Your Voice Matters
Your Voice Matters
Podcast Description
Welcome to Your Voice Matters, a podcast amplifying the voices of the SEND and neurodivergent community. Hosted by Asma Jacob, a dedicated SEND Therapist with 20+ years of experience, we create a safe space to share stories, build connections and inspire understanding.
In each episode, we explore powerful stories and perspectives from neurodivergent individuals, their families, and professionals dedicated to supporting the SEND community. Together, we address key topics like advocacy, mental health, navigating education, and building inclusive communities.
Your Voice Matters is a place where every voice is valued—because real change happens when we listen, learn, and embrace the diversity of human experience. Whether you’re part of the neurodivergent community or an ally, this podcast will leave you inspired, informed, and ready to make an impact.
Subscribe today and join the conversation—because your voice matters.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on vital themes such as advocacy, mental health, education navigation, and community inclusion. For example, episodes include discussions on self-love and understanding different learning styles with advocates like Antonio Myers, as well as the unique challenges of PDA with experts like Melanie Phipps, providing actionable insights for listeners.
Welcome to Your Voice Matters, a podcast amplifying the voices of the SEND and neurodivergent community. Hosted by Asma Jacob, a dedicated SEND Therapist with 20+ years of experience, we create a safe space to share stories, build connections and inspire understanding.
In each episode, we explore powerful stories and perspectives from neurodivergent individuals, their families, and professionals dedicated to supporting the SEND community. Together, we address key topics like advocacy, mental health, navigating education, and building inclusive communities.
Your Voice Matters is a place where every voice is valued—because real change happens when we listen, learn, and embrace the diversity of human experience. Whether you’re part of the neurodivergent community or an ally, this podcast will leave you inspired, informed, and ready to make an impact.
Subscribe today and join the conversation—because your voice matters.
What if the struggle isn’t something wrong with you, but an environment that was never built with your brain in mind? We’re exploring autistic identity, and why understanding your needs matters more than any label.
“There’s a high correlation between your sense of wellbeing and understanding of your autistic identity.” – Rebecca Duffus
In this episode of Your Voice Matters, host Asma is joined by autism specialist, author and advisory teacher, Rebecca Duffus to discuss what it really means to understand autistic identity.
Rebecca shares her journey from working in a specialist school to writing Autism, Identity and Me, a workbook helping children and teenagers explore what being autistic means to them.
Together, they explore how parents and professionals can approach a diagnosis conversation with care, why community and connection matter so much, and how understanding your own needs (not fixing them) is the real starting point. It’s an episode full of practical, gentle guidance for anyone supporting a neurodivergent child, young person, or themselves.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding your needs, strengths, and challenges as an autistic person matters far more than any label on its own.
- When talking to a child or young person about being autistic, watch your language: swap “you’re autistic, but…” for “you’re autistic, and…” to keep the message positive.
- There’s no single “right” way to tell a child they’re autistic. Take their lead, choose a comfortable setting, and drip-feed information over time rather than delivering it all at once.
- Connecting with other neurodivergent people both online and in person, is strongly linked to wellbeing and self-esteem.
- Every autistic person’s experience is different. When you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve only met one.
“It’s tricky because language is really important, but it’s balancing the fear of saying the wrong thing with not saying anything at all.” – Rebecca Duffus
About Rebecca:
Rebecca Duffus BSc, PGCE, MA is an experienced Advisory Teacher with a Psychology
Degree and a Masters in Autism and Education. She has 19 years’ experience working with students and educators in both mainstream and specialist education settings as well as within local councils, charities and education services. Rebecca has been a speaker at conferences across the UK, developed a range of parent programmes, and provides training and coaching for settings.
Where to find Rebecca:
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