Fighting For Autism Ambassador Lewis Dyer interviews Imonolith lead vocalist Jon Howard

Todays blog is brought to you courtesy of Fighting For Autism Junior Ambassador Lewis Dyer

Lewis is a talented martial artist, who trains with Kairos Marital Arts in Retford, United Kingdom. Aside from martial arts, Lewis is also an incredibly talented musician too.

Fighting For Autism prides itself on actively involving those on the autistic spectrum and asking them to carry out interviews with people from around the world that share a common interest with them, Lewis was asked to carry out an interview with Jon Howard who is the lead singer from Canadian band Imonolith.

Jon (centre) along with the other members of IMONOLITH

Imonolith is a hard hitting, 5 piece Canadian based Hard Rock/Metal band made up of an impressive pedigree of musicians whose debut single and video, Hollow was released on January 18th, 2019. The song attracted 216,000 streams in 2019 on Spotify alone, not including Apple Music and other streaming outlets, Jon has also been the vocalist for the bands Threat Signal and Arkaea.

This is a video clip of  Lewis playing the piano

Lewis Dyer interviews IMONOLITH lead singer Jon Howard 

 1. Do you ever get nervous when performing and how do you overcome it?

"Still to this day my nerves go CRAZY right before hitting the stage. That moment when the intro music is playing and we are about to perform, my heart is going a mile a minute. I think its a combination of things. A bunch of anxiety mixed with anticipation and adrenaline, I dunno… But its never stopped me from getting out there!!  Honestly once I hit the stage, my nerves calm down and I become comfortable and own the stage. I have to be very well rehearsed and have my set planned though, or else I won’t feel comfortable".

2. What was your first step in pursuing music as a career?

"My mother put me into piano class when I was young, really can’t remember how old. I wasn’t very good and wanted to switch to guitar lessons. I sucked at that too and just quit all together. It wasn’t until I was about 12 or 13 years old when I picked up a guitar and taught myself how to play songs I actually liked. The trigger for me to pick that guitar up was the death of Kurt Cobain… I didn’t know who he was at the time, but watching the news story really hit me hard. I couldn’t figure out how or why someone would commit suicide when they had everything they dreamed of. I didn’t really understand much at the time. Anyways, I got hooked on Nirvana and wanted to be just like Kurt. Once I taught myself how to play the song Come As You Are, I was unstoppable! haha  So yeah, I started with playing guitar. Once I hit high school I formed a band and began chasing a music career. We didn’t have a singer, so I just started singing and playing guitar. Our first show was a battle of the bands in 1998".

3. Who inspired you when you were younger?

"Guess I answered that already! haha So Nirvana got me into playing grunge rock music, but around that same time I really got into bands like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots. By high school I started craving  heavier music and started getting into bands like Metallica, Pantera, Fear Factory, Korn, Megadeth and Meshuggah to name a few".

4. What are your top 3 music albums of all time?

"Thats a tough one! I love a lot of different albums for different reasons

These are 3 albums that REALLY influenced me

Metallica - And Justice For All

Nirvana - Nevermind

Pantera - Far Beyond Driven"

5. Can you teach us how to do the metal scream?

"Oh man, it took me years and years of trial and error to figure that  out!  I would hide in the basement and make the craziest noises trying to figure out what the heck I was doing. My family totally thought I was insane.  Once I got a car I was able to scream in there and feel more comfortable haha.  So now you can figure it out too! haha".

6. Which one of your band would win in an arm wrestle?

"Well, I used to think it was me. For some stupid reason on tour after some liquid refreshment  we would arm wrestle each other on the tour bus. When we were touring with The Agonist through Europe I  decided to arm wrestle the biggest dude around haha. I ended up tearing something in my arm and was in bruuuutal pain for months. Still to this day, every single day, my arm  hurts when I move it a certain way. So yeah, no more arm wrestling for me"!

7. You’re on your own in the band’s rehearsal room, and a zombie outbreak has started. A zombie gets in the room... what instrument/equipment do you use to defend yourself?

"Can I just grab the actual drummer and hit him with that guy?  Can’t seem to keep a steady drummer so I might as well toss him to the zombies as a distraction hahaha"

Jon Howard

 

The latest album from IMONOLITH -State of Being, if you'd like to find out more about the band please visit their website www.imonolithband.com

Or you can listen to Jon cover the Linkin Park song Crawling 

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFzdvrog3Tg

On behalf of everyone at Fighting For Autism, we wanted to say a massive thank you to Jon Howard for taking part in the interview, to Lewis Dyer for asking some amazing questions and being an outstanding ambassador for Autism Awareness and Acceptance, and thank you to Justin Dawson for all of his assistance....and finally Thank you to Simon Fell, who is the co- creator along with Lewis of  the Zombie apocalypse question that was asked to Jon. 

 
If you have a story you'd like to share, or you'd like some information about Fighting For Autism we can be found via our website www.fightingforautismeurope.org 

 www.Facebook.com/FightingForAutism                                                                                                     www.Instagram.com/FightForAutism                                                                                                           www.Twitter.com/FightForAutism  

Until next time #DareToBeDifferent and continue to #ShineThroughTheSpectrum                          

The Warriors Assemble 2017 Fighting Spirit Awards

Around a week ago, courtesy of the Warriors Assemble, a phenomenal event took place.

