Acknowledgements and Supporters

James Cusack

As an individual with autism and an academic researcher studying autism, one of my central life aims is to further our understanding of autism.  By donating my brain when I die, I can leave a lasting legacy, and make a significant contribution which will help contribute to this aim.  For these reasons, I wholeheartedly support the Brain Bank for autism.

Lorna Hall

As the sister of someone with autism, it is important to me that I contribute to autism research in any way I can. Research is essential in making progress and furthering our understanding of autism, which will improve the lives of people with autism and their families. This is why I have made the pledge to donate my brain to the Brain Bank for Autism. Donations from close relatives of people with autism are so important, as they allow scientists to make comparisons and learn more about how autism affects the brain’s development. When my own life has ended, donating my brain means that I can still contribute to research that will improve the lives of others - people like my brother and families like mine. This is why I support the Brain Bank for Autism.

Jill Woolley

Jill Woolley of Hampshire, who has pledged to donate her brain to the research programme, asks others to consider doing the same thing.  She says: "The importance of research into autism or indeed any other neurological defect cannot, in my mind, be emphasised enough.
Through my work I have come across many people with autistic spectrum disorders and have had close contact with some of their families. I therefore have some empathy with the confusion, frustration, and anxiety that many of these people and their kin experience. The more that is learnt about the complexities and the causes of the disorder, the more myths that are dispelled, the better life will be for both the person on the spectrum and their extended families.

Researchers need brain tissue from people of all abilities to continue their work. I know from personal experience that when death occurs it is not easy for next of kin to make an informed choice. Relieve them of that decision by making it yourself now and carrying a donor card".

Julia Taylor

Julia, a Nursing Assistant in Herefordshire, has pledged her brain for research by the Brain Bank for Autism & Related Developmental Research. She says "My work has made me very aware of the need for research into autism and similar conditions which affect the brain. I know that not everyone feels as I do, but I want to make this gift when I die. My body will be of no further use to me then. Since the brain needs to be preserved as soon as the person dies, I have also stressed how important it is for the Brain Bank for Autism to provide a donor card to me and to other registered donors. This would also help next of kin to feel authorised to give their formal consent."

Charlotte Ross

Charlotte has been working to raise awareness in Angus, Scotland - where she lives, about the brain bank, and the work of Autism Speaks.   Her daughter, Sarah, had the opportunity to make a presentation to her classmates about autism which also helped to spread awareness.

Sam Hill

Sam Hill has decided to register as a donor to the Brain Bank for Autism & Related Developmental Research. She says: "Nothing is more powerful and yet more mysterious than the human brain and the more I can help in the mission to understand it, the better. I welcome the opportunity to be both helpful and generous in this clear and simple way - which is not always easy for someone with Asperger’s! I will also spread the word among those not on the spectrum and tell them that their brains are useful too".