Book Vicky or Aiden as a lived experience lead or co-facilitator
Oliver McGowan
mandatory training
When understanding isn’t present
Oliver McGowan’s story is a tragic one. At just 18, Oliver, a vibrant young man from Bristol who was training to become a Paralympian, died in hospital.
Oliver was autistic, had a mild learning disability, and focal partial epilepsy. He was admitted to hospital in 2016 following seizures.
Tragically, doctors misunderstood Oliver’s normal autistic behaviours and prescribed antipsychotic medication. It led to a rapid decline in his health with devastating consequences.
The tragedy is that Oliver’s death was preventable. With a better understanding of autism, and listening to those who knew him, his outcome could have been different.
His parents chose to campaign for change. They worked to ensure that all frontline healthcare staff receive training in autism and learning disabilities and crucially, listen to patients and their families.
Today, that campaign has led to mandatory NHS training, delivered in part by those with lived experience of autism and learning disabilities.
If you want a lived experience lead or co-facilitator to support this training, you are in the right place.
Learning disabilities lived experience
co-facilitator
Aiden is autistic with a PDA profile and has a learning disability, severe dyslexia, and Cystic Fibrosis.
Having spent significant time in hospital, he brings first-hand insight into interacting with public services.
He shares his stories with honesty and humour, helping audiences understand what it means to live as an autistic person with learning disabilities today.
Lived experience autistic lead and co-facilitator
Vicky is an AuDHDer with professional experience in an autism assessment unit. She holds a Master’s in psychology, is a visiting lecturer at Marjon University, has chaired the governing board of a special school, and has raised a neurodivergent family.
Vicky combines professional expertise with lived experience, bringing real stories of both sadness and positivity to life in a thoughtful and grounded way.
