Name: Finola O’Rourke

Student no.: N00226475

Course: DL846
Module: Production
Lecturer: Brian Nartey

Continuous Assessment 3

Podcast and Reflective Paper

13 March 2023
 Contents

Link to podcast on IADT OneDrive:........................................................................................... 3

The inspiration........................................................................................................................... 3

The objective ............................................................................................................................. 3

The target audience .................................................................................................................. 3

The questions ............................................................................................................................ 4

The theme music ....................................................................................................................... 4

A reflection on the process ....................................................................................................... 4

The challenges and lessons learnt ............................................................................................ 5

Appendix I: Podcast host script ................................................................................................ 6

Appendix II: Transcript of unedited recording ......................................................................... 8

Appendix III: Screenshots of Audacity project ....................................................................... 12

Appendix IV: Podcast Cover Art .............................................................................................. 13

Appendix V: Podcast Planning Mindmap ............................................................................... 14

Bibliography............................................................................................................................. 15

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Link to podcast on IADT OneDrive:
https://iadt-
my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/n00226475_iadt_ie/EuTUunAs4LJHl6vPDa9hc_4BQptaPq
fWGAIOL12BUVs81Q?e=KAZUrL

The inspiration
As the subject of my podcast I chose the experience of people who grow up with an autistic
sibling. Over the past 17 years, I have been a close observer of the relationship between my
autistic son and my neurotypical daughter. It is something that has both troubled and
fascinated me, in equal measure; while it is heartbreaking as a parent to witness your four-
year-old child being rejected by their sibling, it is intriguing to observe the determination and
persistence of such a young child in the face of this rejection. Unlike their parents, siblings of
autistic children are not consumed with worry over their sibling’s future and are not weighed
down by preconceived ideas of what autism entails. As a result, they take their sibling at face
value and often rise to the challenge of forging a connection with them. In doing so, they
develop a deep understanding of their sibling and acquire skills that will stand to them
throughout their lives.

The objective
The goal of this podcast is to provide a forum, in which people of all ages, who have an autistic
sibling, talk openly and honestly about how living with their sibling has shaped their lives and
perhaps even their chosen career paths. The hope is that this podcast will acknowledge the
positive impact that autistic people have on those who live with them, while also highlighting
the need for more support for families and for greater acceptance of autistic people among
the neurotypical population.

The target audience

While there is a plethora of similar podcasts featuring siblings living in the US and UK, this
podcast series is targeted at families in Ireland who are living with an autistic person and who
might find it a source of comfort and support to hear from other people in similar situations.
(Had I been able to listen to a similar podcast when my children were younger, I think I might

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have worried a little less.) The series is also aimed at students, educators and professionals
working with autistic people, to highlight how important it is that siblings are given due
consideration by social workers and therapists when assessing a family’s needs and that the
unique circumstances of these unsung heroes, their struggles and their significant
contribution to their sibling’s development are acknowledged and celebrated.

The questions
I based my questions around a narrative arc, which I used to draw the listener in by piquing
their sense of curiosity. The podcast starts with an introduction to the “protagonists” of the
piece and an outline of the status quo, before introducing the idea of a conflict of sorts,
namely the struggle my daughter faced in trying to forge a connection with her brother. It
then moves on to the resolution of this conflict before concluding with a happy outcome for
both individuals. I asked my daughter to describe her current relationship with her brother
before delving into the struggle she faced in the past. This allows listeners, some of whom
may be concerned family members, to relax and enjoy the positivity of the story, safe in the
knowledge that the outcome is a happy one, yet curious to hear how it came about.

The theme music

My desire to make the podcast supportive, optimistic and, ideally, uplifting informed my
choice of theme music, Small Guitar by Benjamin Tissot (Tissot, 2022) which, with its hand-
clapping and guitar strumming, has a feel-good vibe and an upbeat tempo.

A reflection on the process

I spent a lot of time upfront planning my questions and formulating my script, and I found
that this really paid off, as I ended up with a compact script that was well within the time limit
of five minutes and required very little editing. My daughter and I did a practice run together,
which was useful for ironing out any problems – see below. It also gave my daughter, who
had little time to prepare her answers, a chance to put her thoughts in order. While her
responses in the first recording were quite halting, they flowed much more smoothly when

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we did the second and final recording. My segments were recorded off-microphone, which
required that I re-record them separately afterwards. For the recording environment, I chose
the smallest bedroom in my house, which is only 7 square metres and has a lot of soft
furnishings. I used a USB microphone, which was plugged into my laptop, and I used Audacity
to record and edit the podcast. On the whole, I am happy with the sound and the consistency
of the timbre throughout.

