Just a few weeks ago, Mark Levy was on his way to Allianz Stadium to call a Sydney Roosters home game.

Mark struck up a conversation with a woman and her teenage son outside the gates, not knowing the impact their chat would have on him.

The mother introduced herself as Julie, telling Mark her severely autistic son Matthew is a big fan of the Continuous Call Team and tunes in every weekend.

The 16-year-old finds solace in the radio and it helps to keep him centred.

But the path to get help for young Matthew, who has only recently learned to tie his shoes, has been an arduous one.

Although financial support is available, accessing government benefits is far from easy.

“Given my conversation with Julie on the way into the football a few weeks ago, she didn’t have time to scratch herself let alone fill out the mountain of paperwork to try and access some help,” Mark says.

Matthew can’t attend a special school and Julie is forced to fork out her own money for her son’s daily therapy.

“These parents are doing their best to put food on the table by working full-time while caring for a child with autism and then the state and federal governments make things even more difficult with the red tape.

“Surely they can simplify things on these affected families to ensure they aren’t put through a long, drawn-out process to access some financial assistance?”

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