Kelly Given has been highlighted as a 'Positive Role Model'

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17 Jul 2021, 11:03 am

Edinburgh campaigner became homeless after doctors missed diagnosing her autism

Quote:
An Edinburgh campaigner who became homeless after doctors routinely missed diagnosing her with autism has been shortlisted for a national award alongside football star Marcus Rashford.

Kelly Given told how the “scarring experience” of being refused a referral to autism services at the age of 14 only to later be given the diagnosis as an adult drove her to fight for those battling similar circumstances

The 24-year-old has since devoted her time around coordinating the covid-19 vaccine rollout to raising awareness of the struggles faced by the neurodiverse community, earning her a nomination for the positive role model for disability gong at the National Diversity Awards.

She now hopes to use her platform to make the voices of the underrepresented group heard after experiencing the pain of suffering in silence.

She told Edinburgh Live: “Just to be nominated was a beautiful experience but to be shortlisted out of 52 thousand nominees and alongside people like Marcus Rashford who has dramatically changed lives is really incredible.

“I am so grateful to be able to represent the neurodiverse community on such a prestigious stage and I look forward to using this to improve the neurodiverse experience across the UK, and the world.”


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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman