Luke Ayling was the special guest at Whitecote Primary School recently, joining a group of Year 6 students as they discussed World Autism Acceptance Week.

The Leeds United defender was on hand ahead of the annual event to find out more about what the pupils had been learning and designing during their weekly meetings, with the group of 12 youngsters part of a Social Action project where they are able to discuss matters chosen by them and that are important to them.

The 31-year-old spent time chatting with the young students, with the children able to share the facts they had learned during their research, and they were also able to present the posters they had designed to help raise awareness around the school during World Autism Acceptance Week, which started on Monday 27th March and runs until Sunday 2nd April.

Luke Ayling spoke to LUTV during the visit and he said: "I think it's great that kids of 10 and 11 are learning things like this and they're spreading the word around the school which is great. I don't think we learned about stuff like this when I was at school, but I've done a few visits now where they are talking about important subjects and it's great for them to know more about what is going on in the world.

"I loved coming along today, they've all been working hard for the last few weeks, so for me to then be able to come in and give them a little bit of time and see all that great work is great, and it's really important we make that time to support these projects."

Michael Heppleston from the Leeds United Foundation works with the youngsters every week and he added: "This term we've been working on the theme of being inspiring, which is one of our Premier League values, and this intervention group that we work with wanted to do something around autism awareness, which we think is really important and they thought was really important too. Together we came up with the idea of a poster campaign so they could raise further awareness across the school, and it was fantastic to have the support of Luke today!"

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people. The disorder can also affect how a person makes sense of the world around them. Autism is a spectrum condition, and this means that the condition will affect people in different ways.

Here are some of the practical strategies the Leeds United Foundation use in some of their sessions that may include someone with autism, that may be key for others to understand:

Some autistic people may also have accompanying learning disabilities, including mental health issues or other conditions, meaning different levels of support is often required.

For more information on the work the Leeds United Foundation deliver in the local community to those suffering with a disability such as an autism spectrum disorder, please contact [email protected]. Or for more information on the work being done through the Premier League Primary Stars initiative, please contact [email protected].