My Story

I was diagnosed with autism in my mid- twenties. Autism is a life long developmental difference that affects how I experience the world. In my life it means I'm highly sensitive to light and sound (In a busy room everything sounds like one volume so I struggle to follow conversations) and have speech differences (monotone speaking). I've learnt how to mask some of my difficulties by learning scripts for socialising but this performance leaves me exhausted and negatively impacts my mental wellbeing. Routine, social scripts and support from family help me to manage my anxiety but I still sometimes experience autistic shutdowns.

I'm running the London marathon (42.2km) in April 24 and training middle distance triathlon later in the year. I've found that endurance sports helps to manage my anxiety. I'm taking on this challenge to raise funds for the National Autistic Society (NAS). NAS are a vital resource for helping autistic individuals to survive and thrive in society.