Dyscastia

About Dyscastia

A podcast for parents and educators about the best way to support students living with learning difficulties. Hosted by specialist teacher Michael Shanahan, Dyscastia takes a positive, respectful look at supporting students living with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and associated neurodivergences such as autism and ADHD. Each episode focuses on practical, realistic strategies for reducing barriers to learning and building safe, supportive environments where students can achieve success. Conversations draw on Michael’s teaching experience and lived experience of ADHD, dyslexia, and dysgraphia, along with the perspectives of parents, educators, allied health professionals, and students themselves — all working toward the shared goal of supporting every child to feel understood and supported at school and beyond.

Publisher

Michael Shanahan

Category

education · kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Dec 2021

Latest episode

24 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

8 of 24 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   24 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Supporting Adults & Older Students

   Host [Host Name] interviews Dr. Shae Wissell, an award-winning advocate, about navigating dyslexia and neurodivergence from school to adulthood, exploring university, workplace support, and assistive technologies.

2. 

   27 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Mental Health Strategies For Parents

   In this episode, I'm joined by Brisbane-based psychologist Leanne Tran to talk about how to look after your own mental health as the parent of a child living with disability. We work through the journey as a timeline covering five stages. The pre-diagnosis worry and anxiety, receiving the diagnosis and working through the guilt and adjustment that comes with it, navigating the school system as an advocate without burning yourself out, managing the stress of school results that don't reflect your child's effort, and eventually letting go and handing over independence when they are ready. Leanne draws on 20 years of working with families and brings really practical, grounded advice to each stage. For more detailed show notes, visit the Dyscastia website.

3. 

   15 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Five Common Mental Health Challenges For Kids Living With Learning Difficulties

   In this episode, I’m joined again by clinical psychologist Valli Jones to talk about the mental health issues she most commonly sees in children and young people living with learning difficulties. We framed the conversation as a “top five”, not to rank problems, but to help parents and educators feel less alone and better able to recognise patterns in what they’re seeing. We talk about anxiety and school can’t, emotional and behavioural dysregulation, social difficulties and isolation, family stress and major life changes, and why some families seek a second opinion after earlier assessments. Throughout the episode, Valli shares practical insights drawn from her day-to-day clinical work. For more detailed show notes, visit the Dyscastia website.

Inside a recent episode

Supporting Adults & Older Students

Published 24 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Back in the day, I'm showing my age now. I don't know what's ATAR now or, you know, be similar to an ATAR score. It was out of 500 when I did it. That's showing my age. Oh, wow. Maybe it was at a 500. I don't know. I remember being devastated. But at the time I wanted to be a chef because that's where my skills were. I was in cooking and I loved it. But sometimes it just takes us a little bit longer. So you might not get the scores that you need to get into that course, but it doesn't mean you can't. go via a different avenue, whether that's maybe doing a smaller course that helps you transition into that course, whether it's doing a TAFE course, taking some time off to have a gap year and then going back to it. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

8,583

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

31 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

23

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

85

Contact Dyscastia

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Dyscastia