Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My brother, David, tragically passed away at the age of 53 on 11th August 2021. He lived at our childhood address for the majority of his adult life with our Mum and Dad, until their passing in 2019 and 2020 respectively. 

Throughout David's life, he battled with alcoholism, however it is our firm belief that he used alcohol to cope with his daily struggle with undiagnosed autism. Schools, and even doctors, lacked the training to identify pupils with autistic traits in the 1970/80s, which meant that thousands of children were forced to live in a society that they simply could not cope with. We believe that David was one of these children; one adult amongst many that have slipped through the system, and found the antidote to ASD-induced anxiety to be addition. 

We aim to present David's case to Autism Initiatives UK and gain their support in highlighting the need for adults exhibiting autistic traits and having life-threatening addictions to be prioritised for ASD assessment. 

In 2019, David was registered for ASD assessment. He was told he would have to wait 7 years for the assessment. He survived 2 of those years. We believe that a triaged approach to support adults like David will save hundreds of lives.  

Your donation will go directly to Autism Initiatives UK to support people on the autistic spectrum, including those that have survived the horrendous waiting list for diagnosis. David's brothers, Mark, Andrew and James, sincerely thank you for your kindness in supporting this charity.

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