The Fighting Spirit Awards is a unique event dedicated to celebrating  those who have overcome adversity and extraordinary challenges through martial arts.

This is the 3rd Annual Fighting Spirit Awards, with Fighting For Autism not only being honoured to attend the event, we were also nominated and received  an award, in what was an emotional and inspiring event and witness some remarkable insights on how some truly inspirational individuals are thriving and making a difference within their club but more importantly being a beacon of hope for others to perhaps try something new and write success stories of their own.
This event doesn't just celebrate being different, it embraces it, and that what makes it so incredibly special.

Firstly we would like to thank each and every person involved in Fighting For Autism, the award received is a testament to your hard work and support, you are the true spirit of Fighting For Autism. You are the ones who carry forward the positive message of not only autism awareness but more so acceptance, and encouraging so many to be the very best they can be.
To each and every ambassador and club from around the globe, this is Your award from the dad of a youngster on the spectrum, you are the ones who make the brighter day I am just fortunate enough to be able to write about it.

 

 

 

 

Paulieboy and Tony Bailey explaining what Fighting For autism do around the world, and also saying Thank you to everyone who has taken Fighting For Autism to their hearts

 

The awards are the brainchild of Tony and Sarah Pillage, whose dedication is the stuff that legends are made of, Tony who himself is valiantly battling cancer, hosted the awards as he has done since their creation 3 years ago, a gentleman whose kindness and willingness to help others despite his own challenges was and  is one of the bravest and kindest things I have witnessed, growing up we are often told the most precious thing you could ever give to another human being is your time, Tony Pillage and everyone involved with these awards put their heart and soul into making everyone feel like a superstar in their very own right.
Hero is a word that so very often gets bandied around, Tony and Sarah Pillage truly are heroes in every sense of the word, every nominee and award winner truly was given the VIP treatment and made to feel every ounce like a superstar, and from sitting their in awe of so many wonderful individuals share their emotional experiences, not only did I feel privileged to be in such fine company, but so incredibly lucky to be able to have been able to see and hear some of the most heartfelt insights into how others have adapted to the challenges they face, and used martial arts as a catalyst to truly make a difference to themselves and those around them.
Tony has been pivotal in Autism awareness himself, form getting multiple classes of his club to take part in Autism awareness drives, he has also reached out to the martial arts fraternity to get involved too, he is a rather exceptional human being to say the very least.
Tony and Sarah's courage and humility during Tony's own battle can only be matched by their heart to show the true meaning of martial arts and give those fighting battles of their very own platform to be recognised in their own right, is one of the kindest and selfless acts I've ever witnessed, Thank you will never ever be enough, but going forward the people inspired by others by this event will  go on to make so many people so very proud.

Emotional and kind acts flowed throughout the evening, from Tony Pillage himself cutting his coveted belt into sections and handing it to his closest friends and martial artists would bring tears to even the toughest of the tough, right the way through to a rather amazing raffle prize given by its winner to one of the award winners of the evening.

An old Irish proverb was stated during the evening by Shihan Keith Priestley, and it is so very true and poignant "There are no strangers here, only friends you have yet to meet."

Fighting For Autism was nominated and received an award, this award is a testament to the outstanding efforts of each and every ambassador, club and promotion that has come on board to help us raise Autism Awareness, without the generosity, understanding and willingness to make  a difference to so many, we would be little more than a footnote.
The award the Fighting For Autism received is for each and every one of them, as in effect these are the driving force behind Fighting For Autism, these are the people that #DareToBeDifferent and encourage others to #ShineThroughTheSpectrum

I was in fantastic company with some of  Immortal 365 Martial Arts Academy sitting at the same table as me, a few months ago at an event in Peterborough UK, named "Feel the Force Day", I took my son, Matt is severely autistic and thrives on routine and regime, any hidden surprises can often result in meltdown, within 10 minutes of being shown some brief moves with a lightsabre by Immortal Coach Karl Butcher, I found myself, Matt, a Negan lookalike from the Walking Dead, and Cinderella on stage in front of people having a lightsabre dual in front of a crowd ( no that isn't a mis type, that actually happened)
Seeing first hand the fairy dust that has been sprinkled and the fun that can be had, as a Dad I can only ever say Thank you, that memory will be enshrined in my memory forever more.
Immortal 365 have encouraged some amazing youngsters on the spectrum to try various different martial arts at their academy in Peterborough, are outstanding within their community
Immortal 365 you guys Rock!!!!

 

Paulieboy, Matt and Karl Butcher from Immortal 365

 

On stage at Feel the Force Day

 

Huge thanks to Negan UK for being such a great sport.

