Sex, Drugs & What Neurodivergent Kids Actually Hear — And Why Safe Communication Changes Everything

Sex, Drugs & What Neurodivergent Kids Actually Hear — And Why Safe Communication Changes Everything

From THE AUTISM ADHD PODCAST by Holly Blanc Moses

March 25, 2026 · 16 min

About this episode

Holly Blanc Moses shares personal stories from her childhood as an autistic and ADHD kid, highlighting the challenges neurodivergent children face with language and communication.

Let me tell you about the time I performed Madonna's "Like a Virgin" at my elementary school talent show. I was nine. I rolled around on the floor. I sang every single word. I thought the audience was speechless because I was that talented. I had absolutely no idea what the word virgin meant. Nobody asked what song I'd picked. Nobody explained it to me. And I didn't know what I didn't know. This episode is full of stories like that one — real, honest, cringe-worthy stories from my own childhood as an autistic and ADHD kid navigating a world full of words, slang, and confusing situations. The boy who told me he was going to die. The grain alcohol I almost drank because I thought grain meant rice. The weed I offered to bring to school. The roach I politely declined at a concert because I didn't smoke bugs. These stories are funny now. But they point to something that matters enormously for every neurodivergent child. Autistic and ADHD kids are confused by language more often than most adults realize. They take words literally. They miss the social context that neurotypical kids absorb automatically. They fill in gaps with whatever information they happen to have — which sometimes…

People in this episode

Host: Holly Blanc Moses

Topics covered

Keywords

More episodes of THE AUTISM ADHD PODCAST

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the THE AUTISM ADHD PODCAST podcast page.