Autism Awareness Month Story | Anita Westlake

02/04/2026

Written by Harry Welburn

April is Autism Awareness Month, and over the coming weeks, we’ll share stories from players across our teams who live with autism, highlighting their experiences and how Sheffield Eagles support them.

Today, we hear from Anita Westlake, who plays for our Learning Disability team.

LDRL feels like actual family for Anita as Friday evening’s training sessions also involve Anita’s sister Mandy, brother-in-law Adam, and her son, Brandon.

“I joined to support Brandon, to build his confidence. I fell in love with it, the friendliness of the team, and we all have a laugh. The festivals have been fantastic, I played at Magic Weekend and I’d never played Rugby League before”.

At Primary School, Anita was diagnosed as having Learning Difficulties.

“I struggled with learning, I didn’t fit in with kids of my own age, and I didn’t know how to socialise”.

Anita is in the middle of the process of determining whether she is autistic or has ADHD.

“My daughter was diagnosed as autistic at 17. In supporting her through that diagnosis, my own puzzle began to fall into place. I finally understood a bit more my own obsessions, and what my problems are”.