Mummy of a Square Peg talks to Anna Kennedy OBE

I was absolutely delighted when I was offered the chance to chat about ‘All things Autism’ with Anna Kennedy OBE on her radio show on Women’s Radio Station.

Anna Kennedy is the founder of a charity called Anna Kennedy Online. You can read the mission statement below.

‘Autism affects more than 1 in 100 people and over 700,000 people in UK are autistic, which means that 2.8m people have a relative on the autism spectrum.

Anna Kennedy Online is dedicated to promoting the inclusion and equality of children and adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout society.

The charity promotes its mission of disability equality by developing and delivering training, providing legal advice, social media reach out, roadshows and talks around the UK by raising awareness of the challenges faced by people with disabilities and also by its advocacy efforts with and on behalf of people with disabilities.‘

This was the first time I had ever done a radio interview. I was very excited and nervous. Anna is a fab interviewer and radio presenter who made me feel at ease.

I’m not nervous about talking, I mean, I’m a teacher, so naturally I love the sound of my own voice and can talk the hind legs off a Donkey.

I was worried about how many times I would say ‘Erm’, ‘so’, ‘ok’, ‘obviously’.

I was worried that I would keep interrupting Anna (something that happens when I get excited about a topic)

I was worried that I would start saying something and then forget where I was going with it.

I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to listen to the interview because I would cringe at the sound of my own voice.

Of course, all of the above happened….but do you know what? I’m fine with that. It was my first ever radio interview so I can’t expect to be a professional straight away.

The main thing is that I got to tell our Autism story to lots of listeners. By me telling our story, someone might have learnt something about Autism, someone may have heard some advice that might help them and someone might have found some comfort that they’re not alone on this journey.

If you missed the live broadcasts, then luckily for you, it been made into a podcast. You can listen to it here

I absolutely loved doing this radio interview and can’t wait to do another one. You can also check the article that I wrote on the website here. It’s so important to raise autism awareness so that children like my little Square Peg can grow up in a society where they are accepted.