The AutSide Podcast

In this week’s episode, Cathy and I talk about what education becomes when it is organised around coherence rather than control. I speak from inside my experience as an autistic gestalt processor and as a teacher who refuses to begin with scores, compliance, or behaviour charts.
In this week’s episode, Cathy and I talk about what education becomes when it is organised around coherence rather than control. I speak from inside my experience as an autistic gestalt processor and as a teacher who refuses to begin with scores, compliance, or behaviour charts. For me, learning does not emerge from fragmentation. It emerges from relationship—from building a relational field where a student feels safe enough to organise themselves, take risks, and grow.
We spend time unpacking how gestalt processing—especially in language and literacy—is consistently misunderstood by schooling systems that privilege analytic, linear models. I reflect on students who read beautifully yet are labelled deficient because they do not break language into approved units, and on hyperlexic learners whose coherence is mistaken for performance rather than meaning. When systems insist on disassembly at all costs, they punish wholeness and call it intervention.
Attunement is the thread that keeps returning. Whether I’m working with very young children or teenagers, the principle is the same: see the person as a whole. When environments adapt to the child—sensory needs, rhythm, motivation, relational safety—distress falls away and learning accelerates. I share concrete classroom examples where small, relationally grounded shifts led to dramatic changes, not because they were clever, but because they were human.
We also speak plainly about systems. I name the limits of special education structures that valorise data whilst dismissing lived autistic knowledge, especially when that knowledge is not yet sanctioned by dominant research paradigms. I talk about why much of my work has lived on Substack—how recursive writing, meaning-time, and kairos allow me to think truthfully, without flattening myself to fit linear expectations. The conversation closes with a quiet insistence: gestalt processing is not a deviation. It is a coherent, ancient way minds organise meaning—and education will only begin to work when it stops trying to extinguish that fact.
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Today’s episode explores gestalt processing as an ancestral form of human intelligence that prioritises holistic patterns over fragmented data. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, describes a cognitive experience where conclusions arrive fully formed, forcing a retrospective translation into the incremental logic demanded by modern society. This “older way of knowing” stands in stark contrast to contemporary metrics and rigid analytical rules that value numbered steps over intuitive coherence. By framing this mindset as a predigital legacy rather than a cognitive flaw, she challenges the dominance of algorithmic reasoning. Ultimately, she suggests that valuing the entirety of a situation is a vital human capability that predates the historical obsession with record-keeping.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-last-mind-before-the-ledger
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode explores the profound struggle of using limited vocabulary to describe experiences that are inherently vast and multi-dimensional. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, adopts the term "field" as a specialised linguistic tool to capture complex atmospheres and emotional resonances that standard analytical language often fails to convey. This process is described as an exhausting translation of sacred, lived realities into the restrictive format of linear sentences. By naming these elusive concepts, Dr. Hoerricks asserts meaning sovereignty, refusing to allow rich human experiences to be flattened into simple labels or checklists. Ultimately, her writing serves as a lens for understanding a world where true meaning is felt and co-created rather than just defined. This approach acknowledges that whilst words may be imperfect, they remain essential for holding onto conversations about the intangible aspects of life.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/gestalt-lexicography-words-for-what
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s episode, a dedicated educator advocates for a shift in pedagogical priorities, emphasising the value of deep understanding over rapid academic output. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, expresses a desire to work within a supportive school community that prioritises slow cognition and holistic literacy rather than viewing these methods as a risk. By referencing her published works on coherence and decolonisation, she demonstrates a commitment to teaching from a foundation of historical awareness and structural equity. Ultimately, her work serves as a personal manifesto for a thoughtful classroom environment where intelligence is measured by depth rather than speed. This appeal highlights the need for institutional settings that fully integrate meaningful learning practices into their daily curriculum.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/what-if-english-were-taught-by-a
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode critiques the inherent rigidity of the current special education system, arguing that it demands self-erasure from neurodivergent educators. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, describes a realisation that standard professional expectations often ignore diverse nervous systems, mistaking physical endurance for true competence. By using the metaphor of a “porch,” Dr. Hoerricks offers a vantage point from which to reject performative compliance in favor of authentic clarity. Her article serves as a formal departure from traditional roles that prioritise systemic efficiency over the well-being of whole minds. Ultimately, she advocates for a coherent learning environment where individuals can exist fully without being forced to hide their natural ways of thinking.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/where-thinking-is-allowed-to-arrive
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe