A mother has described how watching Doctor Who with her autistic and ADHD son helped him understand his own emotions and behaviour. The boy, now 10, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, a combination sometimes called AuDHD. His mother says he has always been “fizzy” – noisy yet sensitive to noise, sociable but stressed by social situations.
She introduced him to the David Tennant era of Doctor Who when he was eight. The boy immediately recognised himself in Tennant’s portrayal of the Doctor: the constant talking and moving, the rapid shifts in emotion, and the repetition of phrases. “Watching Tennant’s Doctor was like watching an adult version of my son,” she said.
The structured format of each episode, with a problem and resolution, helped the boy understand that stories – and real life – involve conflict that can be resolved. His mother used parallels between episodes and his own experiences to help him navigate social situations.
After a particularly difficult meltdown, she told him he was “like a Tardis – so much bigger on the inside than on the outside”. This metaphor has become a tool for discussing his emotional regulation, even during arguments. “It shows we’re always trying to understand him, even when we simply can’t,” she added.
