Advocacy Skills for Teachers: How to Make Change (Even When You Feel Stuck)

In this episode of Teaching Autism & Special Education with Nikki, we’re talking about advocacy — the kind you need when you know what a student needs, but the system just isn’t moving.

You know the feeling.... You’ve got the data.. You’ve got the experience... You can see the pattern clear as day… and yet you’re stuck in meetings that go nowhere, hearing “we’ve tried that” or “they just need to cope.”

This episode is for that moment.

Because advocacy doesn’t have to mean arguing, burning bridges, or leaving the meeting feeling shaky and drained. It can be calm, professional, strategic — and actually effective.

In this episode, we chat about:

• What advocacy really is (spoiler: it’s not fighting)

• Why you are the expert on your students.. even if it doesn’t always feel that way

• How to use data in a way that actually gets listened to

• A simple way to phrase concerns in meetings without sounding emotional or “difficult”

• What to say when you hit resistance (without losing your cool)

• Why writing things down matters more than you think

• How to build allies so you’re not advocating alone

• When it’s okay to escalate, and how to do it properly

• Why advocating for yourself matters just as much as advocating for students

Big takeaways:

• Advocacy isn’t personal.. it’s professional

• Calm beats loud every single time

• Data tells a story when you give it context

• You don’t have to be confident to be effective, just prepared

• Small wins still count (and they add up)

If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting thinking “I should’ve said that differently” or “why is this so hard?” .. this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen in and let’s talk about how to advocate in a way that protects your students and your energy.