Aaron Stevens and David Couldrey, of AS Jujitsu in Thorpe Le Soken, UK, who has set up Autism friendly classes at his club, despite challenges of his own, prides himself on being able to give a fun and caring environment for youngsters on the spectrum to be.
Chris Jones of Chris Jones Martial Arts Centre in Knaresborugh, who has encouraged students at his centre to become autism aware and has had great praise from parents of children on the spectrum too.
Tony Bailey of  Basingstoke Ju Jitsu Club, has been outstanding in being a mentor and a friend to those on the autistic spectrum, and whose knowledge base on Autism is expanding at an ever growing rate.


In the past few years we have had professional athletes, coaches, clubs and junior ambassadors not just push for Autism Awareness globally, these very same people have started to work alongside youngsters and adults on the autistic spectrum too, becoming friends, mentors and confidants to them too.  Next Generation Mixed Martial Arts in Liverpool, who have some of the finest mixed martial artists, Molly McCann- Pearson, Paddy Pimblett, Chris Fishgold, Leeroy Barnes and Paul Bentley to name but a few have been astounding in their support and are encouraging youngsters on the spectrum like Connor Orford and Conor Tollick to  become success stories of their very own.
our next blog will feature them.
Members of Next Generation MMA, have become so much more than just athletes, they have become role models, supporting so many charities, as a kid my thoughts on what made a great martial artist was who could kick the highest, or who had the best technique, its changed so much these martial artists display champion qualities both inside and out of competition, their willingness to help others outside of competition has been phenomenal.

 

 

Fighter Ambassador Chris Fishgold defending his championship belt at Cagewarriors in Liverpool

 

 Fighter Ambassadors Molly McCann Pearson and Paddy Pimblett for Molly's bout at CageWarriors in Liverpool

 

Fighter Ambassador Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett  donating funds he raised to charities in Liverpool.

We have seen both youngsters and adults on the spectrum raising awareness too, creating videos on what Autism means to them, not just growing in confidence but positively thriving.
These are the true recipients of the award, me I just feel honoured in being able to write about them.
In the past 12 months we have seen  youngsters on the spectrum not only compete in their chosen martial art, they have been recognised and received awards in other areas for their efforts, and there are so many more to come. none of which would have ever been possible without the  network of athletes, coaches, clubs and junior ambassadors that not only ask relevant questions on autism, and developing their own knowledge base and put them put into practice.
World class athletes have gone above and beyond the realms of kindness, displaying the Fighting For Autism logo on their banners when they go to compete, but have gone the extra mile to raise a smile not just for those on the spectrum but to their families too, often a journey through Autism can be a lonely experience, slowly but surely people are becoming aware, but importantly those on the spectrum are beginning to show what they can do, and do it very well indeed.
The awards were not solely focused on Autism, so many people from different disciplines in the martial arts and with different abilities  were there to share their story.

Its impossible to say there was a highlight, as each and every award given was done so to people whose remarkable stories should be shouted from the rooftops, I cannot say enough inspiring it was to be in a room full of such amazing people, but seeing and hearing first hand really does mean that the future is incredibly bright and the martial arts community has so very much to be proud of by highlighting these amazing people.

Some of the Fighting For Autism Ambassadors were up for awards of their very own, it was an honour and an emotional experience to say the least to see these awards being given to such outstanding and rather special people.


Carl Clements.
Carl is a Fighting For Autism #VoicesForVoiceless Ambassador, and a student at Adaptive Martial Arts Uk & Ireland.
Here is a brief description about Carl, from his mum Christine.

 

Carl receiving his award at The 2017 Fighting Spirit Awards

With Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland, presented by Tony Bailey of Basingstoke Ju Jitsu Club.

"Born with a failure to thrive Carl has had many challenges throughout his life, at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with a learning disability at the rate of half his age alongside feeding problems from birth which led to him being tube fed first with an NG tube and later with a gastrostomy. There followed many different feeding routines to try to overcome the constant vomiting until the age of 7 when he was diagnosed with a lactose intolerance. It was then we were able to start the long process of teaching him to eat. As Carl had never eaten he hadn’t developed the muscles in his mouth needed for early speech and with his learning disability his speech and vocabulary were both affected as were his fine and gross motor skills"

Despite his challenges Carl is an active member of his martial arts club, Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland who received some truly deserved accolades that evening.
Head Coach Neil Kirkland is a truly remarkable gentleman whose focus is that all abilities should be able to participate and have access to martial arts, Neil has worked with so many martial artists with different abilities and his can do attitude truly brings out the best in people, Carl has travelled all around the United Kingdom and has become a firm favourite with so many different instructors and people alike.

Joshua and Lewis Dyer.
Joshua and Lewis are 2 brothers who are both on the autistic spectrum, and train at Kairos Martial Arts in Retford, here is a bit written about them by their Dad, Simon Fell.

Joshua and Lewis collecting their 2017 Fighting Spirit Award from Tony Pillage and Tony Bailey

 

" Lewis has a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD. Lewis initially started martial arts when he was being home-schooled due to struggling in a mainstream environment and bullying. Martial arts gave him an opportunity to achieve and build trust in people and form relationships. For a year, Lewis didn't speak to anyone, but martial arts has brought him out of his shell, and now leads the class demonstrations with confidence. He is showing true talent in the arts and would like to compete one day. Lewis helps children in class and has a great respectful, caring attitude".

