Not Stupid: The Story of One Mother's Fight to Rescue the Lives of Her Children from Autism

by Anna Kennedy, Ivan Sage

When Anna and Sean Kennedy discovered that their sons Patrick and Angelo suffered with Asperger's Syndrome and autism respectively, they were truly devastated—but their family's troubles were just beginning. Placed in mainstream nurseries and schools, Patrick and Angelo endured traumatic experiences in a system woefully equipped to cater for their complex needs. Like so many parents, Anna and Sean, having been turned away by no fewer than 26 special needs schools when searching for appropriate educational facilities for the boys, were down—but not out. The local education authority had a fight on its hands. Anna was determined to prove that for children like her sons, the challenges of growing up with autism did not have to end in defeat.Through sheer guts and determination, they turned their situation into a victory for parent power by transforming a disused local school into a center of excellence for the care and support of those with autism. Anna's story, and that of her ever-improving sons, is a beacon of inspiration for parents of special needs children everywhere.

Genres: Nonfiction

302 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Anna Kļaviņa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is a bit misleading. Yes, this book tells about mother whose two sons have autism and how she and her husband in order to create decent opportunity for their children created a school for special need children. More than half of the book is about the creating and running the school. It wasn't boring but not exactly what I was looking for.

Here are few links:

Anna's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnaKenne...

Video Diary, part1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FivsT...

Anna Kennedy online
http://annakennedyonline.com/

Hillingdon Manor School
http://www.hillingdonmanorschool.org.uk/

Few articles
http://metro.co.uk/2012/04/24/anna-ke...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/art...

http://www.tescomagazine.com/mum-of-t...

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/loc...

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today I was thinking about how even though I really enjoy reading and have finished many books, I always forget to update my Goodreads so it looks like I hardly read anything on here. Hopefully in 2016 I will be better at posting reviews, so other people can see if they would be interested in some of the books I have read :)

Anna Kennedy is a young woman who finds out that two of her sons has autism (one has Asperger's Syndrome and another has a more severe form of autism). Anna is now faced with trying to find a suitable school for her sons to go to, but there is relatively little support for her kids in the part of London, England she is from. Anna and her husband, Sean, then set out to found their own school which later blossoms into other services including a residential group home and a vocational college for people with autism. I really admire Anna for what she did and for her courage, however, she is not the best writer which made it difficult for me to plough through this book. She tends to go on rants about unrelated topics and her transitions are a a bit all over the place. Even so, it is definitely a great book for anyone interested in learning more about learning disabilities so I am glad I picked it up.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now I understand why books are published with different editions in Britain and the US. The author used some words and expressions that were unusual for me. The book is mainly about Mrs. Kennedy's accomplishments in establishing schools for her boys and others.

[Jennifer]

I was disappointed with this book. Primarily I realised that Anna Kennedy's children do not have the specific disorder I was interested in (there is a brief reference to it, so I assume that was how it came up as relevant) I might have continued reading this account of her struggle to get her sons a suitable education resulting in the setting up of an autism specific school had it not been ghost written in such a flat, hackneyed style.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reminder of the difficult path some people walk in raising their children and an interesting read for anyone who works with children who have autism or aspergers. Anna Kennedy is a lady who was not content to complain that "the system" wasn't meeting her children's needs. She went out and did something about it.

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight into the lives of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, as well as those taking care of them. If you want to learn more about Autism, this book would be of a great help, though it does get a bit too technical in the middle.

[Joshua Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story by a mother simply trying to find a place for her children in this world. Anna Kennedy is a truly inspiring person; thank you for educating me further on austism & Asperger's Syndrome. I didn't know that austistic children are known to be superb climbers!

[Toria Burrell-Hrencecin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really inspiring and encouraging account of this amazing mother's struggles and hard won successes.

[Anne Rooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this inspirational and moving.