Brandie Masters

I’m joining the movement to Run for Autism. But I need your help.

I am running 70 km this October to fundraise and raise awareness for Autism, and especially for my little boy Levi who is nearly four.

Our son Levi has suspected ASD, he is brilliantly clever and demonstrates incredible intellectual capacity beyond his age, he can count to 100, visually identify all his numbers and letters of the Alphabet, recite the months of the year and knows all his shapes. He loves music, instruments and singing- knowing many nursery rhymes off by heart, he loves puzzles and any educational game that has numeracy and the alphabet involved. These are all the things that we celebrate about Levi and we love him to bits, however being autistic means he experiences intense emotional disregulation, has a lot of sensory sensitivities, he struggles to communicate when he is feeling upset, overwhelmed and frustrated and he faces challenges with social interactions between other kids and other adults. All of this means he can be easily misunderstood, and his behaviour can be really hard, but at the heart of who he is, he just wants to belong and connect like any other little kid. 

Prior to going through my own experience with Levi I really had little understanding or knowledge of ASD so I think it’s really important to de-stigmatise this condition and support those who are on the spectrum, and their families because it can be really challenging and isolating. I also believe that Being autistic doesn’t have to be negative, it just needs to be more understood by others so we can create a world that is more inclusive of people who are neurodivergent who really just see, feel and process things in  a different way. 

 All of the money raised from the fundraiser will go back into Autism Australia being able to continue their services and supports to autistic children and they families, so they can live their best lives with reduced limitations. Thank you so much for your support!