David Sullivan, Joint-Chairman of West Ham United continues to champion Anna Kennedy Online (AKO) – West Ham United are currently supporting the charity’s ‘Give us a Break‘ campaign.
What the campaign focuses upon are the unstructured times in the school day. Often those children who previously felt safe during structured times feel a great deal less so upon hearing the bell.
AKO believe that there is plenty that can be done to rectify this problem and improve the lives of young people who have autism during the school day. This is with the backing of West Ham United.
Me Sullivan said:
“This is an incredibly important charity, which is precisely why I chose to make a personal donation,”
He then added:
“While AKO is already making a difference, there’s clearly more to be done and I hope those concerned will really get behind the ‘Give us a Break’ campaign.”
Anna Kennedy OBE paid tribute to the football team, saying:
“As ever, we are proud to have West Ham supporting us in all that we do, especially as we work with so many families in that area,”
She then said:
“To make a difference in life we all have to come together so it is great to have West Ham at the heart of a community trying to reach out and help others.”
Give us a Break asks that schools consider introducing a club, safe haven or bespoke activity for those children on the autistic spectrum to use.
They further suggest that break times should be a time to relax and enjoy and that they need not exclude those on the autistic spectrum.
AKO also stare that all teachers should be trained to a level of responsibility to ensure that the needs of all Special Educational Needs children are met. They hope that all members of staff coming into contact with autistic children have an awareness and understanding of that child.
Anna Kennedy Online can be found here