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I am doing the 3 national peaks challange for both charitable reasons and personal reasons, it's not going to be an easy challange as this task demands we walk Ben Nevis, Scarfell pike and Snowdonia in just 24 hours. We start on the 18th May at 5pm up Ben nevis and down for 10pm then its a 6 hour drive to Scarfell pike where we start our walk up at 4am and down for 8am, finally a 5 hour drive to Snowdonia where we start our climb at 1pm and get down for 5pm. It's a gruelling walk and will need lots of dedicated training, also bear in mind I suffer from ankylosing spondilitis which is a rhuematic condition and hopefully you will understand my personal reasons for completing the task.

Here are some facts and statistics about autism, and how it can affect children, adults and their families.  

The term 'autism' is used here to describe all diagnoses on the autism spectrum including classic autism, Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism.

• Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition. Without the right support, it can have a profound - sometimes devastating - effect on individuals and families.
• Autism is much more common than many people think. There are over half a million people in the UK with autism - that's around 1 in 100. If you include their families, autism touches the lives of over two million people every day. For further information, read How many people have autism spectrum disorders?
• Autism doesn't just affect children. Children with autism grow up to be adults with autism.
• Autism is a hidden disability - you can't always tell if someone has it.
• While autism is incurable, the right support at the right time can make an enormous difference to people's lives.
• Over 40% of children with autism have been bullied at school.
• Over 50% of children with autism are not in the kind of school their parents believe would best support them.
• One in five children with autism has been excluded from school, many more than once.
• Nearly two-thirds of adults with autism in England do not have enough support to meet their needs.
• At least one in three adults with autism are experiencing severe mental health difficulties due to a lack of support.
• Only 15% of adults with autism in the UK are in full-time paid employment.
• 51% of adults with autism in the UK have spent time with neither a job, nor access to benefits, 10% of those having been in this position for a decade or more.
• 61% of those out of work say they want to work.
• 79% of those on Incapacity Benefit say they want to work.