Being interviewed by Anna Kennedy OBE, chatting all things autism

We were delighted to be Anna Kennedy’s guests the other week on Women’s Radio Station. Anna has her show ‘All Things Autism and Life in Lockdown’ which is aired at 1pm and 1am every day on Women’s Radio Station. We talked about everything from the children and Kelly being diagnosed to how it’s changed our lives for the better and launching Perfectly Autistic.

If you don’t know Anna Kennedy, she’s an amazing woman. Ever since she started her own journey with her own boys Patrick and Angelo she wanted to help and support those who like them have a diagnosis of an Autism spectrum condition. She was frustrated and disappointed with the lack of facilities and support across the UK.

You can find lots of videos about Anna on Youtube and we particularly enjoyed her own Tedx Talk which is definitely worth a watch. Anna talks about how her two sons who are now 29 and 26 were both turned away from local mainstream schools, as they couldn’t cater for their individual needs. Both boys were finally offered just five hours of home tuition per week.

So rather than just accepting the five hours, Anna decided something had to be done for her boys. So with the help of her husband and parents , she took on the challenge of setting up a school. Anna relentlessly tried to fundraise and eventually re-mortgaged their home .

In 1999 Hillingdon Manor School finally opened its doors. Starting out with just 19 pupils, the school now teaches a seriously impressive 175 pupils and is one of the largest school of its kind for children on the autism spectrum.

Since then Anna has also co founded a second school , a vocational college, where her youngest son Angelo now attends and also founder of a UK Autism Awareness charity that creates opportunities for autistic children and adults in the performing arts world.

In recognition of her work, Anna was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2012 for her services to special needs education and autism. If you haven’t already come across Anna’s charity, Anna Kennedy Online, provides support and advice about autism-related issues to many parents , carers and promotes inclusion and equality for those with the condition.

The charity provides training workshops and also runs numerous awareness raising events throughout the year one of which is the world known ‘Autism’s got Talent’ which she launched in 2012. The performers consist of singers, actors, musicians and dance troupes, will fly the flag for autism and show what people with autism are capable of.

You can listen to our interview with Anna here.