence says everything. 

James sits down with his son Lucas, a non-verbal teenager with autism, for a special episode. With the help of Pirate Booty, duck noises, and an AAC device, Lucas shows listeners what communication looks like when it’s completely authentic. Whether it’s asking for water or no-selling a dad joke, nothing Lucas does is performative and that honesty has become o...

In this episode, James Guttman explores how his nonverbal son with autism, Lucas, redefined the very idea of perfection. It’s not about milestones, math scores, or sports trophies. It’s about honesty, love, and authenticity.

Lucas doesn’t hide his intentions. He doesn’t play emotional games. And while life with severe autism comes with real challenges, James shares how those challenges are matched by something even more powerful: a ...

What if your child couldn’t speak...but still knew exactly how to make you laugh?

In this heartfelt episode, James Guttman shares the unexpected ways he built a private language of humor with his nonverbal son, Lucas. From early fears about never sharing a laugh to perfectly timed glances and paused songs, this story is a reminder that connection doesn’t need to be spoken. Sometimes, all it takes is a sideways look and a shared mome...

At 35 years old, James Gutman was given just four hours’ notice before undergoing a quintuple bypass with no prior health issues, no medications, and no warning signs. But that life-saving operation wasn’t the end of his story. It was the beginning of a new one.

In this powerful episode of Hi Pod! I’m Dad, James shares how surviving heart surgery changed everything: how he viewed stress, how he approached parenting, and how he disco...

Every parent has their share of parenting challenges, but when your child has severe, non-verbal autism, even something as ordinary as a haircut can become a years-long emotional battle.

In this week’s episode of Hi Pod! I’m Dad, James Guttman shares the raw and personal story of how a supposedly “autism-friendly” salon failed his son Lucas and how that painful moment led him down a years-long journey of cutting his son’s hair himse...

We all have stories we tell ourselves about who our kids will become, how our relationships will unfold, and what life is supposed to look like. But what happens when reality tears those stories apart?

In this week’s episode of Hi Pod! I’m Dad, James Guttman shares a raw, honest reflection on the life he never expected. From a divorce during the pandemic to parenting a nonverbal son with autism, James opens up about the imagined fut...

James Guttman reflects on the emotional milestones of parenting a neurotypical teenager and a nonverbal son with autism. In this week’s heartfelt episode, he shares how Olivia has grown from the little girl who monopolized his time after school into a self-sufficient 17-year-old — and how their bond has evolved along the way.

At the same time, James discusses the equally powerful connection he shares with Lucas, built on unspoken cu...

Watch This Episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/ad4q7DE2SlE

James Guttman shares a deeply personal look at the evolution of his parenting journey with Lucas, his 14-year-old son with severe autism. From the emotional tug-of-war over age-appropriate toys to unexpected moments of connection in thrift stores and living rooms, James explores how he learned to stop correcting his son’s play and instead joined him in it.

This ep...

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5tgNT1CIUw4

What does it really mean to appreciate autism - not just accept it? In this personal episode, James Guttman reflects on how his non-verbal son Lucas has reshaped his perspective and brought unexpected joy into their lives.

Through emotional honesty and candid moments, James shares how their bond has grown through trust, gestures, and a shared understanding that goe...

In this special episode, James Guttman celebrates the release of his new book Hi World, I'm Dad and officially launches the video version of his podcast - available here on YouTube. He opens up about autism appreciation, what it truly means to love without conditions, and how his son Lucas, who is non-verbal with autism, has shaped his understanding of life, connection, and purpose. From surviving a heart attack and quintuple ...