"Joshua has a diagnosis of ASD. He has struggled all his life in mainstream school and has suffered bullying. Despite his challenges and adversity, Joshua continues to show a kind, caring and helpful attitude, shows intelligence and maturity. Joshua helps the children in class who have similar challenges and needs and encourages everybody. A true gentleman. Training helps him with his confidence and provides an inclusive setting where friendships are made".

These 2 amazing brothers have overcome so many of life's challenges, their levels of kindness and humility towards others is astonishing,  sharing  what it feels like to them to be on the autistic spectrum on social media to help raise awareness, they have attended  seminars around the country, as well as take part in hikes and events to help raise awareness to Tony Pillage's battle with cancer.
Simon and Wendy, Lewis's parent also received respective awards as well, a more amazing family who despite challenges of their own, give so much to so many were given a rapturous applause and rightly so.




If you can dream it, and you work hard enough anything is possible, again on behalf of everyone at Fighting For Autism, THANK YOU to everyone involved, you are the ones that encourage people to #DareToBeDifferent  and to #ShineThroughTheSpectrum

EACH AND EVERY AMBASSADOR FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AGAIN WE WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU, FROM AUSTRALIA, THE USA, IRELAND AND THE UK AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD  

Fighting with Autism- Strong, Autistic, Female & Empowered (SAFE)

Over autism awareness and acceptance month, huge onus is placed upon the youngsters who along with their families are beginning their journey on the spectrum, huge leaps are made in these realms, sometimes frustrating as it sounds it is a case of "one step forwards and three steps back", this is the ideal time for people to share their experiences with emphasis is put on awareness campaigns and rightly so, by removing the barriers it enriches us all to accept everyone irrespective of how different they may be.
Yes it is a month of heightened awareness, but for those on the spectrum and their loved ones it still leaves a further 11 months where the battle for acceptance rumbles on.

Depending where you are in the world the statistic varies, one country will say 1 in 100 people are on the spectrum, another will say its 1 in 68.
Frightening isn't it thinking that the difference in the percentages vary so massively and that all depends on what country you reside in, but then if you were take either one of those numbers and divide it by the worlds population the figure is startling to say the least, if 2 of the worlds leading countries in autism diagnosis have a difference in percentage, then look at the global statistics with some nations still being in the dark ages without adequate access for people to get a diagnosis let alone access to the services required that can make the world of difference to the person and to their families.
Then you have the varying levels of autism, as it is a spectrum that covers many complex conditions, so no 2 cases are ever truly the same, you often get to hear of those who excel in a certain subject or speciality, but on the other hand there are cases where every day is a battle, not just to get additional support required but also against bigotry and misunderstanding, as Autism doesn't have a look it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted by still many people despite awareness drives and campaigns, awareness is one thing acceptance is another thing entirely.

One of the core groups that seems to slip beneath the radar are the ladies who are on the autistic spectrum, although one of the most celebrated and recognised people on the spectrum is Dr Temple Grandin, a world renowned professor of animal science, author and many other accolades including an entry as being one of the worlds top 100 influential people by times Magazine in 2010, and in her early years had to battle daily against bullying with the persistent  name calling of  " tape recorder"  called owing to her repetitive speech,
Dr Grandin did not receive a formal diagnosis of being on the spectrum allegedly until she was in her forties.
The incredible part is that you have someone with a what is often described as a social interaction disability, has gone on to  be recognised for taking the feeling of animals into consideration and her theory now put into practice around the world.

With that in mind and the importance of female role models within the autism community, we have asked ambassadors from around the globe who are Strong, Autistic, Female and Empowered to give an insight into what autism means to them and importantly what if any changes they would like to see occur in regards to the support and assistance that is received.
What we are hearing of however are that cases of the females on the autistic spectrum being under represented, and often without support in daily life.
and with that in mind we have launched the Fighting For Autism -S.A.F.E initiative.
We have been fortunate enough to have some incredible ambassadors from around the globe, some of whom are female and are on the spectrum themselves, so they are more than aware of the challenges that are faced.

 

What makes the SAFE initiative different?

 

The reason behind the SAFE initiative is to give females on the spectrum a voice, also to heighten awareness and acceptance, by asking females on the spectrum to share their stories, and step forward not just as positive role models for those on the spectrum but for females of all ages,

 

Chloe Spiteri:

Freestyle Wrestler, Mixed Martial Artist, Teacher

 

Chloe is a Fighting For Autism, Fighter Ambassador who resides in the United Kingdom.

Chloe is multi time national champion and Commonwealth competitor in Freestyle wrestling and an aspiring mixed martial artist, aside from her achievements in sport, Chloe is also a teacher, she is renowned for giving inspiring speeches and insights on life as a female on the spectrum and the challenges that come with it.

 

Claire Smith.

Boxer, Mixed Marital Artist, Mother 

 

Claire is a Fighting For Autism, Fighter Ambassador who resides in the United Kingdom.

