My nephew Henry received his autism diagnosis just before his 2nd birthday. Whilst the diagnosis doesn’t change who Henry is, it does provide us with a better understanding of how to support him. Before Henry’s diagnosis we didn’t know much about autism and we quickly realised that most of what we thought we knew was based on stereotypes and wasn’t very accurate at all. What became really apparent from our research is there is a lot of misinformation online which can be quite scary, and unless you’re proactively looking (in the right places) it’s difficult to even start to really understand autism. 

Henry is such a happy, cheeky little boy. He loves to laugh, he loves books and puzzles and animals and trains and Fireman Sam. He loves things so passionately he would happily listen to his favourite story 5 or 6 times in a row, he bounces with excitement when his favourite programmes come on, and he runs to get his best toys to show to people he loves. Henry doesn’t talk yet, but my god he can make exactly what he wants perfectly clear. Henry is the most amazing little boy and we wouldn’t change him for the world. He’s taught us that communication is so much more than words, and he’s taught us to find happiness in the smallest of things. We want him to grow up being proud of who he is, in a world that understands and celebrates diversity. 

Henry’s autism is a difference, not a disorder, and it’s the barriers put in place by society that will make things difficult for him. It’s so important that we proactively try to learn more about other peoples differences because this will lead to a better understanding, acceptance, and ultimately a more inclusive society.

I’m running the Marathon to raise awareness of autism, and to raise money for the National Autistic Society who provide support, guidance and advice for people on the autism spectrum and their families, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.