SEND in the Experts: Margaret Rooke on Dyslexia

Welcome back to SEND in the Experts, hosted by Georgina Durrant, where we bring you conversations with leading voices in the world of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Each episode is designed to support parents, carers, and teachers who want to better understand and empower children with SEND.

This week, Georgina is joined by acclaimed author Margaret Rooke, whose books have given a platform to young people with dyslexia and other forms of neurodivergence. Margaret has written multiple titles, including Dyslexia is My Superpower and Different Like Us. Her latest book revisits the young people she first interviewed, now adults navigating life with creativity, resilience, and strength.

🌟 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Margaret’s journey as a writer and advocate for neurodivergent voices
• Why she chose to reconnect with the young people from Dyslexia is My Superpower as they entered adulthood, and the powerful lessons their stories reveal.
• How dyslexic strengths—like problem‑solving, creativity, and innovation—challenge traditional narratives in schools and education.
• Reassuring messages for parents of younger children who may feel anxious about the future, and why hope is central to Margaret’s work.
• The tension between conventional academic routes and the reality that many neurodivergent young people thrive outside them—and how schools and families can hold space for that.
• The origins of Margaret’s passion for writing about dyslexia, and how her journey began.
• Why her books don’t just inform but validate lived experiences, and how that intention evolved through storytelling.
• Insights from Different Like Us on what it means to feel “different,” and the patterns Margaret observed across diverse stories of childhood.
• The one thing Margaret would change about how society views dyslexia and neurodivergence today.

👩‍🏫 Why This Matters for Parents & Teachers

This episode is especially valuable for:

• Parents who want reassurance about their child’s future and practical insights into how dyslexia can sometimes bring strengths
• Teachers looking for ways to celebrate creativity and problem‑solving in the classroom, and to challenge outdated narratives about SEND.
• Carers and advocates who want to hold space for young people to thrive both inside and outside traditional academic routes.
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👉 Tune in now to hear Georgina and Margaret Rooke’s powerful reflections on dyslexia, difference, and the importance of celebrating every young person’s unique path.

• Dyslexia podcast for parents and teachers
• SEND education support
• Parenting children with dyslexia
• Margaret Rooke books and author insights
• Dyslexia strengths and creativity
• Different Like Us book discussion
• Dyslexia is My Superpower revisited