Leeds United are delighted to show their support for World Autism Acceptance Month, which takes place throughout April, as we aim to foster inclusivity, support and understanding for individuals with autism.
World Autism Acceptance Month is an opportunity for everyone to come together and raise awareness, acceptance, and create a society where autistic people can feel understood.
The club is proud to introduce young supporter, Joseph, to the rest of our fanbase – an 11-year-old fan who was diagnosed with autism at the age of four. To show our support for autism acceptance, we are highlighting Joseph’s achievements to date, of which there are plenty.
Joseph has always wanted to prove that autism is not a barrier and dedicates himself to raising crucial awareness and helping others. The youngster was rewarded for his efforts with a BBC Making A Difference Award in the Young Hero category in 2025, and during the ceremony he wore his Leeds United lanyard with pride.
Joseph has been showcased through various media outlets, with BBC regional news covering stories around his relationship with an autism awareness dog called Shadow, with the two taking a special trip to Elland Road during the COVID lockdown.
In 2023, he was also featured during Autism Awareness Week as well as appearing on BBC Newsround, with a chance to discuss the four-book series he has produced, titled ‘The Adventures of Joseph and his Shadow’.
The books are written from Joseph’s perspective to make understanding people with autism easier and have been edited with information from his mum Gemma. In the books, Joseph goes on numerous adventures with his autism awareness dog Shadow and it highlights the different ways autism affects his day-to-day life. To learn more about the books, please click here.
Joseph has taken part in the Parallel Games at the Olympic Stadium and at Windsor Park, which are specifically geared to being more inclusive, achieving medals for 5km runs.
At last year’s title-winning victory over Plymouth Argyle, Joseph presented Joe Rodon with his very own Player of the Season award, before once again spending time with the Leeds centre-half as he walked out for the Premier League clash against West Ham United as a mascot earlier this season.
This year, Joseph was entered for a speech, language and music festival where he collected three winners’ trophies and was also asked to perform at the Lord Mayor’s Charity Ball. With a fourth book on the horizon for Joseph, he has now been asked to give talks at local school assemblies about autism, taking on a lot of responsibility at such a young age.
Everyone at Leeds United would like to congratulate Joseph on his brilliant achievements so far and have no doubt he will continue to rack up recognition awards due to his dedication to raising awareness of autism.
For more information around World Autism Acceptance Month, please click here.