The challenges and lessons learnt

My daughter’s timbre is consistent across all her responses. However, when re-recording my
questions at a later stage, I had to record my questions several times and use the “Amplify”
function in Audacity to edit my answers before I felt that my timbre blended seamlessly with
the timbre of my daughter’s recordings. In future, I would make sure to establish this
consistency at the outset.

Another challenge I experienced, and one I had not foreseen when planning the script, was
how my daughter would refer to our relationship in her responses. I had decided at the outset
that I would make it clear to listeners that I was interviewing my daughter. However, during
our first recording attempt, my daughter told the anecdote about the “on-switch” and in
doing so referred to me in the third person (“my mom”). In the second and final recording
attempt, we amended this so that my daughter addressed me directly in the second person,
and I added a brief response (“Yes, I do remember that….”). I positioned the clip containing
just this response on a separate track in Audacity so that I could make it overlap slightly with
my daughter’s words, as it would in natural conversation. I feel this interaction adds to the
authenticity and relatability of the podcast, as without it the podcast would simply be a
succession of questions and answers that did not acknowledge our shared experience.

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Appendix I: Podcast host script

Welcome Message:
Hello and welcome to our very first “Siblings with a difference” podcast, the show that shines
a spotlight on the many special siblings out there, who are growing up or who have grown up
with an autistic brother or sister. I'm Finola O’Rourke and today we're going to meet our very
first sibling of the series, who will be talking about the impact that growing up with her
younger brother has had on her life to date.

Guest Introduction:
Her name is Anna O’Rourke, and yes, we are related. Anna is my daughter and the elder of
my two children. So…without further ado, I’d like to start by thanking you for joining me on
this podcast today, Anna, and for being my first victim.

Questions:
1. So Anna, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?
2. And can you tell us about your brother?
3. Can you describe the kind of relationship you have with each other now?
4. How would you say your relationship has changed over the years?
5. Do you think growing up with Cillian has in any way shaped who you are today?
6. Overall, how would you describe your experience of growing up with an autistic
sibling?

Topic recap:
So that brings us to the end of our first episode. From what Anna has told us, living with an
autistic sibling is certainly an education in itself.

Episode reflection:
While it’s not all a bed of roses, it does make us dig deeper and can cause us to develop
resources and interests that we might have gone through life never knowing we had.

Outro:

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Many thanks to Anna and to you our listeners for tuning in. Join us again next week for our
second episode featuring Oisin, who is just 10 years old and who has a 15 year old autistic
brother. He’s going to share with us a very different insight into what it’s like to live with an
autistic sibling.

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 Appendix II: Transcript of unedited recording

Note: The parts highlighted in yellow were deleted during the editing process.

Finola (Host):
Hello and welcome to our very first siblings with a difference podcast, the show that shines a
spotlight on the many special siblings out there who are growing up or who have grown up
with an autistic brother or sister. I'm Finola O'Rourke. And today we're going to meet our very
first sibling of the series, who will be talking about the impact that growing up with her
younger brother has had on her life to date. Her name is Anna O'Rourke. And yes, we are
related. Anna is my daughter and the elder of my two children. So without further ado, I'd like
to start by thanking you for joining me on this podcast today, Anna, and for being my very
first victim. So Anna, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?

Anna (Guest):
Emm hi, it's great to be here. Emm I'm 19 years old, and I'm currently studying primary school
teaching in DCU.

Finola (Host):
And can you tell us a bit about your brother?

Anna (Guest):
Eh my brother's name is Cillian and he's almost 18 years old, which is crazy to believe. Em and
he's autistic. Em and he's currently in Abacas special school over in Tallaght.

Finola (Host):
And what are his interests?

Anna (Guest):
Emm he loves to read, he loves to dance. He loves hiking actually in the mountains, something
that we do not share an interest in. And he loves. He loves emm musicals and all singing and
dancing.

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Finola (Host):
And can you describe the kind of relationship you have with each other now?

Anna (Guest):
Em I have a brilliant relationship with my brother now. Em we get on incredibly well, we have
many similar interests. We both love dance and musicals and Harry Potter. And we've really
bonded over those in the last few years. But no we get on brilliantly.