Claire is champion martial artist and Boxer who also is an amazing mum, dedicating her time between training and bringing up a child, Claire has also written some absolutely outstanding blogs on her experiences of being on the autistic spectrum, Claire has avidly been involved in assisting Fighting For Autism in the UK.

 

Serena DeJesus

Mixed Martial Artist, Writer  

  

Serena is Fighting For Autism Fighter Ambassador who resides in the USA.

Serena is a champion Mixed Martial Artist and an outstanding writer whose is also a regular attendee on podcasts in the USA.

Serena's insight into Autism is outstanding, as she explains in a way that both people on and off the autistic spectrum can relate to and understand, explaining her own experiences with passion for autism awareness and acceptance.

 

These are 3 outstanding young ladies who are carving their way in being role models to people both on and off the autistic spectrum, we know there are a lot more females who definitely have a story to tell and we would like to hear from them, importantly we would like to build a network and show that not only is it ok to talk about experiences of being on the autistic spectrum, but also to highlight the obstacles that are faced and how some remarkable people have overcome them and are thriving.

 

Please get in touch with us via our Facebook page www.Facebook.com/FightingForAutism or Twitter www.Twitter.com/FightForAutism

 

Fighting For Autism- Shining through the spectrum, Joshua's Story

In todays blog we would like to introduce you to Joshua Wilding, who lives in Derbyshire United Kingdom.

Joshua's story has been submitted by his mum Amanda who runs the Warriors Within Martial Arts Club which is in Belper, Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
Amanda is also a Fighting For Autism Coach Ambassador who is raising autism awareness and acceptance in her classes as well as being Mum to a young superstar on the autistic spectrum.

 

Joshua wearing his Fighting For Autism Cap

"Joshua is 18 years old, he has Autism and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, he as severe sensory and sensitivity, and severe Anxiety and Panic disorder. He suffers from IBS, and he has to have quarterly injections for Vitamin B12.

Joshua struggles socially, he becomes very distressed when people are around him, he struggles to cope with it, he doesn’t like being anywhere busy and he doesn’t like being in shops. He doesn’t like going to parks or open spaces also, as he becomes terrified of birds, and dogs. He is happier in his own room, in his own space. Also Joshua struggles to walk far, so he as to go in a wheelchair which then makes him more aware of the environment around him, he cannot walk far as his muscles in his leg start to really hurt, the way josh explains how he feels after trying to walk for so long is " my legs hurt like someone is hitting them or pushing something in to them and my whole body feels the same" and he will be in pain for up to 3 weeks just for trying a 10 minute walk. Josh explains is M.E. as " everyday I get up I feel like I have the flu, my whole body hurts and I am in constant pain with it, I feel exhausted.

Joshua came out of school when he was 13 years old and had to be home schooled, which he also did his GCSE’S from home, he took the exams at home for Science, English and Maths, he has 2 Science GSCES, and passed Maths twice, but failed one part of his English, so didn’t get his English. he was so poorly at the time, and it all started with just tonsilitus, it then went to laryngitis , to the stage he was put on steroids. He never came back from then, his illness took over and turned to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Up to the age of 13 Josh had always been quite healthy apart from getting tonsillitis frequently or ear infections, but healthy. Now he cant walk far, doesn’t like leaving the house, cant eat meals properly without suffering, and cant cope with noises, smells, outside places.

But Joshua is a very very clever young man, 2 years ago he taught himself quantum physics, he taught himself to code, and he can now code in 8 different languages. He built his own computer, and he loves to design games.

He can build websites, he can design as he designed my logo for my martial arts club, and he has designed other things as well, he can build apps and do so much more.

a sample of some of what Joshua can do, this remarkable gentleman is entirely self taught, imagine how bright his future could be with some encouragement and guidance

Joshua’s aim is to build games but due to his social issues he cant cope going to college or university and sitting in a room of people, we tried this with him when he was 17, and we ended up at the hospital with him having severe panic attacks to the stage they thought there was something wrong with his heart, for one day in college just to enrol, took him one year to get over it. So I tried to get help for him to do a course from home, I applied to several colleges and no one would let him do a course from home. I contacted my local politician. which they said they would help, which in all fairness I had a few phone calls but nothing ever happened, we are still waiting. I begged for them to keep in education but no one wanted to help, so now Joshua doesn’t have that luxury and he should be allowed to be in education until he is 25 as he as Autism.

I paid for on online course last year for a beginners programme built your own game, which he received a diploma and he was so proud. However there isn’t courses available for Joshua’s needs, he is happy to do courses but needs to do them from home".

Are you in a position to help Josh?
This young gentleman has a remarkable gift, Joshua's passion is for anything that is computer related, and he dreams of building his own personal computer so he can widen his knowledge base, perhaps you know someone who is involved in the computer world or computer games industry, this amazing young man uses his ability and passion as a means of speaking to the outside world and can produce some incredible results, How cool would it be to see what Joshua can do with some advice from people in those industries, perhaps someone who is developing a distance learning course that Josh can study or maybe you have a part that you may want to donate so that Josh can build his dream personal computer.


