“In January 1990, I gave birth to my first son, Patrick. At first, despite several health scares, it seemed Patrick was progressing normally."

"Then, at the age of seven, he began displaying erratic behaviour and became extremely distressed at school. Three years later, I gave birth to my second son, Angelo, who, at the age of two and a half, also began displaying abnormal behaviour. At an assessment, Angelo was diagnosed with autism. Naturally, this was a scary and devastating blow for my husband, Sean, and I.

Meanwhile, Patrick's strange behaviour and protests at being taken to school intensified. He was diagnosed as having Asperger’s syndrome but, unfortunately, it was three years before this diagnosis was revealed to us! This meant that Patrick, wholly unsuited to mainstream education, had been forced to endure the trauma of not understanding what was required of him at a school totally ill-equipped to cater for his specific needs.

Worse was to follow! A total of 26 special schools, within an hour’s drive of our home, turned down applications from my boys. With a friend, I began a support group for families in a similar situation, which soon became fully subscribed. Faced with the difficulty of finding anywhere that would provide educational support for my boys, and our inability to find suitable childcare in our locality, we took drastic measures.

Having discovered a derelict school in Hillingdon, we approached the local council and asked if we could turn it into a centre of excellence for children on the autistic spectrum. There were numerous bureaucratic obstacles, but Hillingdon Borough Council eventually agreed to lease us the school. We had to re-mortgage our small home, but after much hard work, tears and frustrations, we eventually opened Hillingdon Manor School on 4th September 1999.”

Since its conception, Hillingdon Manor has gone from strength to strength and has helped hundreds of autistic children get the education they deserve. Last month, Anna hosted a celebration for Hillingdon Manor, marking ten successful years since opening. The event was a huge success with pupils past and present, parents, the Mayor of Hillingdon, and even School Patron Esther Rantzen attending.

Just over a year ago, Hillingdon Manor School joined forces with Hillcrest Care, one of the UK’s leading independent providers of children’s homes, foster care and learning disability services. Anna added: “The partnership with Hillcrest Care has surpassed my expectations; they’ve allowed Hillingdon Manor to go from strength to strength and I’m looking forward to a continued partnership with them for many years to come.”

We’re not quite sure where she found the time, but Anna has also written her autobiography, ‘Not Stupid’, which documents her inspiring story. Anna's story, and that of her ever-improving sons, is a beacon of inspiration for parents of special needs children all over the country. It’s available from Amazon for just £10.19 (RRP £17.99) - click on the image to go directly to the website.

Anna added: “All in all, it has been an incredible journey and it has been far from easy. I have written my autobiography ‘Not Stupid’, but my latest project is a new online information website for parents, carers and professionals - www.annakennedyonline.com.”

For more information on Hillingdon Manor School, visit www.hillingdonmanorschool.org.uk or call 01895 813679.