About this episode
🎯 **"90% of families with special needs children end up divorcing. And when they do, those children become incredibly vulnerable to gatekeeping behaviors that can lead to parental alienation."**Ashish Joshi—one of our most frequently cited experts and a leading attorney specializing in family violence, parental alienation, and neurodivergent family cases—returns to explain the critical intersection between special needs children and custody battles.If you have a child with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or other neurodivergent conditions, this conversation could change how you approach your custody case and protect your relationship with your child.**What You'll Learn:**✅ Why special needs cases are exploding in family courts (and what's driving the increase)✅ The 3 types of gatekeeping: Facilitative vs. Protective vs. Restrictive✅ When "protecting" your special needs child crosses the line into alienation✅ Implicit bias against neurodivergent parents in family court (and how to counter it)✅ Why having ADHD or autism doesn't make you an unfit parent✅ How your ex weaponizes your child's special needs against you✅ The perfect storm: Over-involved parent + under-involved parent + autistic child✅ Why family systems therapy is crucial for neurodivergent family cases✅ What to do when therapy sessions keep getting canceled (consequences that actually work)✅ Pre-alienation warning signs and early intervention strategies✅ Why one judge managing your entire case makes all the difference✅ The "Welcome Home Pluto" approach to psychoeducation for parents**About Ashish Joshi:**Ashish Joshi is an attorney whose practice focuses on cases involving family violence—including domestic violence, intimate partner violence, emotional abuse, coercive control, and parental alienation (which he describes as gatekeeping behaviors). His earlier background in criminal defense and family law led him into alienation work through issues of child suggestibility and forensic interviewing in child abuse cases. Over time, he's become a leading expert in cases involving neurodivergence—whether it's a parent on the autism spectrum, a child with severe ADHD, or other special needs situations. Ashish is frequently cited in our books and has become part of what we call the "dream team" of professionals who truly understand the most extreme divorce, separation, and custody situations.⏱️ **TIMESTAMPS:**00:00 - Introduction: The special needs + alienation connection01:40 - Why 90% of special needs families divorce04:43 - Ashish's niche: Family violence, alienation & neurodivergence07:04 - Implicit bias: When courts assume neurodivergent parents are unfit09:19 - The 3 types of gatekeeping (facilitative, protective, restrictive)12:18 - Red flags of restrictive gatekeeping behavior16:30 - The "perfect storm" in special needs custody