Fighting For Autism advocates and encourages those with autism to shine through the spectrum, if you can help in any way please contact either ourselves or Joshua's mum Amanda at warriorwithinmartialarts@gmail.com

Or there a Just Giving Page that has been set up.


https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amanda-wilding-3?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Yimbyprojectpage&utm_content=amanda-wilding-3&utm_campaign=projectpage-share-owner&utm_term=kDjEyJX4J


a huge thank you to Amanda for sharing Joshua's story.

Fighting with Autism - Smashing down Stereotypes, Daring to be Different with Boxing

We proudly introduce 5 gifted young boxers, each one of them is a Fighting For Autism Junior Ambassador and each of them is on the Autistic Spectrum
.

Josh Westcott, Alex MacDonald, Zak Lovell, Nas Stowell and Rhys McCole

In a little over a year Fighting For Autism, started the Junior Ambassador programme with young champions both on and off the Autistic Spectrum from around the globe helping to raise awareness through their chosen sport or martial art whether it be  Boxing, Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, Judo, Muay Thai, Kickboxing and the list goes on, with some truly inspiring journeys and stories being shared.

In the past year Fighting for Autism has accrued some of inspiring youngsters from around the world to help raise awareness together with us and at their respective clubs  and when they compete.
the amazing part is that the Junior Ambassadors are made up of future champions who are both on and off the autistic Spectrum todays blog brings you an insight into 5 of these individuals who are not only boxers, but are also on the autistic spectrum.

Josh Westcott, Zak Lovell, Nas Stowell, Rhys McCole from the United Kingdom and Alex MacDonald from the USA, are not just training and competing but also inspiring each other and others to perhaps try something new and pick up a new skill.
To say these gentlemen were inspiring would be an understatement these young men are leading the way in smashing down stereotypes, and shining the torch high for so many other people to show the world what they can do.
Last year, Nas, Rhys, Josh and Zak got the chance to interview former WBC world champion
Wayne "Pocket Rocket" McCullough, their passion for their sport is phenomenal, and the questions asked were excellent.

Hearing amazing insights about these young men from their parents, carers and coaches on how through boxing, notable improvements socially and academically has gone on to see them blossom into gentleman that are truly something to be proud of, they are an absolute credit to themselves, their families, their clubs, their sport and #FightingForAutism


Nas(Naseem) " T-Rex" Stowell- Junior Ambassador from Hessle, England

 

 

 

 



"I always knew Nas was different but no one would listen to me. When he started school age 4 he could hardly speak and cried constantly as he rocked back and forth.
By the age of 7 he had been labelled the naughty child in school, had no friends and was struggling to survive at school. His naughty label followed him through school, where he was falling further behind and spending hours in isolation.
I was called into school every day and told he was disrupting the class with his strange noises and periods of zoning out. I told him he wasn’t naughty and begged for help.
Nas started play therapy two afternoons a week as well as school and home observations with a psychologists followed by months of testing at the children’s centre. All through this the school told me I would never get a diagnosis for Nas and that he would never achieve anything as he was simply just naughty.
Eventually when Nas was 10 the results come in, Nas was diagnosed with ADHD, Tic’s and falls into the spectrum for Autism as he has many autistic traits.
Naseem Started on medication twice a day and the change was amazing, he could suddenly focus and began to catch up.
Nas went from 60/70% attendance at school to 100% also making a couple of friends and was happy.
Naseem started to train in 2012  and took to Boxing Instantly, boxing has now become his passion and he trains every day.
Naseem has had 6 fights, won 3 and lost 3 and won best boxer of the night 3 times and has also won the most dedicated boxer award at the club". (Liz - Nas's Mum)

In between this Nas is a keen fundraiser, putting his feet to the floor, doing sponsored runs to raise funds for his boxing club so that they can purchase new equipment so other kids can benefit from the sport just as he has.

Josh Westcott - Boxer and  Junior Ambassador from Glasgow, Scotland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was 10 after 5 hard years fighting to get the school and doctor to listen. Josh was bullied by staff in his primary school and received a written and verbal apology for it. He started boxing 3 and a half years ago after completing CBT for the anger he had from being bullied. From the very first boxing session Josh was hooked, improving and growing every week. Boxing has helped every area in Josh's life, from confidence, self esteem, patience, even helping him not be fast reacting to frustrating situations, and he now also helps coach his clubs under 12 class, it has been 100% beneficial.

Josh doesn't have his nickname yet, some call him "Juggernaut Josh" although he's not used it at a bout yet. He boxes as a 75kg Junior Middleweight which is tough to match for in Scotland as his year peers have always been smaller, we're hoping for more matches as his peers stretch. Josh boxes out of Bellahouston Boxing Club in Southside Glasgow Scotland. (Serena- Josh's Mum )

Josh has also gone on to become good friends and a training partner to Junior Ambassador  Rhys McCole

 

 

Zak "Rocky"  Lovell- Boxer and Junior Ambassador from Burton on Trent, England

 

 

 

 

"Zak is 16 years old,  He is 59kg, and fights for Burton Amateur Boxing Club, he has had one skills bout and competitive bout, his club said he did them really proud.   Zak trains 4 nights a week at Burton ABC, and then a 5th night at the club with coach Neville Brown - he also has some private coaching sessions with Neville". ( Cat-Zak's Mum, who has gone on to gain a boxing qualification)

 

Zak was inspired to become a Junior Ambassador by Nas "T-Rex" Stowell, and is going from strength to strength.

