Meet Eileen Arnold, our founder

Meet Eileen Arnold, founder of the Terry Arnold Memorial Trust and wife of the late-Terry Arnold. When Terry, a leading educational psychologist for autism, passed away in 2003, Eileen and a number of colleagues established the Terry Arnold Memorial Trust to ensure his expertise, dedication and commitment to autism lived on…

My background: I worked for many years as a Speech and Language Therapist in NHS, working in clinics, mainstream and special schools. Autistic Spectrum Disorder has always been a primary interest of mine. In April 1989 I took a study visit to Division TEACCH, North Carolina with my husband, Terry where we undertook training on the TEACCH aproach.

Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communications Handicapped Children (TEACCH) is a ‘whole-of-life’ program. It looks at the skills and strengths children already have, and it aims to build on these to promote development.

Since retiring: Since retiring from the NHS, I have worked all over the UK as a trainer and consultant and I have delivered training and presented in New Zealand, Slovenia, Sweden, Greece and at The Gray Center.

What I am most proud of: We’ve had some incredible speakers over the years – autistic adults, autism experts, people who work in the sector and so much more. I think it is incredible, that so many years after Terry’s death, these lectures are still taking place. These lectures are an opportunity for people living with and affected by autism, professionals and those interested in better understanding the condition, to come together, and I, along with all the trustees, are so grateful for everyone’s support.

This year’s lecture: The pandemic meant we had to have two years off and it’s just wonderful to be back and selling tickets for this years event. We look forward to welcoming Matthew at this year’s lecture. After being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at the age of four, Matthew was predicted to have little chance of succeeding academically. Having overcome a lot of obstacles in his life, I look forward to hearing his story.

• This year’s Terry Arnold Memorial Lecture is taking place on Thursday 13th October 2022, 7.30pm-9.30pm, at Northampton High School. Book your tickets online: tamlecture2022.eventbrite.co.uk