Finola (Host):
And how would you say your relationship has changed over the years? Has it always been this
good?

Anna (Guest):
Em, it hasn't at all. Em when I was younger, we didn't really have much of a relationship. I
don't know if you remember, but when I was younger, I asked you once where his “on” switch
was because I could never understand why he wouldn't em interact with me or why we didn't
eh have a typical sibling relationship.

Finola (Host):
Yes, I do remember that, now that you mention it.

Anna (Guest):
Em but anyway, we really didn't have much of a relationship. I always wanted to play with
him. And like I'd see other siblings interacting and em having fun together. And I could never
understand why we weren't the same. But em after years of getting to know him and finding
out his interests and him growing and developing as a person, we have a brilliant relationship
now.

Finola (Host):
So would you say that growing up with Cillian has in any way shaped who you are today?

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Anna (Guest):
Em I'd definitely say so. It's one of the main reasons that I'm studying primary school teaching.
When he was younger, he was having a very difficult time in school, especially when he was
first in a mainstream school. And as a child, I got to see I got a special insight into how kids
with special needs and learning difficulties were treated in schools. And it was the wrong
setting for him. But at the same time, his teachers didn't really understand him. And I grew
up with this mindset. And I always wanted to do something about it. I was always very
interested in it. And it stuck with me. And that's what I'm doing today.

Finola (Host):
Overall, how would you describe your experience of growing up with an autistic sibling?

Anna (Guest):
Em, I would say it was a very positive experience. Em we get on so incredibly well. Em and I
never kind of see us our relationship as being, I suppose, different from usual sibling
relationships. Like he's just my brother. You know, I'm never kind of comparing us to other
siblings. Em but we get on so well. I wouldn't. I wouldn't change a thing to be honest.

Finola (Host):
Wow, that all sounds so positive Anna. Thank you so much for joining us today. That was
extremely interesting.

Anna (Guest):
Thank you for having me.

Finola (Host):
So that brings us to the end of our first episode. From what Anna has told us, living with an
autistic sibling is certainly an education in itself. While it’s not all a bed of roses, it does make
us dig deeper and can cause us to develop resources and interests that we might have gone
through life never knowing we had. Many thanks to Anna and to you our listeners for tuning
in. Join us again next week for our second episode featuring Oisin, who is just 10 years old

10
and who has a 15 year old autistic brother. He’s going to share with us a very different insight
into what it’s like growing up with an autistic sibling.

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 Appendix III: Screenshots of Audacity project

Fig. 1 Screenshot of Audacity Project – clip circled in orange is my brief comment, which I inserted in the
middle of my interviewee’s response.

Fig. 2 Use of envelope tool to fade out intro music.

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Appendix IV: Podcast Cover Art

13
Appendix V: Podcast Planning Mindmap

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 Bibliography

Asf (2022) Podcast: Super siblings!, Autism Science Foundation. Available at:
https://autismsciencefoundation.org/podcast-suber-siblings/ (Accessed: February 19,
2023).

Ciccarelli D. January 12 et al. (2023) How to plan your podcast with scripts and templates
[2023, Voices. Available at: https://www.voices.com/blog/planning-your-podcast/
(Accessed: March 1, 2023).

Forster, L. (2022) 5 podcast script templates for planning your episodes, Amplify by
MatchMaker.fm. Amplify by MatchMaker.fm. Available at:
https://amplify.matchmaker.fm/podcast-script-templates/ (Accessed: February 28,
2023).

Halladay A. (2022) ASF Weekly Science Podcasts. Available at:

https://asfpodcast.org/archives/category/siblings (Accessed: February 25, 2023).

Haupt R. et al. Autism Spectrum Radio, available at: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Autism-

Spectrum-Radio-
Podcast/B08K5ZYRKM?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp
(Accessed: February 20, 2023).

Riverside FM, Podcast scripts (templates & examples) (2022) YouTube. YouTube. Available
at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui_OV-t8c6M (Accessed: March 13, 2023).

Santra, R. (2022) The secret life of sibs on Apple Podcasts, Apple Podcasts. Available at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-secret-life-of-sibs/id1602447965 (Accessed:
February 21, 2023).

Sibling Leadership Network, The SLN podcast (no date) Available at:
https://siblingleadership.org/media-library/the-sln-podcast/ (Accessed: February 20,
2023).

Tissot, B. (no date) Small guitar, Bensound. Available at:

https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/small-guitar (Accessed: March 1,
2023).

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