media and interviews

Honoured to have been interviewed by Alexandra Heck of the Erin Advocate. Available in digital form here. (Dec. 31, 2020)

Supporting children with special needs through picture books.

Thank you Andrew Katz of Picture Books, Eh! for the blog feature. (March 6, 2021)

From teacher to picture book author... and everything in between

Thank you to Ramona Meharg of Voice Ed for featuring me on her podcast, I Wish I Knew EDU. I'm so honoured and grateful. Click here to listen. Check out her podcasts for a look back at Education, as well as a learn forward. (aired April 5, 2021)

HELPING KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS FLOURISH

Thank you to Lily Yan for having me on her podcast, Our Inner Sparks, a valuable social enterprise. One whose vision is to create a world where we can all ignite and harvest our inner sparks and reach our full potential. They provide products and services that empower and enable women in the community. Specifically supporting those of us most at risk in creating meaningful transformations. Click for interview and blog. (aired April 9, 2021)

So honoured to be featured in the May 2021 issue of Autism Parenting Magazine (Issue 123). Thank you for supporting me in delivering the message of positive differences, acceptance, kindness, and inclusion. A donation will go directly to Canucks Autism Network with every sale of Believe in Bruno.

neurodiverse inclusion in media, society, and education

Thank you to Ken Vu for having me on his podcast, The Autism Experience. Click here to hear our chat. Check out his podcasts and Instagram account to see the incredible advocate, role model and support he is to the autism community. (aired July 22, 2021)

Humbled by the opportunity to be featured in the October 2021 issue of Autism Advocate Parenting Magazine to share some tip for parents as they navigate the school system.

Honoured to present DAKI at The Fall Knowledge Forum at Queen’s University, November, 2021.

We were thrilled to share DAKI with Queen's CESA. (November , 2022)

Surprised and honoured to be featured in "A Year In Books: 2022" in the Winter 2022 issue of In The Hills (Volume 29, Number 4).

HANNAH SERIES + BRUNO SERIES + CHANCES ARE...

In both the Hannah Series and the Bruno Series for children aged four to eight, Kelly Leslie celebrates neurodiversity and the strengths of children with special needs. Join Hannah the anxious caterpillar and Bruno the autistic panda – and their friends – as they learn important lessons about kindness and inclusion.

With characters like a caterpillar with cerebral palsy and a butterfly with asthma, these illustrated books are a wonderful resource for young children. Each concludes with activity suggestions that provide a gateway to meaningful conversations about friendship and acceptance. (Kelly Leslie, $9.99 each)

Chances Are…, Leslie’s first novel for young adults, explores the trials and tribulations of the tumultuous teenage years. Seventeen-year-old Chance is known as a daredevil, though she would rather just curl up with a good book. When she’s invited to spend the summer at a Muskoka mansion with her wealthy boyfriend, Troy, she faces challenges related to peer pressure, young love and friction between friends and “frenemies,” as well as the inevitable teenage urge to take stupid risks. (Kelly Leslie, $11.99)

Co-founder of Believe Beyond Bounds, an organization dedicated to highlighting the capabilities of children with special needs, Leslie is a retired school principal who lives in Erin.

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