At Christmas we asked for  festive posts to be put up with a Fighting For Autism hash tag, with the winner receiving a pair of customised Fighting For Autism Gloves, Zak's post not only that wasn't your average yuletide theme, but what it did do was look at a young gentleman who has come so far on his journey, never gave up, keeps practicing and is becoming better and better at the sport he loves on a daily basis.
a young man inspired by boxing greats like the "Brockton Blockbuster" Rocky Marciano this is where Zak has taken his fighting nickname from.

 

 

Alex "White Chocolate" MacDonald - Boxer and  Junior Ambassador from New York USA

 

 

 

 "I started boxing 1 year ago and loved it ever since. Growing up with autism no one really understands me. No one had my back so I would always have my own. People who always call me names and harass me non stop. I always stood up for myself and not run away. I would always confront them and never back down. This lead to me getting my butt kicked everyday. It was not until 10th grade were I wanted to play a sport. I found out wrestling a few days into 12th grade and joined the team. After the season was over I wanted to be in another combat sport. I wanted to box when I was young so I started boxing 1 year ago. Right now I love boxing more than anything in the world. I have found my purpose in life. It is to be the best boxer in history and to do it having autism. I know if I accomplish that there will be so many people who will think differently about them having autism. They will start having themselves to a higher standard in life. They will not think autism is a curse, they will start thinking it's a blessing".(Alex McDonald)

Alex is Fighting For Autism's first boxing Junior Ambassador in the USA and is highly regarded by his coaches and training partners.

Rhys McCole-  Boxer and Junior Ambassador from Greenock, Scotland

 

 

 

 

Rhys is a young gentleman who has over come significant adversity, Rhys not only is on the Autistic Spectrum but also faced battles with asthma, multiple holes in his heart, visual disorder and
Meares-Irlen Syndrome  as well.
Rhys who started boxing at the age of 10, and has gone on to capture gold medals at National level, a few months back Rhys was in hospital not knowing if he'd be able to compete, not only did he get out of hospital, he went on to win his weight category, his determination and dedication have seen him earn praise from Sports Scotland.
Rhys has said  " Boxing has given me the chance to flourish and make friends, its helping me to progress as a person as well as an athlete".

"Rhys was born with four holes in his heart and spent time in intensive care as a baby. He fought then and he is still fighting, despite being diagnosed with five other disabilities and learning difficulties.
Boxing has been a life-changer for Rhys and he had to battle his way into it as there is no disabled strand in boxing within Scotland. Luckily, consultants gave him the green light to be a mainstream boxer and he has excelled.
His hard work and dedication have not only led to him winning medals and titles but also many admirers at his sheer bravery and unwavering belief that everyone should be treated equally".
James- Rhys's carer.


   

Fighting For Autism. Coaches and Clubs join in the Fight for some much needed Awareness

 

One of the most amazing things has begun to develop over the past few months with Fighting For Autism, we are starting to work together with many martial arts and boxing clubs from around the world in a bid to raise Autism Awareness together, the response has been phenomenal, each of them has been so supportive and truly embraced the message of what awareness is all about, and the exciting news is that many more are stepping forward to embrace the challenge and their open hearts and minds in welcoming some amazing youngsters and adults on the Autistic Spectrum to their clubs, with some looking into running Autism Friendly classes and others already doing so.......how cool is that?

 

Pete Holmes,Ross Hanratty, Aaron Stevens, Cesar Silva, Chris Jones, Simon Martinelli, Christy Dunne, Danielle Joyce, Tony Bailey, Joe Worden, Rodney Moore, Pete Lavery, Neil Kirkland, Damien Mulgrave, Deano Wade, Andy Ryan, Tom Lamont, James Mulroy, Alfie Lewis, Sean Davitt, Walton Hart, Mark Spence,Mark Epstein, Stewart Francis, Steve Lloyd, Karl Butcher,Jason McCabe, Tony Pillage, Chris Brown, Paul Bentley, Lucci Del Gaudio, Kain Royer, Gaz Collins



Each affiliate club has had a set of Autism factsheets that are designed to take a lot of the jargon away and concentrate on getting everyone actively informed about understanding a bit more about Autism, each and every coach and club we have asked has been absolutely phenomenal in their response, and equally so have their students.

Fighting For Autism have had the privilege of talking to some amazing people involved in Martial Arts that either have a good understanding or are very keen to learn about autism, one of each journey is different although you hope to all get to the same destination.

Each person is different and learns at their own pace, one of the amazing things that we have been so fortunate to be able to tell are the success stories of people who have overcome adversity and despite their diagnosis have blossomed through Martial Arts or Boxing, not just as martial artists or boxers but have improved both academically and socially as well, from a personal level and as a Dad to a child on the spectrum it leaves you speechless at seeing how powerful that message is, not just to those on the Autistic Spectrum but to their families and loved ones too.

