WHO ARE WE?

Team pic above: Jo Perry, Debby Elley, Tim Tuff, Tori Houghton and David Laslett. Celebrating AuKids magazine’s 10th birthday.

AuKids magazine was edited by a parent of twins with autism and a Speech and Language Therapist with more than 15 years' experience working with children who have autism. Plus, a team of internationally renowned expert advisors.

Debby Elley,
Co-editor

Debby had a varied media career before her twins were born in 2003.  She worked in radio as a travel reporter, trained people for the AA, worked for a  PR firm, and became a sub-editor of a regional newspaper.  

“AuKids was the result of looking at publications that I didn't like very much. When we launched there was no other magazine on the market especially for parents of kids with autism, and what there was on disability - well it was generally dry to say the least, with a very po-faced tone. 

I don't want to read features that are full of complaints - I want bright spark solutions! As parents we don't want to be talked down to, and we don't want people writing for us as if we're victims of some awful misfortune.

Before AuKids, I'd been lucky enough to work for a newspaper editor who let me loose with a style that was very informal, and we used this approach with our new magazine. Tori and I have a real laugh writing AuKids, and I hope that our readers pick up on that and enjoy it as much as we do".

Tori Houghton, Co-Editor

Tori is a speech and language therapist who has worked with children who have autism for more than 15 years. The same year that AuKids magazine was first published, she also launched her own support agency, Time Specialist Support (www.time-specialist-support.com), especially for families who have children with autism. The company is now one of the largest and most respected special needs support agencies in Manchester.

“AuKids is an unusual initiative in that it is jointly run by a parent and professional. Usually, parents stick to their own forums and professionals offer advice 'from above'.  When we tackle a topic for the magazine, we look at it from both sides - professional and parent. So I hope the result is some truly practical advice that wasn't written in Cloud Cuckoo Land!

Traditionally, too much emphasis has been put on the 'impairments' of autism and not enough about the upside. Autistic kids are usually only challenging when their environment distresses them. If you can get beneath that anxiety and what causes it, they are funny, brilliant, beautiful kids."