Lyndel Kennedy
Lyndel Kennedy is an author, editor and mother of three, including two children with Aspergers. Her eldest Aspie is at University, and the youngest is in doing VCE.
As the former president of Aspergers Victoria, Lyndel ran parent support groups, delivered Aspergers information sessions, and maintained their website. Managing a team of 40 volunteers, Lyndel was actively involved in the running of Aspergers Victoria for nearly eight years. She still volunteers for them in a reduced capacity since returning to university full time to study psychology.
Lyndel has given over 40 talks on Aspergers, including presentations at the 2014 Victorian Autism Conference and 2013 SAAIF Gippsland Autism Conference. She presented at the April 2016 Melbourne Autism Expo and Aspect Autism in Education Conference in May 2016.
Lyndel has a Bachelor of Economics and a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing. She is a member of the Institute of Professional Editors and the Australian Society of Authors. Her book, 'The Hidden Diffability: Discovering Aspergers' was published in 2012 and is based on 15 in-depth case studies, examining the lived experience of Aspergers in the Australian context.
Lyndel has completed a Graduate Diploma in Psychology at Monash University, a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (first class Honours) at La Trobe University, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Psychology at La Trobe University, investigating factors contributing to higher education success for neurodiverse students. She also tutors undergraduate psychology at KC Tutoring, is the secretary of the Australian Psychological Society’s Interest Group Psychology of Intellectual Disability and Autism, and facilitates the Young Adults group for Aspergers Victoria, and is co-founder of CANDID, the Collective for Chronically ill, NeuroDiverse, Impaired and Disabled students at La Trobe University.
About The Hidden Diffability:
"The Hidden Diffability: When my eldest child was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, like many parents, I embarked on a crusade to learn everything I could about the condition. I devoured every book I could find, and made copious notes at every ‘expert’ encounter.
At the same time, our initial family response was to keep knowledge of our son’s diagnosis strictly on an ‘as needed’ basis – immediate family and teachers only.
As a writer, our decision to keep AS quiet meant I had to find other topics to write about. It wasn’t until my son, then eleven, asked “Why aren’t you writing about AS? The more people know about it, the more understanding there will be in the world.”
From my own research I knew there were already many books available about Aspergers Syndrome. But they were mostly American and English voices, telling American and English stories. Or if they were Australian voices, they were focussed more on the classic autism tale of early diagnosis and intensive behavioural interventions. They did not speak of my family’s experiences.
And so, with my son’s blessing, I embarked on a mission; to tell our story, to help others benefit from the knowledge I have gained, and to provide an opportunity for other Australian families to share their wisdom and insights about living in Asperger Land.”
Lyndel has been volunteering for Aspergers Victoria since 2008, as a parent and carer support group facilitator, technology coordinator, events coordinator, vice president and president. She currently facilitates their Young Adults Support Group, which meets on the 4th Thursday of each month. Please take a moment to visit the Aspergers Victoria website.