The Ambassador and club programme that Fighting For Autism has, includes professional athletes, Martial arts and boxing clubs, coaches, junior ambassadors and promotions affiliates all working to raise Autism Awareness Together.

Can Martial arts or Boxing make that much of a difference? 101% yes, not just through the training of these disciplines, but importantly the message that is portrayed through them, these clubs are where role models and champions are made, strangely enough the response from the martial arts and boxing communities has been incredible, sadly politicians aren’t so quick to take up the invitation.

 

 

The message of Martial arts and boxing as well as the fantastic clubs and people that teach them, from a parents view it gave me hope that for my sons future there are people out their willing to go the extra mile to bring the best out of someone (my son is severely autistic, seeing first hand a coach have the patience go over a basic technique with a Lightsabre which was made fun and easy to understand, until my son felt confident in it, and standing and watching my little boy interact with another child and laugh while he did it, Pete Holmes, Beth Holmes, Steve Lloyd, Alan Apsden and Karl Butcher from Immortal 365 in Peterborough, I never got the chance to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart I am doing that now.)

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew under the watchful eye of Immortal 365  Instructor Alan Apsden

Immortal 365 have gone on to make the light sabre classes at their club a permanent fixture at their club in Peterborough UK, where 5 of the class are on the Autistic Spectrum, the classes have proved so successful that the parents ( I mean Dad’s) have asked for a class of their own.
Immortal 365 have also gone on to host their very own Fighting For Autism Seminar, that saw different martial arts instructors from around the United Kingdom raise their hand in wanting to help raise awareness and also get their students involved too.
Also seeing coach/fighter ambassador Paul Bentley and Cut man Ambassador Steve Riley start their very own Autism Friendly classes at FPTS in Liverpool this past weekend.

also Chris Jones, a Martial Arts Instructor and Coach Ambassador  from Knaresborough, United Kingdom was sent an amazing message from the parent of one his students whose son is progressing in so many different ways, these are the positives that people want to hear, and why its an absolute privilege to write about, such awe inspiring people who are actively making a difference.

 

The success stories are becoming more and more frequent, with amazing clubs stepping forward to enlighten there students about the autistic spectrum, Fighting For Autism has developed a Junior Ambassador scheme which has seen  nearly 30 youngsters from around the globe, from a multitude of different backgrounds, some are on the Autistic spectrum and are thriving through boxing or martial arts, others are pulling out all the stops to raise as much awareness as they possibly can.

Each individual in this picture is on varying levels of the autistic spectrum, and each one of them is an Ambassador for Fighting For Autism, some are starting their journey in their chosen sport, some have become not only established but are respective Champions 

 We truly believe to Fight for Autism, you have to include those on the spectrum,  these amazing people along with so many others are raising their hand to volunteer in making a brighter day for others, and inspiring them to try something new, make a new friend and also help people to understand what Autism is.

 

 

Fighting For Autism Fighter Ambassador Lewis “Twitch” Daykin a boxer and Muay Thai fighter who trains out of Ludus Magnus and our friends at Almighty Fighting Championship, carried out a fundraiser at an event, that funded 27 Junior Ambassadors from around the globe with their own Fighting For Autism hoody and either a Gi Patch or a baseball cap, Lewis who is on the Autistic spectrum himself and is inspiring as they come is one of so many success stories not just as a competitor in his chosen sport, but has gone on to become a much loved coach and as a gentleman always wears his heart on his sleeve, which is an amazing quality to have.

The Junior Ambassadors are future champions in their respective disciplines from around the world who through martial arts are raising Autism Awareness with Fighting For Autism from the mats, these amazing youngsters know a thing or two about Autism as they are either on the autistic spectrum themselves or have a close family member or friend who is on the Autistic Spectrum, in the UK alone 9 of the the 10 junior ambassadors are on the spectrum themselves and are actively competing in either a martial art or boxing, with the 10^th having a sibling on the spectrum and truly wants to raise awareness, to say we are proud of each and every Ambassador we have would be an understatement, we cannot thank Lewis, as well as Steve and Ray from Almighty Fighting Championship as without them this would never have been possible.

 

We wanted to say a very special Thank you to each and every Ambassador that has raised their hand to become a Voice for the Voiceless, and encourages those to dare to be different and to live without labels, these are the very people that make Fighting For Autism what it is, around the globe a collection of amazing people who it is a privilege to write about.

 Over the past few years since Christian Mitchell set up Fighting For Autism in Australia, the response from clubs and coaches is often hard to put into words, particularly when you are the parent of a child on the spectrum, the number of top athletes, coaches and clubs from around the world that are working together with Fighting For Autism to raise as much autism awareness as possible is humbling and heart warming, and for that to each and every person who has done so much, to everyone who reads these blogs, or likes a facebook status, Instagram post or Retweets a Tweet, We Thank you all as you are the ones that make the positive change to people and bring the very best out of them.